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SAT Score Release Schedule
Waiting for test results can be agonizing, but is especially so for the SAT. However, knowing your scores as soon as possible can help you plan your next steps (e.g. should you retake the exam, or are your scores ready to be sent off?). To help you out, we’ve listed out this (and next) year’s SAT score release schedule.
Keep on reading to find out when SAT scores are released, how you can access them, and what you should do after you receive your scores.
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How long does it take to get your SAT scores?
Typically, SAT scores are released online 13 days after a given test date. As SAT exams are administered on Saturdays, this would mean that you’d receive your score the second Friday after your test date.
However, if you took your SAT during one of the SAT School Days, you can expect your scores a little later – between 3 and 4 weeks after your test date. Similarly, if you take the SAT during the summer, prepare to wait a little longer than normal. For summer SAT exams, scores typically come out 5 weeks after one’s testing date.
So, that’s all good to know, but when exactly do scores come out for each date? And, when will colleges receive them? Let’s see!
2021-2022 SAT score release dates
Following is the full schedule for the non-summer Saturday SAT dates (which have been confirmed by the College Board!):
| Test Date | Score Release Date | Colleges Receive Scores By |
| August 28, 2021 | September 10, 2021 | September 20, 2021 |
| October 2, 2021 | October 15, 2021 | October 25, 2021 |
| November 6, 2021 | November 19, 2021 | November 29, 2021 |
| December 4, 2021 | December 17, 2021 | December 27, 2021 |
| March 12, 2022 | March 25, 2022 | April 4, 2022 |
| May 7, 2022 | May 20, 2022 | May 30, 2022 |
| June 4, 2022 | July 9, 2022 | July 19, 2022 |
SAT school day score release dates
For those of you taking the SAT at school, here is the full schedule for the SAT School Day test dates (for the 2021-2022 academic year):
| Test Date | Score Release Date | Colleges Receive Scores By |
| October 13, 2021 | November 3, 2021 | November 13, 2021 |
| October 28, 2021 | November 19, 2021 | November 29, 2021 |
| March 2, 2022 | March 24, 2022 | April 3, 2022 |
| March 23, 2022 | April 15, 2022 | April 25, 2022 |
| April 13, 2022 | May 4, 2022 | May 14, 2022 |
| April 26, 2022 | May 18, 2022 | May 28, 2022 |
Predicted 2022-2023 SAT score release dates
And, last but certainly not least, are our predicted score release dates for the next school year (for the non-summer, Saturday SAT dates)! While these have not yet been confirmed by the College Board, they are based on the same general pattern that SAT scores come out 13 days after one’s exam.
| Test Date | Score Release Date | Colleges Receive Scores By |
| August 27, 2022 | September 9, 2022 | September 19, 2022 |
| October 1, 2022 | October 14, 2022 | October 24, 2022 |
| November 5, 2022 | November 18, 2022 | November 28, 2022 |
| December 3, 2022 | December 17, 2022 | December 27, 2022 |
| March 11, 2023 | March 24, 2023 | April 3, 2023 |
| May 6, 2023 | May 19, 2023 | May 29, 2023 |
| June 3, 2023 | July 8, 2023 | July 18, 2023 |
How can I access my SAT scores?
You now know the general logic for when SAT scores are released (no matter what day you’re taking it), but how can you access your scores? Great question!
Simply, to access one’s SAT scores, one should go onto College Board’s Get your SAT scores page. Enter your account info, and you should be able to access them from there. If it is not directing you to your scores, you can also go to the College Board homepage, click on “My SAT,” and you should be taken to a page with your SAT scores from each time you’ve taken the exam.
As the College Board requires students to have a College Board account to register for the SAT, you likely already have one (if you’ve taken the exam before). On the other hand, if you have not yet registered for the exam and are just looking to the future, we highly recommend you create your own College Board account!
And, if you’re running into any other sort of problem while accessing your scores, we would definitely recommend checking out the College Board’s very own Getting your SAT scores guide. While SAT scores are typically released by 5 am EST (or 2 am PST) on the scheduled score release date, these times may vary by one’s account and test date. So, if your scores are not yet up (on the scheduled score release date), they likely will be a little later in the day! We recommend not worrying too much about when exactly your scores come out and checking at your leisure.
When will colleges receive my score reports?
With all that said, when do colleges typically receive student’s score reports? Well, if you’ve put down a university to receive one of your four free score reports, then the school should receive your scores within 10 days of them being released online (to see the exact dates, check out our SAT schedules above)!
But what exactly is a free SAT score report? Well, the College Board allows you to automatically send your SAT scores to four different colleges – instead of paying the typical $12 fee per school. So, any of the score reports you send through this free service are considered “free” score reports! You’ll be able to indicate which four schools to send these reports to when registering for the exam, if you choose to use the service.
Paid score reports
For those schools that don’t receive one of your free score reports, however, you’ll have to send them your SAT scores separately. Typically, these additional score reports cost $12 each and will take between one and two weeks to be sent to colleges. However, if you’re especially concerned about sending your scores in on time, you can also use the College Board’s “Rush Reporting” service. This service costs $31 per score report rather than the typical $12 but will send your score reports within one to two business days. Due to the large extra fee for rush reporting, however, we would probably not recommend using it unless your deadline is very, very close (less than 2 or 3 weeks away!).
With that said, if you anticipate you’ll need help paying to send your SAT scores to schools (or need help paying for the exam itself), we highly recommend looking into the College Board’s SAT fee waivers! And, if you’re interested, there are also college application fee waivers available for those who qualify (be sure to check out How to get a college application fee waiver!).
What should I do after I receive my SAT score?
Once you receive your SAT score, and depending on what you think of it, there’s a few steps that you can take next. But, first, how do you know if your SAT score is “good”?
Well, it’s first important to consider that “good” is subjective and will be entirely dependent on what types of schools you’re applying to. Ideally, however, students should aim for a score between the 25th and 75th percentile of the schools they’re applying to. For more information on what this means (and for help interpreting your score, amongst other things), be sure to check out What is a high SAT score?
For now, though, let’s take a look at some options you have once you receive your score.
Low score? Consider retesting!
If you weren’t particularly happy with your score or didn’t score between the 25th and 75th percentile for your dream college, you may want to consider retaking the exam.
However, according to the College Board, while many students do perform better the second time around, many also have their scores stay the same or drop. Thus, if students wish to score higher on their second SAT exam, we highly recommend that they study effectively and consistently. And, since you’ve already taken the exam at this point, you likely know what you performed well on, and what you didn’t. So, we would highly recommend focusing in and practicing those areas or topics you struggled with, to make sure you have a handle on them the second time around.
If you’re looking for some great SAT practice resources, check out these:
- Khan Academy official SAT practice
- College Board SAT practice tests
- PSAT to SAT score conversion
- How to pick the best test prep tutor
Alternatively, maybe you need some general tips on improving your score, or think that test anxiety is hindering your ability to perform your best. If so, be sure to check out these helpful articles:
Happy with your score? Send it to colleges!
Last, but certainly not least, if you’re happy with your score, feel free to send it off to colleges! We briefly went over this before, but if you need a little refresher, be sure to check out the College Board’s How to send SAT scores.
With that, we wish you the best of luck, and send you off. We hope you get into the college(s) of your dreams!
