The SAT will go completely digital by 2024

The SAT will go digital by 2024, the College Board said, as it faces questions about whether admissions tests are fair, or even necessary, The New York Times reports.

The exam, which students will complete on laptops or tablets at testing centres, will also be shortened from three hours to two hours, the Times said on Tuesday.

The changes will begin in 2024 in the United States and in 2023 in other countries.

Dumped as an admission requirement by the University of California, the SAT is expected to better prevent cheating and widen access to an exam that is coming under growing scrutiny as a gatekeeper in the college application process, the Los Angeles Times said.

In a key change, the digital format will allow for a unique test for each student. That will increase security — test-takers can’t crib an answer from someone else — but could raise questions about how to fairly assess students who are taking different tests.