Students who are planning to sit for official SAT exams with the College Board or official ACT exams need to register to secure their spot. Each exam has a registration deadline. The College Board’s registration deadlines are about two weeks before the scheduled exam date, and the ACT’s registration deadlines are about five weeks before the scheduled exam date. There are also late registration deadlines, which will still allow you to register if you’re able to find a spot at a testing center, but you will incur an additional fee.
Students should register for official exams well in advance of the registration deadline.
Once you’ve decided to prepare for a specific exam, there is no reason not to go ahead and register. It may be difficult to find a convenient testing center if you wait too long to register.
Please note: Curvebreakers does not register students for official exams.
School Day SAT or ACT Exams
In addition to the national testing dates held on Saturdays, schools may sign up to offer SAT and ACT exams that take place during a regular school day. If your school offers a school day exam, we highly recommend that you register and take the exam. You may find that the exam curve on school day SATs to be more in your favor compared to the curve on national exam dates (just our observation from recent SAT exams). Learn more about SAT School Day on the College Board’s website and check with your school counselor on how to register.
How to register with the College Board for the SAT
The easiest way to register for an SAT exam is online in the student’s College Board account. Your student likely already has an online account with the College Board, and if not, it is free to create an account. To register, you’ll need a photo and method of payment for SAT exam registration.
Other helpful links:
- Without logging in, you can view nearby test centers.
- You can also view if there are test center closings.
- SAT Dates & Deadlines
How to register for the ACT
Students also need an online ACT account to register for an official exam. Log in or create an account from this page. Registering for an ACT exam takes about 30 minutes and requires a method of payment, photo, and your high school’s code.
Find more information here about test dates, registration deadlines, how to request accommodations, locate testing centers, and more.