Registering for the Test
Online, mail, and phone registration resources for the SAT®
To protect the validity and fairness of the SAT and SAT Subject Tests, the College Board has instituted some important changes to registration and test-day requirements for 2012-13. Students will be prompted to provide an acceptable photo with their registration for all SAT exams administered in the 2012-13 academic year. If they are registering for a test date in March 2013 or later, a photo is required. The photo that students provide will become part of their Admission Ticket, and will be available to the students’ high schools. In the event of an investigation involving the validity of a student's test scores, the photo may be made available to institutions to which the student has sent test scores. Any college that is granted access to a student's photo will first be required to certify that the student has been admitted. Note: Students are not required to provide a photo if they are in the 8th grade or below.
Photos must be properly focused with a full-face view, be clearly identifiable as the student, and match the student's appearance on test day. Students will have the opportunity to crop and reposition their photos after uploading them. If a photo is not easily recognizable as the student, we cannot admit the student to the test center.
Students receive information both online and in print with their registration materials about how to choose and submit an acceptable photo. Go here or go to the SAT Downloads and Materials Ordering page to view The Paper Registration Guide for the SAT and SAT Subject Tests 2012-13 for more detailed information.
With registration, each student receives:- An assigned test center seat
- An Admission Ticket—by Web, email, or postal mail
- Up to four score reports sent to colleges and scholarship services
Registration is easy. Help your students choose the best registration method:
- Online registration is the fastest, most accurate method. It gives immediate confirmation of the test center seat and access to an online Admission Ticket for corrections and reprinting.
- Mail registration is sometimes required. Students who provide an email address on the form will receive tickets by email only. Paper registrants who do not provide an email address or who indicate on the form that they want to receive a paper ticket as well will continue to receive an Admission Ticket in the mail.
- Phone registration is offered for retaking the test. A fee applies. Only students who have a previous registration in the system can register by phone.
No matter how students register, they will be required to specify their high school, date of birth, gender and grade level. Online registrations cannot be completed without this information, and paper registrations will be returned unprocessed if any of this information is missing. Registrations after March 2013 will not be processed without a photo unless the student is exempt. If you are advising international students, please ensure that they know to fill in every field marked "REQ'D FIELD" on the form. Incomplete forms are not processed, and will be returned to the student.
Late Registration Deadlines
See Test Dates & Deadlines for more information. If a student misses the late registration deadline, he or she can request Waitlist Status.
Fee waivers
With your help, the College Board provides fee waivers to more than 500,000 students every year. Learn more about the SAT Fee-Waiver Service, including understanding eligibility guidelines, obtaining materials, helping students register with fee waivers and reducing absenteeism.
SAT resources
The SAT Program offers numerous downloadable resources including registration, dates, and fee-waiver information that will help you assist your students to register for the test. Many of these materials are also mailed to your school in late summer.