Standardized test volume is growing again. The College Board says more than 2 million students in the class of 2025 took the SAT at least once, the first class to clear that mark since 2020, and nearly 1.4 million 2025 graduates took the ACT. AP participation kept climbing too.
The tests those students sit are not the ones their older siblings took. The SAT went digital and adaptive, the ACT cut its question count and made science optional, and most AP exams moved into an app. That turns a routine purchase, the prep book, into one where the edition date matters more than the brand.
Trend Signal
57/100 Steady momentum
- Emerging
- Rising
- Mainstream
- Peaking
- Cooling
Test volume is up and the formats have changed
More than 2 million students in the class of 2025 took the SAT, the first time above that mark since 2020, and 97% took the digital version; ACT began a redesigned test with fewer questions and optional science in spring 2025, so prep material printed for the old formats no longer matches.
Our editorial reading of the cited data, not a forecast. How it is scored
By the numbers
- 2M+Class of 2025 students who took the SAT at least once, up from 1.97 million in 2024College Board
- 98Questions on the digital SAT, taken in 2 hours 14 minutes with adaptive modulesCollege Board
- ~1.4MClass of 2025 graduates who took the ACT at least once in grades 10 through 12ACT
- 4.8MAP Exams taken by over 1.3M public high school students in the class of 2025College Board
Testing volume is growing again
The College Board reported on September 30, 2025 that more than 2 million students in the class of 2025 took the SAT at least once, up from 1.97 million in the class of 2024. Nearly 1.36 million of them, 68% of the class’s SAT takers, took it during the school day through the SAT School Day program, the eighth straight year of growth in that channel. About 3.4 million students took the PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10 in the 2024–25 school year.
The ACT remains large as well. ACT says nearly 1.4 million 2025 graduates took the test at least once between 10th and 12th grade, and that 15 states tested 90% or more of their graduating class. On the AP side, more than 1.3 million public high school students in the class of 2025 took over 4.8 million exams, and 37.0% of public high school graduates took at least one, up from 34.3% for the class of 2015.
Some selective colleges have also brought test requirements back. MIT, for one, announced in March 2022 that it was reinstating its SAT/ACT requirement, with its admissions dean writing that the tests help assess academic preparedness and identify disadvantaged students who lack access to advanced coursework.
What changed in the tests
The SAT now runs in the College Board’s Bluebook app, and 97% of class of 2025 takers used the digital version. It lasts 2 hours 14 minutes: Reading and Writing has 54 questions in two 32-minute modules, Math has 44 questions in two 35-minute modules, and a 10-minute break sits between them. The design is adaptive, so the second module of each section gets harder or easier depending on performance in the first.
The ACT changed in spring 2025, starting with national online testing. ACT says the redesigned test has fewer questions, more time per question and an optional science section, with access for all testers, online and on paper, rolling out through spring 2026. AP moved too: in May 2025 the College Board shifted 28 of 36 AP subjects to Bluebook, either fully digital or hybrid with a paper component for subjects that need graphs or symbolic notation.
| Test | Format in 2026 | What an old prep book gets wrong |
|---|---|---|
| SAT | Digital, adaptive, 98 questions in 2 hours 14 minutes | Paper-era books predate the adaptive two-module design |
| ACT | Fewer questions, more time per item, science optional | Pre-2025 editions practice the older length and timing |
| AP | 28 of 36 subjects in the Bluebook app since May 2025 | Paper-only practice skips the on-screen tools |
For all three tests, the edition date on a prep book now matters more than the publisher.
What prep materials match now
The test makers have rebuilt their own materials. ACT’s prep page advertises “all-new guides with all new full-length practice tests” and a prep guide with four practice tests “with new formats to match the latest ACT.” The College Board points SAT students to full-length practice tests in Bluebook as well as downloadable paper practice tests, which it labels nonadaptive.
That split matters for buyers. A printed SAT book can teach content and strategy, but a paper test cannot reproduce the adaptive second module, so the Bluebook practice tests are the closest match to the real experience. For the ACT, the practical check is whether a book was written after the spring 2025 changes; older editions time and pace students for the old format with more questions.
The ETS purchase of ACT
On June 30, 2026 ETS announced that it is acquiring ACT, a deal ACT described as combining two mission-driven measurement organizations. ACT said that “in the near term, ACT customers and partners will see no disruption to the products or services they rely on today.”
For a student testing in the 2026–27 school year, the relevant format is the redesigned ACT, whose rollout ACT said would continue through spring 2026.
Who should buy now and who should wait
Juniors testing in the 2026–27 school year should buy now, but only editions that name the digital SAT or the post-2025 ACT format. Pair a book with the Bluebook practice tests for the SAT and check ACT’s own guides, which it says match the latest format. Skip secondhand editions from before the changes, however cheap.
Freshmen and sophomores can wait. The ACT rollout ran through spring 2026 and the ETS deal was announced in June 2026, so waiting costs little and gives publishers more time to match the new formats. AP students should check that a review book reflects the digital or hybrid format for their specific subject before buying.
What to watch next
- The College Board’s class of 2026 SAT participation report, which it published at the end of September for the class of 2025
- ACT’s annual graduating-class report, released in mid-October for the class of 2025, for results from the redesigned test
- Any ETS announcement on ACT products, after ACT said the acquisition announced on June 30, 2026 would bring no near-term disruption
Where to start
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Test prep book types compared by exam
| Product type | Good fit for | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Digital SAT prep book | Fits digital SAT takers | See listings on AmazonOpens Amazon search results, not one listing: check the model on the product page. |
| ACT prep book for the redesigned test | Fits ACT takers | See listings on AmazonOpens Amazon search results, not one listing: check the model on the product page. |
| AP exam review book | Fits AP students | See listings on AmazonOpens Amazon search results, not one listing: check the model on the product page. |
Product types that fit the trend described above, not tested models. Check the exact listing before you buy. How we pick them.
Digital SAT prep book
Where to look: Amazon
Look for a title and edition that name the digital SAT, then use Bluebook for full-length adaptive practice.
- Covers content and strategy
- Useful between Bluebook practice tests
- Cannot reproduce adaptive modules
- Older editions describe a different test
ACT prep book for the redesigned test
Where to look: Amazon
ACT says its own guides now carry new formats to match the latest ACT; check any other book’s publication date against the spring 2025 change.
- Practice matched to the new format
- Can include the optional science section
- Pre-2025 copies mislead on pacing
- Costs more than old used copies
More: Education and Learning trends and how the Trend Signal is scored.
Sources
- SAT Participation in the Class of 2025 Surpasses 2 Million Test Takers — College Board
- SAT Structure — College Board
- SAT Practice Tests — College Board
- Class of 2025 Builds on a Decade of Gains in AP Participation and Performance — College Board
- College Board Transitions Most AP Exams to Digital This May — College Board
- About 1 in 3 ACT-Tested Graduates of 2025 Demonstrate Clear College Readiness — ACT
- ACT Test Preparation — ACT
- ETS Acquires ACT, Expanding Pathways to Opportunity Across America — ACT
- We are reinstating our SAT/ACT requirement for future admissions cycles — MIT Admissions
Questions readers ask
Is the ACT shorter now?
It has fewer questions. ACT says the redesigned test that began in spring 2025 has fewer questions, more time per question and an optional science section, with the rollout continuing through spring 2026.
How long is the digital SAT?
The College Board lists 2 hours 14 minutes: 54 Reading and Writing questions in two 32-minute modules and 44 Math questions in two 35-minute modules, with a 10-minute break.
Can I use an old SAT prep book?
For content review, partly. But books written for the paper SAT predate the digital test’s adaptive modules, and the College Board labels its own paper practice tests nonadaptive, so full-length practice belongs in Bluebook.
Is ETS buying the ACT?
Yes. ETS announced on June 30, 2026 that it is acquiring ACT, and ACT said customers and partners would see no near-term disruption to its products or services.
