Prepare smarter, not harder. Ive compiled a list of the most essential resources available for the Digital SAT. The emphasis is on real tests and questions from the College Board. In addition to authentic testing materials, i’ve added recommendations for books and other resources that offer strategies and fill knowledge gaps.
(updated November 2023)
1. The Bluebook App with Four Realistic and Adaptive SAT tests
To access these tests, you’ll need to download the “bluebook” app from the College Board website. It’s downloadable on a Mac, Windows, iPad, or school managed Chromebook. Currently, it is the best available resource for real SAT question practice.
When you complete a digital SAT practice test using the College Board’s Bluebook app, you’ll encounter 98 questions. It’s crucial to retake these tests because your performance in the first module determines whether you’ll face an “easy” or “hard” second module, with up to 49 additional unique questions.
2. Four Paper Tests in a Non-Adaptive Format.
The paper-based tests provide an opportunity to tackle all the problems without relying on a computer. While they have their merit, I suggest prioritizing the Bluebook exams initially. Approximately 30% of the paper questions differ from their digital counterpart.
3. One realistic PSAT test in the Bluebook app
You’ll need to download the bluebook app to access this test. Although the PSAT is generally easier than the SAT, this is still a helpful resource. Given the limited set of tests available, it’s worth getting every bit of practice you can find.
4. One PSAT test in the Non-Adaptive, Paper Format.
About 30% of the non-adaptive, linear, paper form of the PSAT contains unique questions that aren’t seen on the digital form of the PSAT. Once again, there’s a lot of overlap between the paper tests and the digital ones.
5. Khan Academy’s Official Digital SAT Prep
You can visit Khan Academy’s Official Digital SAT prep here—but please keep in mind that Khan Academy questions are not official College Board SAT questions. As a tutor for 15 years, I’ve never liked the Khan Academy SAT prep material. This is surprising, given the contract between College Board and Khan academy. I find Khan Academy more useful to fill broad knowledge gaps. You can use the other resources here to identify those.
6. The Original 33 Digital SAT Sample Questions
These are the first questions that the College Board released for the new Digital SAT format. Incorporating these questions into your SAT prep plan is essential.
7. The SAT Suite Question Bank
Also known as the Educator Question Bank, keep in mind that there is a preponderance of overlap between these questions and those found on the Bluebook tests and Khan Academy. However, it is still a great resource. What I find especially useful is that you can identify questions within a specific subject area and their ranked difficulty level. This way, you can target especially challenging problems. There are thousands of questions.
8. SAT Suite of Assessments Skills Insight Tool
An underwhelming resource, with some limited use cases. You can search various categories of problems with different difficulty levels and receive TWO sample questions. Yay.
9. Books for Strategy and Realistic Tests
Frankly, I find the current selection rather underwhelming. However, I anticipate a marked improvement as authors continue to fine-tune their works over time. I confidently extend a provisional endorsement for any publications authored by Erica Metzler for the Reading and Writing Section. As for the Mathematic section, I am still in search of exemplary books. Historically, PWN the SAT has proven beneficial for more advanced students. Additionally, Steve Warner’s “500 SAT Questions” has stood out with its highly realistic questions and thoughtful approach. I am optimistic that these authors will release updated editions in the near future.