How to Register for the SAT, Step by Step

You register for the SAT online, in your own free College Board account: you choose a test date and a test center, enter your details, upload a photo and pay the fee or enter a fee waiver code. College Board says the process takes about 30 minutes, and you can start it, save it and come back later to finish. If you searched for an "SAT application" or an "SAT sign-up," this is the same process.

One rule matters for parents: the student has to do the registering. College Board states that a parent or counselor can't register for you. Parents can help collect what is needed, but the student signs in and completes the registration.

What to have ready before you start

• A College Board account. It is free. Create one if you don't have it yet.
• A photo that meets College Board's rules. It is checked against your ID on test day, so it matters more than it looks (details below).
• A payment method, or a fee waiver code if you qualify for one.
• Your high school code. Homeschooled students enter 970000.
• A first-choice and a backup test date, and two or three test centers you could reach.

How to register for the SAT, step by step

1. Choose your test date. College Board notes that most students take the SAT for the first time in the spring of junior year and again in the fall of senior year. Work back from your earliest college application deadline and leave room for a second sitting.
2. Look at test centers. Consider more than one location. Not every center has open seats, and you see availability as you go through registration.
3. Sign in to your College Board account, or create one, and start from the My SAT dashboard.
4. Enter your information. You give your identifying details and your high school. During registration you can also choose to join Student Search Service, which connects students with colleges and scholarship programs.
5. Select your test date and test center.
6. Upload your photo. You can crop and reposition it after uploading.
7. Pay, or enter your fee waiver code. The code is 12 digits and goes on the payment page or in the "Got a Code?" banner at the top.
8. Check your registration in My SAT. The dashboard is where you view your registration and make any changes later.

SAT test dates and registration deadlines for 2026–27

As of October 2026, College Board lists these SAT Weekend dates for the rest of the 2026–27 school year. The same dates and deadlines apply to students in the U.S. and abroad, and every deadline expires at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Late registration is open worldwide until the second deadline, for an additional fee. If you need to borrow a testing device from College Board, register and request the device at least 30 days before test day, which is earlier than the normal deadline. College Board has also published anticipated dates for 2027–28, starting with August 28, 2027. Dates can move, so confirm them on College Board's SAT dates and deadlines page before you plan around one.

Your photo: the step that can stop you on test day

Test center staff compare the photo you upload with your photo ID. If the photo doesn't meet College Board's requirements, you won't be allowed to test. A message saying the upload worked only means the file type and size were accepted; it doesn't mean the photo passes.

• You are the only person in the picture, facing the camera head-on, with your head and shoulders fully in view.
• Your whole face, both eyes and your hair are clearly visible. Head coverings worn for religious purposes are fine.
• The photo is in focus, with no dark spots or shadows. Black-and-white photos are acceptable.
• No sunglasses, no hats other than religious head coverings, and no filters or digital changes of any kind.
• The file is a .jpg, .gif or .png, taken with a phone or camera, or scanned from a print.

The photo should show how you will look on test day. You can replace it in your College Board account up to 5 days before the test date.

Can you change your SAT test date?

Yes, but not by editing the date. College Board's rule is that to change your test date, you cancel your registration and register for a new test. A different test center is chosen in your College Board account. Both changes must be made by the deadline for changes shown for each date in the table above.

Other details have their own routes and deadlines, according to College Board's page on changing registration information:

To cancel, go to the registration in My SAT and choose Cancel Registration. If you cancel by 11:59 p.m. ET on the Thursday before test day, the registration fee is refunded minus a cancellation fee, and that fee is higher once the change deadline has passed; College Board's registration pages list the current amounts. If you cancel and then decide you want that date after all, you have to register again.

Special situations

Fee waivers

SAT fee waivers are available to low-income 11th- and 12th-grade students in the U.S. or U.S. territories. Benefits include two free SATs, unlimited score reports to send to colleges and waived application fees at participating colleges. Benefits come either through College Board's SAT Fee Waiver Request Form or with a fee waiver code entered in My SAT or during registration; codes for the 2026–27 school year start with "FW26" and expire in August.

No seat near you: Waitlist

Since spring 2026, students living in the U.S. and most U.S. territories can join Waitlist if no test center has a seat within their search radius. You set how far you would travel, up to 25 miles, and pay for the registration up front; there is no extra charge for Waitlist itself. Seats are assigned as they open, until 3 days before test day at 11:59 p.m. ET. If no seat opens, the registration is refunded automatically. Waitlist is not available outside the U.S. and its territories.

Sunday testing

Students whose religion doesn't allow testing on Saturday can request Sunday testing. You need a letter from an official religious leader, signed and printed on the stationery of the religious or educational organization, and you submit the request through College Board's SAT Student and Parent Inquiry Form. Sunday testing isn't available in India or Pakistan.

Testing outside the U.S.

Students outside the U.S. and U.S. territories register online for international testing, on the same dates and deadlines. Some countries have their own ID requirements, so check them before test day.

Students under 13

A parent or guardian must first complete and submit College Board's Account Creation Consent form. A College Board representative then contacts the parent with the next steps for creating the student's account.

SAT School Day

If your school gives the SAT during the school day, you don't register yourself: the school or district handles registration. For spring 2027, College Board lists a testing window of March 1 to April 30, 2027, for SAT School Day.

After you register

Between 1 and 5 days before test day, open the Bluebook app on the device you will test on, sign in with your College Board account and complete exam setup. Then print your admission ticket or email it to yourself.

A registration also gives you a fixed date to plan toward. College Board's official SAT practice is in Bluebook, and it is worth using. A timed, full-length test in the current digital format shows where you stand: TestPrep USA's SAT practice tests start with a free one, each test can be taken twice, and the score report breaks results down by domain. From there, one-to-one SAT tutoring can work on the sections that cost you points, and the live online SAT group course covers the whole syllabus over 16 weeks in classes of at most six students.

Frequently asked questions