If you’re applying to colleges, you should be aware of the upcoming SAT dates for 2019-2020! Knowing these dates ahead of time, even if you aren’t quite ready to take it, gives you more time to prepare for your test, and prep is everything in the SATs.
The SAT dates for 2019 and 2020 are covered in this article school year. The previous year’s test dates can be found here, as well as future dates!
SAT Exam Schedule for the 2019-2020 School Year
The College Board provides these test dates. Please keep in mind that these are only the dates for the essential SAT; students looking for subject tests should also consult the College Board’s subject test calendar, as not all subject tests are available on all dates.
Test Date |
Normal Registration |
Late Registration (Mailed) |
Late Registration (Electronic or Phone) |
Score Release (Multiple Choice) |
Score Release (SAT With Essay) |
Scores Sent to Colleges |
| October 5, 2019 | September 6, 2019 | September 17, 2019 | September 24, 2019 | October 18, 2019 | October 21 – 23, 2019 | October 31 – November 2, 2019 |
| November 2, 2019 | October 3, 2019 | October 15, 2019 | October 22, 2019 | November 15, 2019 | November 18 – 20, 2019 | November 28 – December 8, 2019 |
| December 7, 2019 | November 8, 2019 | November 19, 2019 | November 26, 2019 | December 20, 2019 | December 23 – 25, 2019 | January 2 – January 4, 2020 |
| March 14, 2020 | February 14, 2020 | February 25, 2020 | March 3, 2020 | March 27, 2020 | March 30 – April 1, 2020 | April 9 – April 11, 2020 |
| May 2, 2020 | April 3, 2020 | April 14, 2020 | April 21, 2020 | May 15, 2020 | May 18 – 20, 2020 | May 28 – 30, 2020 |
| June 6, 2020 | May 8, 2020 | May 19, 2020 | May 27, 2020 | July 15, 2020 | July 15 – July 17 – 2020 | July 25 – July 27 – 2020 |
Are These SAT Dates for 2019 – 2020 Correct?
These are the official test dates provided by the College Board for the upcoming school year. However, it may change test dates due to various factors such as inclement weather, power outages, or other issues. If a test date is changed for any reason, the SAT center notifies students via local media outlets. The College Board’s test center closure page will also keep you up to date on any changes to the schedule.
A makeup test may be scheduled if your test date changes for any reason. The makeup date will be communicated to you by your SAT Program. Any makeup tests will have different score release dates, so check with your test center to stay up to date on when your scores will be available if you need them right away for college admissions.
How to Select the Most Appropriate SAT Date
Now that you know when the SATs will be held in 2019 and 2020, it’s time to start planning the date that’s best for you. Having an idea of your future schedule will help you excel on your SAT, no matter how far out you are from applying to college!
Determine Your Deadlines
The best SAT date for you is one that works with your schedule. Consider your current high school year—junior year? What about senior year? How much time do you have left before applying to colleges? Will your scores be ready to send to your college of choice in time for their cutoff dates if you take a test on a specific date?
Consider scholarship deadlines as well. If the scholarship you want to apply for is based on SAT scores, keep that in mind when deciding on a date.
Allow yourself plenty of time to study, take the test, and send in your scores, so you don’t have to worry about rushing while also performing well!
How many times can you take it?
Many students take the SAT multiple times, influencing when you should schedule your test date if you intend to take the test more than once (which you should!), allowing yourself plenty of time to study and improve between dates.
We recommend taking the SAT in the summer before the junior year to get a baseline understanding of your strengths and weaknesses and to give yourself plenty of time to improve, whether you’re super scoring or not.
You can take the SAT as many times as you want, but we recommend no more than six so that colleges don’t think you’re not taking it seriously. Instead of trying to cram a lot of practice into your senior year, when you’re already juggling applications, extracurriculars, and having a social life, spreading those six tests out over two years gives you many months to study and improve.
Make a plan for how many times you want to take the test and structure your date selections accordingly.
How Long Do You Plan to Study?
It is critical to plan your SAT dates with study time in mind. Taking it over and over again without a plan will not help you improve your skills—studying will!
So, when deciding on the best SAT dates for you, keep in mind that you’ll need time between each date to work on your score. It’s better to take it a few times with plenty of time in between than to take it every month right before graduation. If you start early, you can concentrate on improving the parts of your score that aren’t as good.
You don’t want to take the SAT without first studying. If a test date is approaching, you are wasting valuable study time. Take it slowly!
Do You Have Scheduling Issues?
The SAT is essential, but so are your other responsibilities! Don’t give up your piano recital or family trip to Paris to take the SAT—if you plan ahead of time, you won’t have to!
There are SATs available throughout the year, but you must review them ahead of time. There are no dates available from January to May 2020, so if you plan to take the test during that time, you’ll need to rearrange your plans. However, if you know when you can take it ahead of time, you won’t have to worry about preparing for something that may or may not occur.
Please make a list of your significant time commitments for the year, whether they are extensive tests at school, family trips, or extracurricular activities. Space your SAT dates between those critical events so that you can balance your commitments and testing requirements without becoming overwhelmed.
What Comes Next?
Remember that these are only the main SAT dates; if you want to take subject tests, you’ll need to look at a schedule for those as well!
Are you ready to begin studying?
Here’s a list of free official SAT practice tests to get you started.
Studying is beneficial, but you must ensure that you use the proper materials. Our SAT study guide will get you started on the right path to SAT success!
Do you want to raise your SAT score by 160 points?
We’ve compiled a list of the top five strategies you should employ if you want to improve your score. Now you can get it for free.