As you might know, the SAT is now strictly digital. There is a software one must download called Bluebook, not to be confused with other blue books out there.

Bobcat at my house the other day, while we were preparing for the digital SAT

The College Board will give you more details about it on their website. I can tell you we are finding it easy to use and navigate, but everybody is different.

I would strongly advise you to have your child take at least one practice test inside the Bluebook platform and then review what went wrong.

We all know the SAT or the ACT do NOT test a child’s true education. They just test a child’s test taking skills. We do not put too much credence on the results, but the SAT/ACT scores mean something to colleges and to the outside world.

Repeat after me: outside validation. As homeschoolers, we do not really care about other people’s opinions. We are independent-minded. However, when it comes to having to plug our children into this world, the world wants to know how our children perform on the SAT. Oh well. Might as well take the test and show them.

Even if your children do not go the college route (mine do not want to attend college at this point), a high SAT score tells the world you have done a “good” job. It also gives your child a reason to review time management skills, controlling their test anxiety, interacting with others in a classroom, planning ahead so many practice sessions, learning a new software and user interface, pacing themselves through the test etc.

We sign up for it through the College Board website, choose the closest test center to us, pay, and go. Apparently, we must bring our own laptops because they do not have extra computers allocated to other students. Besides, their students bring their Chrome books. All public school students in our district receive a Chrome book and that is where all their homework is. Nobody has books anymore. Sigh.

Give it your best shot and check this one off your list. You will not regret it and it will not harm your child.

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