The digital SAT is 134 minutes of testing, which is 2 hours 14 minutes, for 98 questions total. A 10-minute break sits between the two sections, so the full sitting runs about 2 hours 24 minutes counting the break, not counting check-in before the test starts.
The test has two sections, Reading and Writing and Math, and each section has two modules. You move through the modules in order, and you cannot go back to a previous module once it ends.
Source: College Board, satsuite.collegeboard.org
Reading and Writing comes first. It is split into Module 1 and Module 2, and each module is 32 minutes long. Together the two modules hold 54 questions and take 64 minutes total.
The questions are short. Instead of one long passage with many questions, the digital SAT gives you many short passages, about 25 to 150 words, each with exactly one question. This makes pacing easier to track because each question stands alone.
Aim for about 71 seconds per question. If a question takes longer than 90 seconds, mark your best guess, flag it, and move on. You can return to flagged questions inside the same module if time allows.
After the Reading and Writing section ends, you get a 10-minute break before Math begins. Use it to stretch, eat a snack, drink water, and rest your eyes.
You cannot use your phone or look at any test materials during the break. Stay in the approved break area, and be back before the 10 minutes run out. The proctor will start Math whether you are seated or not.
Math comes after the break. It is also split into two modules, each 35 minutes long. Together the two modules hold 44 questions and take 70 minutes total.
A Desmos graphing calculator is built into Bluebook and available for the entire Math section, and you may also bring an approved physical calculator. Because the on-screen calculator is always available, many problems reward setting up an equation and letting the tool solve it.
Plan for about 95 seconds per Math question. Budget your time and do not get stuck on one problem.
The digital SAT is section-level adaptive. The first module of each section has a mix of easy, medium, and hard questions. Based on how you perform on that first module, your second module is either more or less difficult.
Adaptivity happens at the module boundary, not question by question. Inside a module, you see a fixed set of questions in order, and you can move around and flag items within that module until time runs out. Once a module ends, you cannot return to it.
Because harder questions are worth more, a harder second module is not a bad sign; it means you qualified for higher-value questions. Keep working through them.
Watch the on-screen timer, but do not stare at it. Check it every five to seven questions to make sure you are on pace, then keep moving.
Use the flag tool on questions you want to revisit, and check your flagged items before a module ends, since you cannot return once it closes. If you are short on time, spend it on the questions you know you can get right rather than burning two minutes on one hard item.
Practice the full 134 minutes at least once before test day. Your brain needs to know what the end of the test feels like. Try our free digital SAT practice to build that stamina one module at a time.
The digital SAT is 134 minutes (2 hours 14 minutes) of testing for 98 questions, plus a 10-minute break between the two sections. Counting the break, the full sitting is about 2 hours 24 minutes, not counting check-in.
Yes. The digital SAT is 2 hours 14 minutes of testing, shorter than the paper SAT, and it no longer includes an optional essay.
No. Most students take it at a school or test center, on a school-issued device or their own laptop or tablet running the Bluebook app.
No. You can move around and flag questions within the current module, but once a module ends you cannot return to it.
About 71 seconds per Reading and Writing question and about 95 seconds per Math question.