Saturday March 8 marked nearly a year since the first U.S. administration of the Digital SAT—and it was one of the most problematic SAT administrations yet.
Students across the globe reported technical errors, including tests ending early and cutting students off in the middle of the second Math module. Here’s what happened, and how students and families should proceed.
What Happened:
The day before the test, the College Board updated timing settings under the hood of Bluebook, its testing app. These setting updates were meant to be invisible, but they resulted in tests ending early for students who had not recently closed and restarted their version of Bluebook. Proctors were informed of this issue in real time and rushed to correct it, resulting in other students’ tests getting interrupted and, in some cases, losing valuable testing time.
For students whose tests ended early, College Board offered a free retake and a “score preview” of their results, so they could decide to keep or cancel their scores. For students whose tests were interrupted but not ended, College Board did not do much.
How to Proceed:
March 2025 underlined the importance of self-advocacy and quick communication during and after tests. Here’s what you can do to help yourself if a similar situation arises in the future.
- Students and families who are affected by any issue should raise it immediately with proctors, test administrators, and the College Board itself.
- Complain loudly! The College Board responded to public pressure after March 8th: loud voices requesting a better response made a difference for students and families.
- Consult with your test prep tutor or other trusted professional on how to proceed: in today’s testing climate, even with a compromised test, it can sometimes be more strategic to keep a score than to cancel it.
- Weigh carefully how each section went: even just one good section score will still count toward your eventual superscore.
- For any practice test or real test on Bluebook, make sure you have updated to the latest version, and that you close and reopen the app immediately before testing – this will ensure that all settings are up to date.
