The Digital SAT is not taken on paper but inside College Board's own application. It is called Bluebook and has to be downloaded and used before the exam.
What is on the screen
The question and the text sit side by side. The remaining time appears at the top and can be hidden. Options can be struck through, and questions can be flagged and returned to.
In the mathematics section a Desmos graphing calculator sits inside the screen, along with a reference formula panel.
Being able to hide the timer
This small detail makes a noticeable difference for students who experience anxiety. A permanently visible countdown disrupts pacing for some.
A student who learns the setting exists on exam day cannot try it. Practice tests should be worked both ways to see which goes better.
What Desmos actually changes
Solving an equation, finding the intersection of two graphs and seeing the root of a function are faster with Desmos than algebraically. It is the single largest source of time saved in the mathematics section.
But it only saves time for a student who has practised. Opened for the first time in the exam, Desmos costs time rather than saving it.
Flagging and returning
Moving back and forth within a module is free. Once a module is submitted there is no return.
That is the basis of the strategy: a question that resists is flagged and skipped, then revisited at the end of the module. A student who works strictly in order and stalls never sees the easy questions that follow.
Device and preparation
The exam can be taken on the student's own device or on one provided by the centre. Where a personal device is used, the app has to be installed and the pre exam setup steps completed in advance.
The app contains free full length practice tests with the same interface as the real exam. At least part of preparation has to be done with those.