How To Send SAT Scores
Sending your SAT scores correctly is just as important as taking the test. You have to factor in where your scores have to go, how long it’ll take for them to arrive, and which ones to send.
Read below to learn how to send SAT scores to your target schools, how much time it takes, and what it costs.
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3 Methods To Send SAT Scores
Specify Schools During Test Sign-Up
When signing up for a test date, you can immediately request four scores to go out to specific schools.
You have up to 9 days after taking the test itself to make your choices known. At that point, the College Board will automatically forward your score reports to those schools.
The best part is those requests are sent for free. You aren’t required to spend any additional money.
Sending Scores After The 9-Day Window
After 9 days post-test date, you can still send SAT score reports.
The catch is now you are charged a fee to do so. A $12 fee is charged per score report. If you don’t want to pay that money, it is possible to receive an SAT fee waiver if you’re eligible.
Click here to read up on how to qualify for SAT fee waivers.
SAT Rush Order Request
This option should be for last-second additions only.
Have you added a new school to your application list? Need to have a score report sent to them ASAP? You can do it…for more money.
The College Board will process SAT rush order requests to new schools. This means that your new target receives the scores within 2 to 4 business days.
However, expect to pay additional fees for every school. Understand that it all adds up fast if you aren’t prepared beforehand.
How Long Does It Take To Send Score Reports
Expect to wait for at least two weeks.
Depending on your test date administration, you will receive your score reports anytime between two to six weeks after taking it. Once you receive those reports, they are then sent to colleges within another 10 days afterward.
More importantly, because of the amount they receive, colleges can take up to another week just to process them after receipt. So, expect to have your SAT scores fully processed by your target schools at least one month after you take it.
This time gap is why you should plan far enough out to take it before any submission deadlines come up.
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SAT Score Choice
Choose which test scores go to which schools and when.
Do you plan on taking the SAT multiple times? If so, then you need to decide which schools get specific score reports or not. Different schools have different policies regarding applicant SAT score reporting.
The most common ones are:
- Requiring all SAT scores from every test date administration
- Only considering your best overall score
- Superscoring your SAT individual scores together
To make life easier on you, The College Board provides its optional Score Choice service. This service lets you choose which SAT test date score reports to schools.
For example, if you are applying to an SAT superscore school, then Score Choice will let you pair individual section highest scores across test dates.
Again, Score Choice is optional. If you don’t use it, then The College Board will automatically send all of your results to your preselected schools.
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Written by Dr. Shaan Patel MD MBA
Prep Expert Founder & CEO
Shark Tank Winner, Perfect SAT Scorer, Dermatologist, & #1 Bestselling AuthorMore from Dr. Shaan Patel MD MBA
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