You've just taken the SAT. Congratulations! Once you get some rest, you'll probably start to wonder when your scores will come out and how to access them on the College Board website. In this post, we tell you exactly what time of day scores appear and how to check your SAT scores online.
NOTE: Have you been out of high school for more than a year and not taken the SAT in that time? Then you should read our article on how to get old SAT scores instead!
When Do SAT Scores Come Out?
SAT scores come out about two to three weeks after you take the test. The exact timeline for score release depends on which test date you sign up for, so be sure to check out the full schedule of SAT score release dates.
If, when you registered for the test, you listed colleges for your scores to be sent to, those scores will be sent within 10 days of becoming available to you.
Scores are usually released starting at 5 am ET (2 am PT), but it can take a little while for all the scores to appear online. Most SAT scores are up by 8 am ET (5 am PT) at the latest. (As a result, we don’t recommend staying up late and hitting refresh until your scores are available—get some sleep and check in the morning!)
There is no way to see your SAT scores before the score release date. In fact, scoring the SAT is such a complex process, it’s pretty amazing you can get your scores in less than three weeks! After you take the SAT, try to relax and be patient for those few weeks until your scores come out.
How Do I Check My SAT Scores?
Once scores are up, how exactly do you view your SAT scores? Follow our step-by-step guide to learn how.
First, go to the College Board website. Click the yellow box that says Get Your Scores (in the image below, scores for May are available; the month will vary depending on when you took the test). The other option is to go to the student scores website directly and sign into see your scores:
With both methods, you'll need to log in with the username and password you created when you registered for the SAT. After you sign in, you'll be able to view your test scores. Your most recent scores will be listed first:
This is your score summary page. You will be able to see your composite scores for each section, as well as any scores from old test dates. (Read more on how the SAT is scored.)
To see your full score report, which includes your raw scores for each SAT section and your Essay score (if you did the optional Essay section), click on View Details in the yellow box:
Your score report will include your national percentiles, information about questions you answered correctly and incorrectly, and your subscores. Take some time to read through the report so you can understand what you did well and what (if anything) you need to improve. This will be a huge help if you decide to retake the SAT.
Getting Your SAT Scores: Tips and Advice
These days, SAT scores are released entirely online. This means that you will not receive an SAT score report in the mail unless you specifically request one at registration. You can also call the College Board to ask for your scores, but they charge a $15 fee for scores released by phone.
On score release day, make sure you have your username and password ready to go so you can see your SAT scores straight away!
Finally, the SAT is offered often enough that you shouldn't have to retake the test on the next date unless you're running into your college application deadlines. So don’t stress about immediately signing up for the next SAT if you're unhappy with your score. Besides, if you decide you want to retake the SAT, you'll want to give yourself sufficient time to study.
What’s Next?
SAT scores still not listed even though it’s score release day? Find out why!
Now that you have your SAT score, you might be wondering how good it is. Read our guide to find out what constitutes a good (and an excellent!) SAT score. We also teach you how to set a goal score based on the colleges you're applying to.
You've got your scores, but should you retake the SAT? Use our three-step process to help you decide!
