What to Know Before the August SAT Administration

Approximately 402,000 students registered to take the SAT and SAT Subject Tests on August 29. As a result of local test centers deciding to close or reduce capacity due to covid-related health and safety measures, 178,600 of these students are unable to test as of August 18. Of test centers initially scheduled to administer in August, 54% are currently open, though some have reduced capacity; 46% announced they are closed and 46% of centers are at capacity.

“We know this is a challenging time for students who want to take the SAT. We are working with local communities to help ensure as many students who want to test have the opportunity to do so, safely, during next week’s SAT administration and those that follow each month this year,” said Priscilla Rodriguez, the College Board Vice President of College Readiness Assessments. “Our top priorities are the health and safety of students and educators, and we are working with test centers that need to close or need to reduce their available seats because of new safety measures. We are notifying students as quickly as possible about test center closures and capacity reductions to reduce uncertainty before test day.”

The College Board is requiring test centers to follow local public health guidelines as well as College Board health-related policies. At all weekend test centers, students and staff must wear a mask or protective face covering throughout the duration of the SAT administration and students must be seated at least six feet apart during testing. Additionally, students must confirm a series of health and safety statements (including that they don’t have symptoms of covid-19 and that they are not violating any travel or quarantine requirements) before entering the test center or testing room.

Local schools and test centers make individual decisions about whether to administer the SAT. The College Board has asked test centers to report closures as quickly as possible to help ensure students are informed in advance of test day. When test centers notify the College Board they have closed or reduced capacity, the College Board will email students directly to inform them of the change. A full list of reported closures is posted on the College Board Test Center Closings page, which is updated continuously. The College Board is encouraging students to opt in to receive text message updates if they haven’t already. Students are also encouraged to check their email regularly for messages from the College Board, to check with their local test center, and to check the Test Center Closings page up until the morning of the test.

Due to the disruption and uncertainty students are facing, the College Board has asked colleges to extend deadlines for receiving test scores and to equally consider students for admission who are unable to take the test due to covid-19. Colleges understand that testing opportunities are limited this year, and most colleges are not requiring a test score for the upcoming admissions cycle. The College Board also added a weekend SAT administration and an SAT School Day administration in September to give students more opportunities.

If their test center closes, students will receive a refund and can register for a future test date. For more information, please visit the SAT Coronavirus Updates page.