What is Bluebook? Installing the Digital SAT app, taking practice tests and test day

Bluebook is the College Board's testing app for the Digital SAT, PSAT and digital AP exams. Since 2023 the international SAT is taken only in this app: questions, timer, calculator and answer sheet all live inside it. The test centre provides a desk, a proctor and internet; you bring the device (some centres lend devices, indicated at registration).

The same app holds the College Board's official full-length practice tests, free of charge — so Bluebook is both the prep tool and the exam tool.

Requirements can be updated by the College Board; check the official device requirements page at least a week before the test. Your battery must last the whole test; centres do not guarantee a power outlet.

1. Download the version for your device from bluebook.collegeboard.org (also in the App Store and Microsoft Store).
2. Open the app and sign in with your College Board account; you can create one from the same screen.
3. Start a practice test from Practice and Prepare on the home screen to confirm the install works.
4. If you're registered, an Exam Setup prompt appears 1–5 days before the test; complete it to generate your admission ticket.
5. Make sure the app is up to date before test day; an old version may demand an update at the door.

The College Board publishes several full-length, adaptive official practice tests inside Bluebook. They run on the same engine as the real test, so nothing else on the market is as representative. When you finish, scores and question-level analysis appear on the College Board's My Practice page.

• Take the first one before you start preparing: that is your true baseline.
• Spread the rest over the last 4–6 weeks; don't burn through them early.
• Take each under real conditions: same time of day, one sitting, break included.
• For a quick warm-up, Test Preview shows the tools without a full test.

• Timer: a countdown per module with a warning at 5 minutes. Can be hidden.
• Mark for Review: flag a question you're unsure of and come back before the module ends. You cannot return once a module closes.
• Answer eliminator: strike through choices you think are wrong.
• Desmos calculator: graphs, solves equations and builds tables in the Math section. Make it a habit in practice tests.
• Reference sheet: opens with the reference button in the Math section.
• If the connection drops: answers are saved on the device and the timer keeps running; tell the proctor and the test resumes where it left off.

• The app won't open: check the OS version; school devices may need admin permission.
• Exam Setup isn't showing: it's more than 5 days before the test, or you're signed into a different account from the one you registered with.
• Practice scores aren't showing: scores are listed on My Practice in your College Board account, not inside Bluebook.
• It asks for an update on test day: centre Wi-Fi can be slow; update the night before.