Digital SAT (dSAT) or ACT?

Students applying to colleges that require standardized testing scores must decide whether to take the Digital SAT (dSAT) or ACT. All schools in the United States accept both tests, and admissions officers allegedly have no preference for one test over the other. Thus, it’s up to students to determine for themselves which exam will best demonstrate their academic potential in addition to conveying their commitment to taking the harder road and exceeding expectations wherever possible. One way to achieve the latter is by taking advantage of every optional lever. In that way, the ACT provides more opportunity with its four multiple-choice sections, optional essay section, and longer exam length.

While the dSAT and ACT assess very similar analytical skills and content areas, the formats of these exams contrast significantly. We’ve broken down some key differences for you below and offer some insight regarding which students might best fit either test.

For a side-by-side comparison, we invite you to review the comparison chart on this page (it’s the 4th item in the TOC). As for the optional writing section (essay) of the ACT, we invite you to read this blog post addressing why we recommend opting in.

NOTE: ACT has proposed changes to its current test to roll out in April 2025, but the current version as a paper-and-pencil test will remain in place with certainty through July 2025. We’ve summarized these proposed changes at the bottom of this article.

Timing

Both the dSAT and ACT require testing stamina: the dSAT runs 2 hours and 14 minutes, and the ACT runs 2 hours and 55 minutes. But the overall length of either exam is less important to consider than the actual time-per-question breakdown.

The dSAT gives more time on average – about 1 minute and 22 seconds per question, as compared to the ACT’s 49 seconds per question. However, dSAT questions often require significantly more legwork from students than ACT questions: dSAT takers encounter more multi-step math problems and must interpret more nuanced text (see our section-by-section breakdown below for examples). One might think of the dSAT like a marathon and the ACT like a sprint. In both races, students are “running” through very similar content. The dSAT (marathon) gives students slightly more time per question, but they have farther to “travel.” The ACT (sprint) requires students to cover less ground, but the extreme time crunch challenges even the most gifted learners.

Students proficient at working quickly under pressure will likely prefer the “easier” questions on the ACT. Conversely, students who work slowly but can generally handle lengthy, sophisticated applications of familiar concepts may prefer the dSAT.

Note: Somewhat paradoxically, students granted timing accommodations will almost always perform better on the ACT. The extra time counteracts the ACT’s timing challenges, and – in our experience – students’ accuracy improves more when their extra time is used to tackle straightforward ACT questions, rather than dSAT items.

Digital vs. Paper-and-Pencil

As its name suggests, the dSAT is administered digitally. The ACT remains a paper test for test takers in the United States (though some digital ACT testing options will be released in 2025, and international test takers only have a digital option).

The dSAT “Bluebook” program offers plenty of sleek tools for digital testing: a virtual highlighter, buttons to cross out answers during process of elimination, access to an online graphing calculator via Desmos, and a one-click “overview” window to save questions for later review. However, we’d advise against picking the dSAT for these features alone; they won’t necessarily help students perform better, and many are easily replicated with pen and paper. In fact, the ACT’s paper test has just as many formatting advantages: students can mark up geometric figures directly in their test booklet and needn’t waste any time copying elements onto scratch paper, for example.

Of greater importance are the pragmatic realities of implementing a new digital test. The dSAT’s 2024 rollout has not been without technical issues – one testing center in California encountered WiFi problems and held students for three hours before canceling that test entirely. We acknowledge that this seems to be an isolated incident, but high-stakes standardized testing is stressful enough. We recommend giving the College Board a few more years to work out these kinks. Other technology challenges rest with the student. For example, taking the dSAT requires bringing your own technology, including a charger. Test sites may have issues with a sufficient number of outlets, and laptops that die mid testing are a serious concern.

Adaptive vs. Linear

The ACT is a traditional “linear” test, which presents the same set of questions to every test taker. One supposed dSAT benefit is the introduction of “adaptive” testing, meaning how students do on one section of the test determines the difficulty of subsequent questions. On the dSAT, there are two math sections and two verbal sections: all students encounter the same questions in the first section of each subject and then are routed to either a “harder” or “easier” module for their second section.

In theory, this seems helpful. Calibrated sections more accurately assess student performance while using fewer exam questions (this is what allows the dSAT to be 41 minutes shorter than the ACT). In reality, there are two problems:

First, score capping. In our experience, test takers who are directed to the “easier” second math module cannot score higher than 640-660 out of a total 800 math points, even with perfect accuracy on the second module. Consider a student who generally does well with math in school but struggles with novel applications of content during standardized testing. Perhaps this student is slow to start, but would ordinarily find their footing as the test goes on. Imagine they do a decent job completing the first section and fall just under the threshold to be placed in the more difficult second section. Now, their final score will be limited, whereas this student might have shined on a non-adaptive test.

Secondly, if a student knows the dSAT is adaptive and becomes aware that they have been placed in the easier module, the student might become disheartened or anxious about their performance. At best, this self-awareness pulls focus from the test itself, but at worst, students spin endlessly, making it harder to excel on remaining problems.

Availability of Official Practice Materials

The ACT’s test makers have not changed the exam’s format since 2005, and there are over 75 “official” – that is, released by the test makers themselves rather than by test-prep companies – exams and practice tests available. Conversely, the College Board debuted the dSAT for U.S. students in 2024, and there are currently only six official practice tests available online. These practice tests are controversial in terms of their difficulty level and how reliable and predictive the results are in comparison with official exams that have been administered to date.

Official materials are the best predictors of performance on a real exam. Practice exams that are created by test-prep companies vary widely in quality and do not always adequately mirror the question types or scoring curves. Whenever possible, students should practice with real exam questions – repeated exposure to official problems helps students become familiar with test format and gives them a much better sense of timing on the actual exam. For these reasons, at present it is easier to prepare for the ACT; teachers and learners can utilize old exams without fear of “burning” some of the only practice tests available.

Math Testing

The dSAT and ACT math sections vary in the following ways:

Student Produced Responses

• The ACT math section includes 60 multiple-choice questions
• The dSAT includes two math sections, each with 22 questions. Approximately 75% of dSAT math problems are traditional multiple-choice questions. The other 25% are open-ended, requiring student-produced responses.

What this means for students: Students will naturally find it harder to gain points by guessing on the dSAT’s student-produced-response questions (SPRs). Additionally, many of the testing strategies or shortcuts that might be employed in a multiple-choice setting (plugging an answer back into the question to see if it “works,” process of elimination, etc) cannot be used on SPRs.

Content Areas

• The ACT covers Pre-Algebra, Algebra I and II, Geometry, Statistics, Probability, and Trigonometry
• The dSAT tests these same subject areas, but leans much more heavily on Algebra skills

What this means for students: One might consider this a difference of “breadth versus depth.” The ACT math section covers a broader range of topics, but dSAT algebra questions are often wordier and require a deeper level of problem solving. Note the two examples below, which both test rational exponents and are both regarded as “difficult” by their respective tastemakers.

ACT PROBLEM

Source: ACT 2024-2025 Official Guide Test 3

SAT PROBLEM

Source: College Board Official dSAT Practice Test 1

Students familiar with exponent properties will easily solve this ACT problem by converting radicals to rational exponents and then simplifying the resulting expression. The dSAT question, on the other hand, requires students to discern meaning from wordier text and to integrate their knowledge of rational exponents, functions, exponential equations, and more – testing not only fluency but also conceptual understanding and application.

Additionally, students who have struggled with geometry and/or trigonometry in school regularly cite that as a reason to favor the dSAT. Still, it is worth noting that the ACT question formats for trigonometry especially are often quite predictable. Consider the following problems from three different ACTs on the Law of Cosines:

Source: ACT 2024-2025 Official Guide Test 5

Source: ACT 2022-2023 Official Guide Test 2

Source: ACT 2024-2025 Official Guide Test 2

All three of these problems simply ask students to plug values from a diagram into a formula (and sometimes, that formula is written transparently in the question stem!) before performing some basic algebraic manipulation. Any student willing to complete a few targeted drills – even a learner that has previously struggled with trigonometry in school – stands to gain these points easily. Once students understand how to solve this question type on one test, they will be able to apply that knowledge to a future test. Much of the content generally avoided by the dSAT (like matrices and combinatorics, for example) can be similarly managed with focused instruction and practice.

We acknowledge that the ACT math section still frequently challenges students with novel applications of familiar content, and that the overall difficulty level of questions on the ACT continues to rise slowly from year to year. We recognize, too, that the dSAT certainly includes some formulaic question types. But, in general, those who do better with rote memorization or prefer the ease of executing a straightforward rule will likely see higher score gains when prepping for the ACT – especially if they are willing to put in the time to 1) familiarize themselves with the wide range of ACT material, and 2) significantly increase their working speed. Students with very strong algebra skills who excel at denser, multi-step problems, and/or those who are exhausted by the prospect of revisiting combinatorics, statistics, and trigonometry may prefer the dSAT.

Verbal Testing

The dSAT and ACT verbal sections vary in the following ways:

Integration of Grammar Problems

• The ACT includes two verbal sections: English and Reading. The English section tests grammar conventions and rhetorical skills, while the separate Reading section focuses on reading comprehension.
• The dSAT also includes two verbal sections, but both grammar conventions and reading comprehension are tested throughout the two modules.

What this means for students: As demonstrated below, ACT and dSAT grammar questions often feel very similar.

ACT PROBLEM

“…For this purpose, many neutrinos have been traveling through space unimpeded for billions of years. On some occasions however; neutrinos do collide with other particles. Scientists specifically selected the site of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory to facilitate the detection of such a collision…”

F. NO CHANGE
G. occasions, however,
H. occasions, however,
J. occasions, however,

Source: ACT 2024-2025 Official Guide Test 4

SAT PROBLEM

“During the English neoclassical period (1660-1789), many writers imitated the epic poetry and satires of ancient Greece and Rome. They were not the first in England to adopt the literary modes of classical ________ some of the most prominent figures of the earlier Renaissance period were also influenced by ancient Greek and Roman literature.”

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. antiquity, however,
B. antiquity, however,
C. antiquity, however,
D. antiquity; however,

Source: College Board Official dSAT Practice Test 1

ACT and dSAT English questions like this one test hard-and-fast grammar rules that, once learned, usually translate quickly into score gains. These question types lend themselves more to test prep, because consistent drilling bolsters students’ accuracy more quickly in grammar than it might across other test sections. Mastering a rule about comma usage, for example, is less involved than improving one’s overall reading speed.

The ACT includes a full section of English (and thus proportionally more rule-based grammar questions than the dSAT). Due partly to this breakdown, students who do well in English are better able to leverage that skillset on the ACT.

Reading Passage Length

● The ACT’s reading comprehension provides four longer passages (6-10 paragraphs). Students must answer ten multiple-choice questions about each passage.
● The dSAT’s verbal sections do not include long passages. Instead, each question provides a shorter statement (1-5 sentences), and students must answer one multiple-choice question about each statement.

What this means for students: The dSAT’s shorter passages mean less time is spent searching for specific information buried in long passages of text. Students who struggle to grasp the overall organizational structure of a longer passage might prefer this format. Additionally, slow readers who struggle to read a full ACT passage within their allotted time may also prefer the dSAT.

On the other hand, the ACT offers students a chance to settle into one longer text. Many dSAT takers find that having to repeatedly reorient to new subject material is somewhat jarring and actually more taxing than working through a single ACT passage. Students who have trouble refocusing themselves may prefer the ACT.

Reading and Vocabulary Level

● The ACT’s text generally stays at high-school reading level
● The dSAT’s text can stretch to 12th grade or college reading level, and includes questions more specifically focused on vocabulary

What this means for students: Most students will find ACT passages more palatable and intuitive. ACT multiple-choice selections typically include one very clear “bullseye” answer alongside three more obviously incorrect answers. The correct answer can be “matched back” to the passage by underlining supporting evidence in the text, as in the below example:

Source: ACT 2024-2025 Official Guide Test 3

The dSAT, on the other hand, uses longer and more complicated sentence structures. Test takers are granted more time per question, but students must also sift through multiple-choice answers that feel closer to one another. There are also fewer opportunities to “match back” to the passage, as observed in the three SAT questions below:

“Several studies have found negligible electoral consequences for governments that impose fiscal austerity measures, yet some European governments recently suffered electorally due to their austerity programs. Evelyne Huebscher and colleagues attribute this incongruity to governments’ tendency– not followed in the recent European cases– to implement austerity programs strategically to avoid electoral costs (e.g. setting spending cuts to take effect only after the next election), which has obscured the inherent political risks of austerity measures in the election data scholars have examined.”

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

A. It explains a discrepancy between what has been observed in study settings and what has been observed in real-world settings that the text goes on to assert is attributable to the studies not using real world data.
B. It identifies a conflict between research findings and recent events that the text goes on to suggest is a consequence of a complicating factor in the data used to generate those findings.
C. It presents a long-standing divergence in research findings that the text goes on to say is due to different groups of researchers using data that derive from different electoral circumstances.
D. It describes a recent exception to a general pattern in research findings that the text goes on to explain is a result of researchers underestimating the significance of inconsistencies in the data they’ve analyzed.

Source: College Board Official dSAT Practice Test 1

“Birds of many species ingest foods containing carotenoids, pigmented molecules that are converted into feather coloration. Coloration tends to be especially saturated in male birds’ feathers, and because carotenoids also confer health benefits, the deeply saturated colors generally serve to communicate what is known as an honest signal of a bird’s overall fitness to potential mates. However, ornithologist Allison J. Shultz and others have found that males in several species of the tanager genus Ramphocelus use microstructures in their feathers to manipulate light, creating the appearance of deeper saturation without the birds necessarily having to maintain a carotenoid-rich diet. These findings suggest that ______.”

Which choice most logically completes the text?

A. individual male tanagers can engage in honest signaling without relying on carotenoid consumption.
B. feather microstructures may be less effective than deeply saturated feathers for signaling overall fitness.
C. scientists have yet to determine why tanagers have a preference for mates with colorful appearances.
D. a male tanager’s appearance may function as a dishonest signal of the individual’s overall fitness.

Source: College Board Official dSAT Practice Test 1

“Researchers hypothesized that a decline in the population of dusky sharks near the mid-Atlantic coast of North America led to a decline in the population of eastern oysters in the region. Dusky sharks do not typically consume eastern oysters but do consume cownose rays, which are the main predators of the oysters.”

Which finding, if true, would most directly support the researchers’ hypothesis?

A. Declines in the regional abundance of dusky sharks’ prey other than cownose rays are associated with regional declines in dusky shark abundance.
B. Eastern oyster abundance tends to be greater in areas with both dusky sharks and cownose rays than in areas with only dusky sharks.
C. Consumption of eastern oysters by cownose rays in the region substantially increased before the regional decline in dusky shark abundance began.
D. Cownose rays have increased in regional abundance as dusky sharks have decreased in regional abundance.

Source: College Board Official dSAT Practice Test 1

Integration of Data Interpretation Problems

• The ACT does not require students to interpret charts or graphs during the reading section. Instead, the ACT tests these skills in a separate ACT Science section.
• The dSAT verbal section includes questions that refer to data charts in order to test students’ “Command of Quantitative Evidence.” The dSAT does not have a science section.

What this means for students: Test takers are required to interpret data charts on both exams.

The ACT Science section should be considered a second reading comprehension section that focuses on students’ ability to 1) draw conclusions from tables and graphs, and 2) make judgements about theories and data. Quantitative evidence questions on the dSAT now do the same, as shown below:

Over the past two hundred years, the percentage of the population employed in the agricultural sector has declined in both France and the United States, while employment in the service sector (which includes jobs in retail, consulting, real estate, etc.) has risen. However, this transition happened at very different rates in the two countries. This can be seen most clearly by comparing the employment by sector in both countries in ______

Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?

A. 1900 with the employment by sector in 1950.
B. 1800 with the employment by sector in 2012.
C. 1900 with the employment by sector in 2012.
D. 1800 with the employment by sector in 1900.

Source: College Board Official dSAT Practice Test 1

The population of the coral Lophelia pertusa declined significantly around 9,000 years ago in the Alboran Sea and around 11,000 years ago near the Mauritanian coast. Using the ratio of manganese to calcium, which inversely correlates with ocean oxygenation levels, marine scientist Rodrigo da Costa Portilho-Ramos and colleagues evaluated whether oxygenation played a role in the declines of L. pertusa. The researchers concluded that oxygenation may have been important in the Alboran Sea but not near the Mauritanian coast, since ______

Which choice most effectively uses data from the graph to complete the statement?

A. a substantial increase in oxygenation in the Alboran Sea corresponded with the local decline in L. pertusa, but the opposite relationship between oxygenation and L. pertusa was found near the Mauritanian coast.
B. L. pertusa declined in the Alboran Sea during a period of substantial local decline in oxygenation, but L. pertusa declined near the Mauritanian coast during a period of little local change in oxygenation.
C. oxygenation in the Alboran Sea was higher before the decline in L. pertusa than after the decline, whereas oxygenation near the Mauritanian coast was relatively low both before and after the decline in L. pertusa.
D. oxygenation in the Alboran Sea tended to be substantially higher than oxygenation near the Mauritanian coast during the period studied.

Source: College Board Official dSAT Practice Test 1

When hibernating, Alaska marmots and Arctic ground squirrels enter a state called torpor, which minimizes the energy their bodies need to function. Often a hibernating animal will temporarily come out of torpor (called an arousal episode) and its metabolic rate will rise, burning more of the precious energy the animal needs to survive the winter. Alaska marmots hibernate in groups and therefore burn less energy keeping warm during these episodes than they would if they were alone. A researcher hypothesized that because Arctic ground squirrels hibernate alone, they would likely exhibit longer bouts of torpor and shorter arousal episodes than Alaska marmots.

Which choice best describes data from the table that support the researcher’s hypothesis?

A. The Alaska marmots’ arousal episodes lasted for days, while the Arctic ground squirrels’ arousal episodes lasted less than a day.
B. The Alaska marmots and the Arctic ground squirrels both maintained torpor for several consecutive days per bout, on average.
C. The Alaska marmots had shorter torpor bouts and longer arousal episodes than the Arctic ground squirrels did.
D. The Alaska marmots had more torpor bouts than arousal episodes, but their arousal episodes were much shorter than their torpor bouts.

Source: College Board Official dSAT Practice Test 1

The ACT Science section includes many more straightforward data-interpretation problems than the dSAT (like #2 and #14 below). But once again, timing is a challenge. Students must be able to quickly and meticulously draw conclusions from unfamiliar material and will often be asked to synthesize information from multiple charts, hypotheses, or experiment trials.

Excelling at this portion of the ACT requires strong reading skills and very little outside science knowledge– generally, only 4 to 5 questions (out of a total 35) per test will require mastery of facts outside those presented in the science passage. For example, in #19 below, students must remember (or intuit) that the weight of an object is directly proportional to gravitational pull.

Conclusion

Both tests have formatting pros and cons, and so the decision of which test to take depends on each individual student’s learning style, problem-solving skills, and available preparation time. The ACT might be thought of as a “searching” test, with students hunting quickly through a large amount of given information for just the right data point, textual evidence, or applicable rule. Conversely, the dSAT might be thought of as a “solving” test, where students must thoroughly analyze multi-step problems, piecing their way through a shorter amount of denser information.

Given many of the reasons discussed in this article, we currently recommend the ACT for most high schoolers – we see students making larger score gains more easily with targeted, consistent practice on the ACT. However, the distinction between these two assessments should not be overblown. Ultimately, both the dSAT and ACT test mastery of similar material, and students usually score comparably on either test, at least initially.

High schoolers should review a practice exam from both tests to see if a natural preference emerges – they will, after all, be dedicating a significant amount of their time and energy to preparation. Students who think they prefer algebra-heavy dSAT may find the dSAT’s verbal nuance overwhelming, and students who enjoy ACT science may find the timing constraints stressful.

Proposed ACT Changes

Beginning in April 2025, the ACT has proposed changes that may or may not come into effect. It’s a situation that requires monitoring. The changes are intended to remain competitive with the College Board, as these are two major publishers competing for test takers. The proposed ACT changes include:

1. Beginning in April 2025, two options will be available: 1) the current paper-and-pencil test, and 2) a digital format.
2. Beginning in September 2025, two options will be available: 1) a revised paper-and-pencil test reflecting the changes below, and 2) a digital format.
3. The Science section will become optional, but this will only be a choice for the digital format available in April, June, and July 2025. Any student taking the current paper-and-pencil format must take the science section. Beginning in September 2025 with the newly revised paper-and-pencil test, the Science section will become optional for both formats. NOTE: Students expecting to focus on STEM majors (including Pre-med) should not expect to have a real choice here.
4. New scoring will be rolled out — still out of 36 points — so that the composite score will be calculated from the average of the English, Reading, and Math sections only. A newly reported STEM score will be calculated based on the Math and Science scores, if students opt-into the science section, which we continue to recommend. Per above, this new scoring will initially only apply to the digital format, and then it will apply to both formats beginning in September 2025.
5. The English section will be 35 minutes for 50 questions instead of 45 minutes for 75 questions, so students gain 6 seconds per question.
6. The Math section items will be reduced from 5 answer choices to 4 answer choices; it will be 50 minutes with 45 questions instead of 60 minutes for 60 questions, so students gain 6.6 seconds per question.
7. The Reading section will be 40 minutes for 36 questions instead of 35 minutes for 40 questions, so students gain 14 seconds per question.
8. The new Science section will be 40 minutes for 40 questions instead of 35 minutes for 40 questions, so the challenging pace of the science section will be a little more manageable. Students will gain 7.5 seconds per question.
9. The individual multiple-choice sections will be shortened by 44 items in total, thus the total exam length will be reduced by 70 minutes. This reduction will result in a total test length of 2 hours 5 minutes, which is 9 minutes shorter than the dSAT.

ACT has said that it will NOT introduce any content changes to the revised test, and ACT will NOT be reducing the length of reading passages. Moreover, the ACT will not be using AI to manage adaptive testing, thus all test takers will take the same test version on a particular test date, and no score cap will be imposed as a result of adaptive testing.

Despite the optionality that ACT is introducing in order to be as competitive as possible with the College Board’s SAT testing, we remain in favor of opting into everything possible. By opting into every section, including the writing section, students take advantage of every lever possible to differentiate their candidacy, maximize options at the outset of this college application process and demonstrate a desire to exceed expectations relative to admissions requirements. This approach helps our students to be in the most competitive position possible in this challenging college entry climate.

Next Steps and Scheduling a Planning Meeting

There is a lot of swirling confusion and/or misconceptions about the state of college entry testing and how best to engage. From fluid test-optional policies to buzz surrounding proposed ACT changes to many wonders about the state of the dSAT, it’s important to engage in thoughtful conversation to be as fully informed as possible about this important strategic choice. Our experience over the past several years is that most high schools — private and public — are providing arguably over-simplified, one-size-fits-all advice to their families, and the consequences stand to be significant. “Trust but verify” in light of your particular family’s context is really critical given the current college admissions climate.

As your family begins this necessary part of the college planning process, we would love the opportunity to connect, talk through any questions or wonders, and philosophically wrestle if you’d find that useful! This is a challenging and nuanced topic that deserves a second opinion!

We are happy to assist you with initial planning, strategizing, and sifting through diagnostic score reports. Moreover, we’re ready to help students understand which emerging obstacles are most easily addressed with targeted test preparation and what sort of timeline and test preparation protocol is most appropriate to achieve your desired gains.

We strongly recommend formalizing planning for standardized test preparation and completing diagnostic testing in order to choose a particular pathway in December or January of 10th grade. This way, students benefit from a sufficiently long runway in order to maximize the winter and spring terms of 10th grade and plan around summer availability. Some students can complete their testing requirement before grade 11 gets underway, or before winter break of grade 11, but most students test officially during the winter or spring of grade 11. Testing can continue through the fall term of 12th grade, but it’s best to bring this part of the process to closure by the end of junior year.

Whatever your educational need or wonder may be, please don’t hesitate to contact us. An initial school planning meeting is usually the best way to get started. These meetings can be 30, 45, or 60 minutes by Zoom, by phone, or in person per a family’s preference. A single planning meeting allows us to talk more substantively about your family’s specific needs, priorities, and goals so that we can determine possible next steps. We’re committed to developing unique solutions for unique learners!

We look forward to hearing from you!

By Brad Hoffman, MS.Ed. and Board Certified Educational Planner, Faya Hoffman, M.A. and Board Certified Educational Planner, and Ali Stoner, Private Tutor