The college board mainly conducts SAT with the purpose of assessing students’ readiness for college for their admission to undergraduate programs.
SAT, also known as the scholastic assessment test, was previously known as the scholastic aptitude test and is conducted to examine the verbal, written, and mathematical skills of the students.
The SAT score plays a vital role in the admission of the students to the desired college, but how long is the SAT score valid?
If you are wondering the same question, then you have landed in the right place. You will get your answer right in this article, So let’s dive into the article to know more.
Validity Of SAT Score
Technically, the SAT scores are valid forever. They never expire.
Even though your SAT scores technically may not expire, there are certain schools that have set an expiration date for SAT scores.
The reason is as the structure of SAT changed in 2016, many Colleges do not accept the scores from the old examination format; some of the colleges may not accept scores that are older than five years or more.
Changes In The SAT Score
Let us have a quick look at the changes in the format of the SAT exam and scores.
Before 2005, the format of SAT was very different from the current SAT format. The maximum SAT score was 1600, and it involved questions based on the analogy.
In the year 2005, analogy-based questions were omitted, new concepts were introduced in the maths section, and the essay section was made mandatory for SAT takers. The maximum SAT score was changed from 1600 to 2400.
In 2016, the old format was again brought into action as the new one sparked criticism. The SAT score was reverted back to 1600, and the essay section was made optional.
Ways To Access SAT Results
Mostly, the SAT results are released between two to three weeks after the date of examination.
Here are some ways through which you can access your SAT results.
- Access the results online.
In order to access your score online, you must have an account with the college board. If you don’t have one, follow the steps below.
- Go to the college board website and click on sign up. After that, you are required to provide certain details like name, email address, date of birth, school name, etc.
- If you already have an account, you can simply sign in by entering the Username and password.
- Once you are signed in, go to the Student Score Report home page. Your recent score will be seen at the top of the page.
- To access your detailed score, you can click on score.
- You can also select the score report from the drop-down menu by clicking on My Score Reports at the top of the page navigation.
- Ask for the paper score.
If you register SAT by mail, a paper copy of your score is received if you do not have a college board account.
However, if you register online for SAT on the college board, you can request the paper score in addition to the online score.
- Receive your results by phone.
You can also receive the SAT results by calling the customer service of the College Board. You will have to give your test registration number and date of birth to customer service.
The registration number is available on the admission ticket for the Test. You will have to pay a fee to access the score through the phone.
SAT Fees And Waivers
The registration fee for SAT examination is $60 for test takers from the United States. Below are some of the additional registration fees you may go through.
- To change the test center, you will have to pay fees of about $25. (To change the test date, you will have to cancel the previous one and register for the new Test).
- To cancel the registration by the change deadline, you will have to pay a fee of $25.
- In order to cancel the registration after the change deadline, a sum of $35 have to be paid.
- For registering late after the regular deadline but before the late registration deadline, a fee amount of $30 is to be paid.
For low-income students in the United States and other U.S. territories, SAT fee waivers are available.
The students eligible for fee waivers can take SAT or SAT subject tests for free and access other benefits while applying to college.
The SAT fee waiver covers the following benefits.
- Two free SAT tests
- Two chances to receive answer services
- Unlimited score report to send to colleges.
- Waived fees of application.
- No late registration or cancellation fees.
How Many Times Can You Take The SAT?
The SAT can be taken as many times as desired, but most students take the test only 2-3 times. SAT scores are cumulative, meaning colleges will look at the highest section scores across all test dates when considering a student’s application. There are no limits or penalties for repeat testing.
The SAT is offered seven times yearly in the United States – usually in March, May, June, August, October, November, and December. Students can take the SAT as many times as they want during the spring of junior year through the fall of senior year. It’s recommended to leave 2-3 months between test dates to allow sufficient time for practicing and improving scores.
While there is no max limit, taking the test more than 3-4 times is usually not necessary. Students can select which test dates they wish to sign up for when registering based on their prep schedule and application timeline. With proper preparation between tests, most students see score increases when they retake the SAT.
Bonus: Prepare for the SAT with the help of an SAT prep course, and for that, we have prepared a list of the best SAT prep courses for you to choose from.
Tips For SAT
Here are some of the tips and advice to help you prepare well for SAT examination.
- Develop a study schedule.
In order to maintain consistency in the study, develop a strategic study schedule depending on your strengths and weaknesses relevant to the particular area of the contents of the Test.
- Improve your speed of reading.
As the Test comprises long passages so, focus more on reading the passages and questions quickly and accurately.
- Use the best SAT preparation materials.
Your SAT score and preparedness for the exam are greatly affected by the quality of the study material you prefer.
The College Board website is the best option, where you can download a free study guide for SAT and access full-length practice tests, explanations of the answers, tips, etc.
- Opt to solve the questions you know first.
Go through all the questions carefully and try to solve the questions whose answers are already known to you.
With the help of this strategy, you can save time and invest this extra time in those questions you aren’t confident about.
- Attempt all the questions.
In order to improve your SAT score, it is recommended to attempt each and every question. Your scores will not be penalized for the incorrect answers, so try and solve all the questions.
Related Read:
Key Takeaways: How Long Is SAT Score Valid
So. technically, your SAT scores are valid forever but keep in mind that some colleges and universities have set expiration dates, so check out the details before applying for colleges.
Even though your SAT scores are older, don’t worry. Certain colleges and universities still accept the scores from any year.
Go through the article, and if you have any queries regarding SAT, drop them in the comments section below.
FAQs
Many colleges and universities would accept a high SAT score of 1200 and above. A score of 1350 will help you make your application competitive at many selective schools.
You can take the SAT exam as many times as you want. There is no restriction by the College Board on the number of tests you take. Typically there are only seven test dates available throughout the year.
In the year 2021, the average SAT score was reported to be 1060.
