Online SAT questions have appeared on websites and social media, raising security concerns

Tutors and testing experts say copies of recently administered digital SAT questions have been posted on social media and on websites apparently based in China, raising concerns about the security of the College Board’s online exam, according to The New York Times report published Jan.

28, 2026. One site, bluebook.plus, markets practice tests and drew about 875,000 visitors in November, according to Similarweb traffic data cited in the report. A tutor who works at a European boarding school alerted the College Board after reviewing leaked items; he told the organization and the Times that he was able to authenticate some questions and asked not to be identified.

The tutor compared questions posted online with retired SAT items the College Board has published and found close matches, the report says. The Times gives an example of an advanced math question and reproduces a sample problem the tutor identified. The SAT is administered seven to eight times a year at roughly 1,700 testing sites in 187 countries, and students are permitted to use their own laptops.

The College Board told the Times that cheating is rare, affecting only a fraction of 1 percent of scores, and that overall scores have remained steady after the digital transition.

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