SAT Participation Continues To Grow As The SAT Suite Successfully Completes Its Transition To Digital Testing

The 2024 SAT^® Suite of Assessments Annual Report released today shows that more than 1.97 million students in the high school class of 2024 took the SAT at least once, up from 1.91 million in the class of 2023. In the class of 2024, 68% of SAT takers tested during the school day, the highest percentage to date and the seventh consecutive year of growth for the SAT School Day program. The 2023-24 school year marked the transition to digital testing in the United States, including the PSAT/NMSQT^® in fall 2023 and the launch of the digital SAT in spring 2024.

As SAT participation approaches pre-pandemic levels, the growth in test taking reinforces that students and educators in K–12 and higher ed recognize the value of the SAT as a way to identify students’ knowledge and strengths and connect them to college, scholarship, and career resources and opportunities.

Now that the full SAT Suite is administered digitally, the entire testing experience is significantly shorter and easier for students and educators. Students and testing staff overwhelmingly say they prefer the digital test over paper and pencil due to the easy-to-use Bluebook™ student testing app and a shorter test and test day.

SAT School Day

“Giving the SAT to all students on a school day helps students understand that college is an option and boosts college going—especially for low-income and underrepresented minority students,” said Priscilla Rodriguez, senior vice president of College Readiness Assessments. “The continued growth of SAT School Day shows the enduring value for K–12 educators, who can use the SAT Suite to measure students’ progress toward college and career readiness, plan instruction, and connect their students to postsecondary opportunity.”

SAT School Day continues to grow since its introduction 10 years ago, reaching a record high this year. Nearly 1.35 million students in the class of 2024 took the SAT through the SAT School Day program, which provides schools, districts, and states a way to offer the SAT to juniors and seniors in school, on a weekday, often at no cost to students.

Mean SAT Scores

For the third consecutive year, the average SAT total score declined, down to 1024 for the class of 2024, compared to 1028 for the class of 2023. This decline is a post-pandemic trend observed in other national assessments including the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). In this year’s graduating class, 39% of SAT takers met or exceeded both the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Math college readiness benchmarks, which indicate a likelihood for success in credit-bearing college coursework.

PSAT/NMSQT

For the first time, all PSAT-related assessments, including the PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT™ 10, and PSAT™ 8/9 were administered digitally both in the United States and internationally. Approximately 3.65 million students participated in the PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10 in the 2023-24 school year, remaining consistent with participation during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years.

The PSAT/NMSQT is the only qualifying test for the National Merit^® Scholarship Program, an academic competition for recognition and scholarships. PSAT-related assessments also provide students with benefits like connection to free practice resources; more than $350 million in scholarship opportunities; the chance to hear from colleges and scholarship programs; and information about their potential to succeed in Advanced Placement^® courses.

Colleges Are Reinstating Test Requirements

Many colleges—including privates, publics, and state higher ed systems—reinstated their test score requirements this year, showing colleges continue to value the SAT as part of their admissions processes after establishing test-optional policies during the pandemic. Colleges have cited several reasons for reinstating test scores, including:

• The ability to better identify students who will be successful on their campus 
• Reaching more underrepresented and low-income students 
• More accurately identifying which students will need extra support 

The SAT Suite is a standardized measure of the core reading, writing, and math skills essential for success in college and career. Research shows that amid all the components of a college application—grades, essays, extracurricular activities—test scores are among the most useful in identifying students who are ready to succeed. In fact, the SAT provides an additional 22% (+38% for STEM majors) predictive utility above high school GPA alone. When used in context, the SAT helps colleges fill their early pipeline with a diverse range of students who can thrive on their campus.