When Is the October SAT? Should You Take It?

At the beginning of the school year, you may be focusing on your classes and not thinking much about college applications or the SAT. However, October can be a great time to take the SAT. For juniors, it's a way to get in that first SAT with plenty of time for retakes, and for seniors, it gives you a final chance to get a great SAT score before college application deadlines.

But is the SAT October test date the right test date for you? In this article, we explain everything you need to know about the October SAT, including when you need to register by and when you (and colleges) will receive your scores. We also walk you through every question you should ask yourself before deciding on the October SAT test date.

When Is the October SAT?

Below is the schedule for the 2024 October SAT, along with all of the critical dates you should know for registration. 

Source: The College Board

The October SAT will be on October 5, 2024. Like all regular SATs, it will take place in the morning.

To register for the SAT, you must pay an SAT registration fee of $68. The registration deadline for the October SAT is September 20, or about two weeks before the exam. However, SAT test centers have been filling up well in advance so we recommend you register as soon as possible.

If you miss the October SAT registration deadline, you can still register for the exam by September 24. you'll need to pay a late registration fee of $30 on top of the regular SAT registration fee.

When Will You Get Your October SAT Scores?

After you've taken the SAT—regardless of whether you take the test domestically or internationally—you won't receive your scores immediately. Students taking the SAT in the U.S. can expect to wait 13 days to see their score results, and can expect their schools to receive their scores 10 days after that.

Below are the dates U.S. test takers and colleges can expect to receive scores from the October SAT. These dates are not yet confirmed by the College Board, but they’ve been listed by the College Board as anticipated dates.

Source: The College Board
*Schools will typically receive scores sooner but may take time to process them.

For students taking the October SAT, scores will be available to you online beginning October 18. At that time, you may also access your scores by phone; however, this service costs $15 per call.

The colleges you wrote in for your four free score reports will typically receive your SAT scores within a week to ten days of you receiving your scores.

So what do these dates mean for you? The most common college application deadline for students applying for regular decision is January 1, and the October SAT test date gives you plenty of time for your scores to be received by then.

However, if you're applying for early action or early decision, the application deadline will often be November 1 or 15. Based on when colleges receive your scores, this means you're likely cutting it a little close for comfort or missing the deadline entirely for those schools. We don't recommend taking the October SAT if your college deadlines are early/mid-November unless the school specifically states that they'll accept October SAT results, regardless of when they actually receive your scores.

Should You Take the October SAT? Pros and Cons

Is the October SAT the right test date for you? In this section, we go over the major pros and cons of this exam date.

Pros of Taking the October SAT

• If you're a senior, your scores will arrive with plenty of time for regular decision deadlines. If you take the October SAT, your scores will definitely arrive in time for the January 1 deadline most colleges have for regular decision admission.
  
  If you take the November or December SAT, schools may still get your scores before application deadlines, but you'll be cutting it close, and the last thing you need is more stress about the SAT. Taking the exam in October gets rid of any worry about missing regular decision deadlines.
  
  

• If you're a junior, it allows you to take the SAT with plenty of time for retakes. As a junior, you don't need to worry about college deadlines this year, but you still need to be thinking strategically about when to take the SAT. Many people end up taking the SAT two or three times in order to get their best score, and you'll want to be sure to give yourself enough time to take the SAT multiple times, with plenty of time to study in between test dates.
  
  The October test date is a great first date for taking the SAT (as a junior) because it gives you lots of time to take the SAT again, such as during the spring of your junior year, the summer before senior year, and/or the fall of your junior year.
  
  

• You won't have conflicts with AP exams or finals. The October SAT takes place during the beginning of the school year, before things really start gearing up for most classes. By taking your SAT in the fall, you won't have to worry about trying to balance studying for the SAT with preparing for your AP exams or class finals. You can also do a lot of your studying for the SAT over the summer. While reading an SAT prep book may not be on your summer bucket list, doing your SAT preparation without the distraction of classes can allow you to really focus on your SAT prep and give you a great chance at earning a high SAT score.

Cons of Taking the October SAT

• You'll miss many early action/early decision deadlines. While the October SAT is great for regular decision deadlines, most early action and early decision deadlines are sometime in November. Since the College Board can only guarantee that schools will receive your scores by October 30, this is cutting it really close for some of these schools.
  
  Generally, we recommend taking the SAT at least four weeks (ideally more) before your earliest deadline just to make sure schools get your scores on time. This means that, even if your deadlines aren't until mid/late November, there's still the possibility a delay could cause your scores to be late. Therefore, we don't recommend the October SAT for early action or early decision applicants. The June test date is a much safer bet. The only exception is if the school explicitly states that they accept scores from the October (or November, etc.) SAT test date. This means that, even if there is a delay with your scores, they'll still be considered as part of your application.
  
  

• It may be difficult to balance the new school year with SAT prep. Although you won't have to worry about finals or AP exams in the fall, you may still find it difficult to make time for your SAT prep. Starting a new school year and taking new classes can take up a lot of your attention and focus, and it may not leave enough time to prepare for the SAT.
  
  Additionally, if you don't think you'll be able to stick to an SAT study plan over the summer, you may find yourself not prepared enough to take the October SAT and do well on it. In these cases, it's better to take an SAT test date later in the school year, either the winter or spring.

October SAT Recap

This year's October SAT is scheduled for Saturday, October 7, 2023. September 8 is the registration for U.S. test takers, and September 22 is the deadline for international test takers. The College Board will release scores to U.S. test takers starting October 20 and to their colleges around October 30. This is fine for regular decision college deadlines, but it may be too late if you're applying for early action or early decision this year.

To decide if the October SAT is the right exam for you, be sure to consider important factors such as application deadlines, how many times you plan to take the SAT, and how much you think you'll be able to prepare for the SAT over the summer and at the start of the school year.

What’s Next?

Want more guidance on SAT study plans? Get tips on how long you should study for the SAT and learn how many times you should take the SAT.

Looking to get a perfect 1600? Read our expert guide to getting a perfect SAT score, written by a real full scorer!

The best way to study for the SAT is to use official SAT practice questions. Download and take all official SAT practice tests here.