About SAT Administration

SAT Administration and Fees

The SAT can be taken at one of two locations: a student's high school or a test center. Many schools in the U.S. offer the SAT on a weekday during school hours, making it easier than ever for students to complete the test. Taking the SAT at a particular high school is generally only open to students who attend that school, although some schools function as test centers on the weekends. In certain states and districts, the entire grade takes the SAT, typically juniors and seniors, but in other areas, it is up to each student to decide if they wish to take the test. Often referred to as the “School Day” SAT, this exam is exactly the same as the SAT taken at a test center on the weekend. Students are provided with registration access and other important information by teachers, counselors, and/or principals.

If your school does not participate in the School Day SAT, or you have already taken the SAT at your school and wish to take it again, or you missed SAT testing at you rschool, you may take the SAT at a test center. The SAT is offered seven (7) times per year in the United States: August, October, November, December, March, May, and June. International testing dates are similar, but we encourage you to spend time familiarizing yourself with these dates and checking them regularly, as they are subject to change. As of 2024, the SAT is taken digitally, on a laptop, tablet, or Chromebook, regardless of if you are taking the exam in the U.S. or internationally. 

Advance registration is required to take the exam and can be completed online, by phone, or by mail. Most test takers register online through the College Board; the registration service is free and takes less than 30 minutes. Registering to take the SAT costs $68 for students in the United States. For those students outside of the United States, registration costs $68 plus an associated regional fee which ranges from $43-$53. Photo submission is required with registration. 

Further charges apply if a student wishes to send more than four score reports to universities, and there are also fees for changing your test center, late registration, change of registration, canceling registration, late canceling registration, rushed score reports, and obtaining scores over the phone. In some cases, fee waivers are available to 11th and 12th graders in the United States and U.S. territories who meet one of the following critera:

  • The student is enrolled in or eligble to participate in the federal National School Lunch Program
  • The student comes from a family whose income falls within the Income Eligibility Guidelines set by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service
  • The student is enrolled in a program at the federal, state, or local level that aids students from low-income families
  • The student's family receives public assistance
  • The student is homeless, lives in federally subsidized public housing, or lives in a foster home
  • The student is a ward of the state or an orphan

Citizens of the United States living internationally may also be eligible for fee waivers, as well, and should check with their local testing center or school guidance counselor for the most current information and requirements. 

Taking the SAT

The majority of students take the SAT in either their junior or senior year of high school, with many students taking the test in both years in an effort to boost their scores. Juniors generally take the exam in the spring semester, while seniors take it in the fall semester. Most students improve their scores on subsequent test attempts, highlighting the importance of practice and preparation. 

Independent research has shown that SAT prep classes and/or private tutoring can significantly enhance test performance. SAT preparation services help students learn test-taking strategies and time management skills, while also providing guided practice and a better knowledge of test questions and methods of assessment. These services give students confidence in their abilities, which furthers their benefits and allows juniors and seniors to complete the exam to the best of their abilities.

SAT Administration Policies

Test-takers should be familiar with the rules and regulations associated with administration of the SAT, and the College Board provides several excellent and free resources on their website. The SAT is 2 hours and 14 minutes long, not counting one 10-minute break between the second Reading/Writing module and the first Math module. While there used to be an experimental section on the SAT, this was done away with, and now experimental questions are embedded in each module. There are two experimental questions in each of the four modules, for a total of eight experimental questions that do not count towards your SAT score. You will not be made aware which questions are experimental, so it is important to do your best on each question.

Every test administration center follows the same timeline with regards to SAT administration: students who are borrowing a testing device from the College Board must arrive at 7:15 a.m. to complete their set-up. At 7:45 a.m., students who are not borrowing testing devices will be allowed into the center. Test center doors close promptly at 8 a.m., and no late arrivals will be admitted or allowed to complete the exam. 

In order to be admitted to the testing center on test day, students are required to present both a photo admission ticket (provided with registration) and a valid photo ID (e.g. driver's license, passport, or school ID). The name on the identification must exactly match the name used for registration. Students should also bring:

  • A fully charged testing device with the Bluebook application installed and exam setup completed
  • Pencils or pens for scratch work
  • College Board username and password
  • An acceptable calculator for the Math section

Students may also bring a watch without an audible alarm, a charging cord or cable for their laptop or tablet, and drinks or snacks for the break.

The following devices are strictly prohibited and are not allowed in the test center:

  • Mobile phones (these may be used to show your admission ticket, although paper copies are preferred; if you do bring a mobile phone, it will be collected by test center staff, or you will be directed where to store it until the test has been completed)
  • Smartwatches, fitness trackers, wearable technology (simple digital non-smartphone watches or analog watches are acceptable)
  • Audio players, recorders, wireless earbuds, headphones
  • Timers of any kind
  • Cameras or other photographic equipment
  • Highlighters or colored pencils
  • Books or reference materials
  • Compasses, rulers, protractors, or cutting devices
  • Papers of any kind, including scratch paper
  • Earplugs
  • Calculators that feature a QWERTY keyboard, use paper tape, make noise, or use a power cord
  • Privacy screens

Upon arrival, each student will be assigned a seat after the proctor has checked IDs and admission materials. Students will log into the test center's WiFi and open the Bluebook application, which will offer further instructions. The proctor will provide you with a start code. Once you enter the code, testing will begin, and the Bluebook application will track the time you have remaining in each module. Since each student is timed individually, everyone will take their break and complete their testing at slightly different times. If a problem occurs during your test, simply raise your hand and the proctor will do their best to assist you. 

SAT Administration for Students with Disabilities

Accommodations are available for students with disabilities. Students seeking accommodations must secure approval from the College Board's Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) prior to taking the SAT, and it is recommended that students and their families begin this process early, as the requirements can be quite specific, with the process often taking much longer than expected. Applicants for these services should note that local school board designation of disabled status does not automatically confer entitlement to accommodations while taking the SAT, nor does having a 504 plan or individualized education program (IEP) in place; each student must complete the College Board's own approval process. 

In most cases, a student must have a documented long-term disability, such as blindness or motor impairments, although the College Board will consider requests based on short-term medical issues. Students must also demonstrate that their disability affects their ability to take the SAT, that the requested accommodations are necessary, and that they have received these accommodations in the past. According to the College Board, the most frequently requested accomodations include extended time, additional or longer breaks, reading and seeing accomodations, accomodations related to recording responses, use of a four-function calculator, and the use of assistive technology. In general, the College Board uses seven criteria when determining whether or not to grant accomodations:

  1. The student's diagnosis is clearly stated.
  2. The information is current.
  3. The student's educational, developmental, and medical history is presented.
  4. The diagnosis is supported by the included information.
  5. The functional limitation is described.
  6. The recommended accomodations are justified.
  7. The evaluators' professional credentials are established.

For those students with cognitive disabilities, such as learning disorders or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a comprehensive cognitive and achievement assessment is required, generally administered by a pediatric neuropsychologist. Disorders of cognition generally require more extensive paperwork than strictly medical diagnoses, and while accomodations related to cognitive and/or psychiatric disorders are infrequent, they may be obtained with the proper documentation. 

One welcome aspect of the digital SAT is that it is now easier than ever for students who receive accomodations to utilize them. If a student is approved for extended time, they will receive a digital exam programmed with the approved amount of extended time per section. If you need larger print, you can use the “zoom” function embedded in the Bluebook application. If a student is approved for text-to-speech, this function is also embedded into Bluebook. If you are approved for a screen reader, you can use your own assistive technology software or the software that is part of the operating system on the laptop or tablet you're testing on. For screen readers or other types of assistive technology, you'll simply open and start the assistive technology device or software before you open the Bluebook app and begin testing. 

The College Board provides extensive information on accommodations and assistive technology on their webpage, which is an excellent resource for students with disabilities to become familiar with.

Academic Honesty and the SAT

The College Board has taken a variety of steps to prevent cheating on the SAT. When creating the test, materials are never posted online and never emailed, and the computers used to write the test are never connected to the internet. With the SAT going digital for all students as of 2024, security is expected to be even stronger, as each student will complete a unique version of the exam. Also, educators and test center staff will not need to handle physical copies of the exam, nor will those physical copies need to be transported to scoring centers, eliminating the possibility that exams could be misplaced, lost, or stolen.

Even with such measures in place, however, cheating on the SAT has not been completely eliminated. As a final countermeasure, the College Board has been known to deploy "investigators" posing as test-takers in order to observe and report suspicious activity. Generally speaking, violation of any test security policies results in dismissal and cancellation of scores. These include use of unauthorized electronic devices, sharing information with other test-takers, misrepresenting one's identity, consulting prohibited resources such as textbooks, reading test materials without completing an answer sheet, leaving the testing room during the test, or attempting to access test materials before or after the testing period. The College Board fully investigates all allegations of academic dishonesty and refers any violations of applicable laws to the appropriate authorities.

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