January 25, 2022
Statement from Rob Franek, editor-in-chief, The Princeton Review
Re The College Board's Announcement About its Plans to Move to a Digital SAT
We are not surprised by this announcement. The College Board and ACT, Inc., have been researching transitioning their college admission tests to digital and computer-based formats for several years. The COVID pandemic, the movement to remote learning, and the increase in the number of colleges pivoting to test-optional admission policies have accelerated their efforts to expedite these transitions.
The SAT® – which The Princeton Review has never said was a good test or a fair one – has been a controversial exam since its beginning. Its efficacy as a predictor of college readiness has been challenged by researchers and college admissions officers alike.
Whether the College Board's transition to a fully digital SAT will address underlying problems with the SAT remains to be seen. Will the digital SAT address or exacerbate inequities with respect to student access to technology? Will the administration of the test address or exacerbate issues with respect to test security? Will shortening the test make it more or less – or indeed at all – predictive of college readiness? And will more or fewer colleges use it in decisions about admission and scholarship aid awards?
Through four decades of the College Board's changes of the SAT – from revisions in content to length to format to scoring – we have been there with resources to help students score their best on the test. We will be there for students when the digital SAT is launched, and we will bring our deep experience in computer-based tests to them.
In the mid-1990s, when the GRE® and GMAT® became the first two major entrance exams to adopt computer-based testing as their primary method of administration, The Princeton Review was prepared: we immediately adapted our pedagogy and materials, including emulating the adaptive features of these tests. We also kept pace with all other major changes including the Association of American Medical College's 2005 conversion of the MCAT® to computer-based testing, the launch of the computer-based ACT® for international testing, and, most recently, the Law School Admission Council's adoption of a digital LSAT®.
The Princeton Review was founded 40 years ago to help students score their best on the SAT. We will be there for students taking the digital SAT and for as long as the test is used in decisions affecting their educational futures—as we have been there for tens of millions of paper-and-pencil SAT test takers over the years.
About The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review® is a leading tutoring, test prep, and college admission services company. Every year, it helps millions of college- and graduate school-bound students achieve their education and career goals through online and in-person courses delivered by a network of more than 4,000 teachers and tutors, online resources, and its more than 150 print and digital books published by Penguin Random House. Founded in 1981, The Princeton Review celebrated its 40th anniversary in November 2021. The company's Tutor.com brand, now in its 21st year, is one of the largest online tutoring services in the U.S. It comprises a community of thousands of tutors who have delivered more than 21 million one-to-one tutoring sessions. The Princeton Review is headquartered in New York, NY. The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University. For more information, visit PrincetonReview.com and the company's Media Center. Follow the company on Twitter ( @ThePrincetonRev ) and Instagram ( @theprincetonreview ).
Some of The Princeton Review resources for the SAT:
Courses
https://stg-www.princetonreview.com/college/sat-test-prep
LiveOnline Courses
https://stg-www.princetonreview.com/offer/prep-online
Free SAT Practice Tests and Events
https://stg-www.princetonreview.com/college/free-sat-practice-test?ceid=nav-hs#!practice
YouTube Channel Videos
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpKbNuRROd1YBVwRz_vvhJw
"What Test Optional Means Right Now" Dec 8, 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aevQqkteKCo
SAT ® is a trademark registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse The Princeton Review.
MCAT® is a registered trademark of the Association of American Medical Colleges.
LSAT® is a trademark registered by Law School Admission Council, Inc., which is not affiliated with and does not endorse, The Princeton Review
All tests are registered trademarks of their respective owners. None of the trademark holders is affiliated with The Princeton Review.
Contact: Jeanne Krier, Publicist for The Princeton Review and Tutor.com, pressoffice@review.com.
