The College Board has developed its own application for taking the SAT called Bluebook. It allows students to practice taking the digital SAT and is required to take an official digital SAT exam.
There are four practice tests currently available for students to prepare for the SAT and become comfortable with testing on the app. We expect additional practice exams to be added to Bluebook every 6-8 months as the Collegeboard decides which tests and questions to retire.
College Board Account
Each student is required to have his or her own login to access a College Board account. This is the same login that is used to register for an official exam or check scores. Students will need to log into the Bluebook app with their College Board login to open the app.
School-issued device vs Personal device
If you are using a school-issued tablet or laptop, technology administrators are responsible for installing the Bluebook app.
If you are using your own laptop or tablet, you’ll need to download the Bluebook app to take a practice test on the official app. Because your app is connected to you through your College Board account, you can be logged into apps on different devices and all your data will be saved to the same place.
This means you can practice at home on a personal computer or device, and then take the official exam on your school tablet. However, it’s recommended that you practice taking the Digital SAT on Bluebook on the device you’ll be using for official exams.
The College Board recommends bringing a charging cord because your device will be on for a total time of approximately 3 hours.
How the Bluebook app functions during the test:
- A countdown timer is at the top of the test screen and starts as soon as the test-taker begins the module. At the same time the test starts, students will be shown instructions for using the app and answering questions.
- TIP: Do not waste time reading the instructions. Since this is only a practice test, take a picture of the instructions for you to better understand when you aren’t under time restrictions.
- Students may go back and forth between questions within a module until the time ends.
- A 5-minute warning will pop up to let test-takers know they are nearing the end of a module.
- At the end of each module is a summary page showing which questions have been answered, unanswered, and flagged for review. Test-takers can revisit questions by clicking directly from the summary page on the question.
Practice Test Timing vs. Official Exam Timing
During the practice test, a student may choose to move on to the next module whenever they are ready and skip the 10-minute break between sections.
This is NOT allowed during an official exam. This is how timing differs for an official exam:
- If the student is not finished with the module and time runs out, all answers are saved and submitted. The screen will automatically advance students to the next part of the exam.
- After the second module of the first section, students will be forced to take a 10 minute break. They cannot advance to the next section or revisit any parts of the exam.
In-App Tools
- Annotation Tool – allows students to highlight text and enter notes alongside questions and passages.
- Crossout Text Tool – use this tool to eliminate multiple choice answers that have been ruled out.
- Mark for Review – Flag a question to review later. When test-takers reach the summary page at the end of a mobile, they can see which questions they flagged for review.
- Reference Sheet – Just like the old, paper SAT, a reference page with math formulas is provided at the beginning of the module.
- Scientific Calculator – An in-app, scientific calculator is accessible throughout the entire math section.
- Additional tools like being able to zoom in and out and a help button are also available.
At the end of your exam, the Bluebook app will submit answers to your College Board account.
Important: wait for the “Congratulations” screen before closing your device.
Finding Your Practice Test Score
TIP: To find the practice test score, you may need to open up a browser on your device and log back into your College Board account. Then, return to the app and click on the practice test you just took. From there, it will bring you back to your College Board account on the browser and show you your answers.
The College Board does not provide any in-depth reporting on practice test performance. Results will show which questions were correct and incorrect, and how many were right and wrong per section. Students will have to go question by question in the practice test to see what kinds of questions were missed and analyze their own test performance.
This is in line with the change that the College Board will no longer be providing QAS reports for digital SAT exams. This will have a huge impact on the way that students currently prepare for the SAT. The QAS report gives students insight into the correct way to solve questions and other insights into their overall test performance.