Disability Guidelines
The College Board's eligibility requirements
A student with a documented disability may be eligible for accommodations on College Board tests (i.e., SAT®, SAT Subject Tests™, AP® Exams; PSAT/NMSQT®). Each student requesting accommodations must submit a Student Eligibility Form. In some cases, additional documentation is also required.
Once approved for accommodations, the student remains approved for accommodations on all College Board tests so long as the student's school annually verifies that the student continues to receive accommodations on school-based tests. See SSD.
View a sample Student Eligibility Form as well as the Instructions for Completing the Student Eligibility Form.
The College Board offers two ways for a student to be determined eligible for accommodations on its tests. To be eligible under the School Verification process, the student must:
- Have a disability that necessitates testing accommodations
- Have documentation on file at school that supports the need for requested accommodations and meets the Guidelines for Documentation
- Receive and use the requested accommodations, due to the disability, for school-based tests
If any of these requirements are not met, a student may still be eligible for accommodations through the College Board's Document Review process. The student may send his or her disability documentation with the Student Eligibility Form to the College Board for review and determination. The disability documentation must adhere to the Guidelines for Documentation on page 1 of the Instructions (for additional help, refer to Documentation Guidelines).
What disabilities make students eligible for accommodations?
There are many disabilities that impact a student's academic functioning. Here are a few:
- Blindness/Vision Impairment
- AD/HD (formerly known as A.D.D. /A.D.H.D.)
- Learning Disabilities
- Deafness/Hearing Impairment
- Certain Medical Conditions
- Certain Physical Disabilities
- Certain Psychiatric Conditions
How do I know if a student is eligible?
- Does the student have a diagnosed disability that makes it difficult for him or her to learn and take tests in the traditional manner?
- Does the student have documentation on file at the school showing that he or she has a disability that requires testing accommodations and addressing each of the information categories in the Guidelines for Documentation?
- Has the student received accommodations for tests she took in school? (See the Teacher Survey Form under Forms and Resources.)
If the answer is yes to these questions, and the student wishes to take College Board tests, accommodations may be appropriate for the student.
Types of accommodations available
The College Board's procedures for determining appropriate accommodations on its tests provide for considerable flexibility—customization, if you will—to accommodate each student's special needs (for greater detail, visit Accommodations). There are four major categories for testing accommodations (below, with accommodation examples in each category):
- Presentation (e.g., large print; reader; Braille; Braille device for written responses; visual magnification; audio amplification; audiocassette; sign/oral presentations)
- Responding (e.g., verbal/dictated to scribe; tape recorder; computer without grammar/cut & paste features; large block answer sheet)
- Timing/scheduling (e.g., frequent breaks; extended time; multiple day; specified time of day)
- Setting (e.g., small group setting; private room; special lighting/acoustics; adaptive/special furniture/tools; alternative test site [with proctor present]; preferential seating)
Students with temporary medical conditions
In most cases, if a student has a temporary medical condition, such as a broken arm, and cannot take an upcoming test for which he or she has registered, the student should register for a test on a later date when the temporary disability has healed. In limited circumstances, the College Board will provide some assistance for individuals with temporary physical conditions through its temporary accommodation process. When appropriate documentation is provided, temporary accommodations may be available for the following tests:
- Advanced Placement tests
- SAT Subject Tests
- SAT Reasoning Test™, for seniors only
- PSAT/NMSQT (limited accommodations available)
If a student has a temporary need for accommodations, and falls into one of the above categories, the student or school may submit a Temporary Accommodations Request Form. Students should not submit an Eligibility Form for requests related to temporary medical conditions. See Temporary Medical Conditions for more information.