By Brendan O’Brien

(Reuters] – In an effort to digitize the standardized exam that has seen its use decline during the epidemic, high school students will begin to use their laptops to complete the SAT college entrances exam in 2024.

The College Board released a statement Tuesday stating that students who will take the new digitized SAT – once a stressful rite of passage for almost all college-bound Americans – will now have 2 hours instead of 3 hours to complete questions and shorter reading passages. The math part of the exam can also be taken by test-takers using a calculator.

“The digital SAT will be easier to take, easier to give, and more relevant,” said Priscilla Rodriguez, a vice president at the nonprofit organization that develops the test. “We’re not simply putting the current SAT on a digital platform — we’re taking full advantage of what delivering an assessment digitally makes possible.”

Students applying to college from high schools sat together with test-takers, a monitor and a pencil. Then, they filled out bubbles on pieces of paper that corresponded to the answers to multiple-choice questions. This exam comprises a writing and math section and scores on a 1,600 scale.

College Board ran a pilot program in November 2021 for a digital SAT. It was available to students from the United States as well as other countries. In fact, four of five test subjects said that the digital version made it less stressful.

Recent years have seen a decrease in the number of students who take the SAT because of questions regarding the efficacy of standardized testing. Many universities and colleges have removed it from their admission requirements.

According to College Board, 1.5 million high school students took the SAT in 2021, down from 2.2million in 2020. This was due to pandemic.

Beginning in 2024 students can take the test with their school’s tablet or laptop, as well as a college-issued or College Board device. Like in the past students will need to take the exam at the local testing locations.