Most students should take the SAT for the first time in the spring of junior year, in March, May or June, and take it again in the fall of senior year. College Board recommends taking it at least twice. Whatever your grade, finish testing before your earliest college application deadline.
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When should I take the SAT for the first time?
Want to start practice this month? The June 2026 Reading and Writing Question Bank is free with a free account.
Start 1-day free trial →Take your first SAT in March, May or June of junior year. College Board's guide to choosing a test date says that by then "you've got nearly three years of high school coursework under your belt," and you still have time to retake. Its help center adds that if you take the SAT only once, spring of junior year is the best time. Our SAT test dates page lists every 2026-27 date with its registration deadline.
College Board says most students study for 2 to 3 months before test day. So pick your date first, then count back. The free SAT study plan generator does that math for you. You choose a test date (November 7, 2026 through June 5, 2027) and your hours per week (3 to 15), and it builds a week-by-week plan. You can add your baseline score and a target score too.
A fall junior-year test can also work. It makes sense if you have a few months to prepare and want an early baseline. Treat that score as a starting point.
When should juniors take the SAT in 2026-27?
If you are a junior now (class of 2028), aim for one of the three spring 2027 dates, then plan a retake in fall 2027. College Board has posted the spring dates. The fall 2027 dates are marked "anticipated," so check them again before you register.
| Step | SAT date | Register by | Scores out |
|---|---|---|---|
| First try (spring of junior year) | March 6, 2027 | February 19, 2027 | March 19, 2027 |
| First try or quick retake | May 1, 2027 | April 16, 2027 | May 14, 2027 |
| First try or quick retake | June 5, 2027 | May 21, 2027 | June 21, 2027 |
| Retake (fall of senior year, anticipated) | August 28, September 18, October 9, November 6 or December 4, 2027 | Not posted yet | Not posted yet |
Sources: College Board SAT dates and deadlines and score release dates. Two fall 2026 dates are still open for juniors who are ready now: November 7 (register by October 23) and December 5 (register by November 20). Our guide to 2027 SAT test dates covers the spring calendar in more detail.
Your school may also give the SAT on a school day. College Board's in-school window runs October 1 to 30, 2026 and March 1 to April 30, 2027. Your school or district registers you for SAT School Day, so ask your counselor. College Board says you can take both a School Day SAT and a weekend SAT.
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When should sophomores start preparing for the SAT?
Use sophomore year to build skills. If you are a sophomore now (class of 2029), your best first SAT is likely in spring 2028. College Board lists the anticipated dates as March 4, May 6 and June 3, 2028.
That leaves you more than a year. Use it this way:
- Find your baseline. A free account includes one full-length adaptive SAT section. Module 2 changes based on how you do in Module 1, as on the real test.
- Fix one skill at a time. Free lesson notes teach one Digital SAT skill at a time, and the Digital SAT question banks let you practice it. You need a free account to open them.
- Practice on real-style questions. The June 2026 Reading and Writing Question Bank is free with a free account.
Keep your math class on track. College Board lists four SAT math domains: Algebra, Advanced Math, Problem-Solving and Data Analysis, and Geometry and Trigonometry. Your 10th and 11th grade math classes count as SAT prep.
What is the latest SAT date for college applications?
The latest useful date depends on each college's deadline, so check every school on your list. Cornell's admissions office gives one clear example: "For Early Decision, the latest test dates would occur in October, for Regular Decision, the latest test dates would occur in December," per its testing FAQ.
For seniors this fall, two dates are left in 2026:
| SAT date | Register by | Late registration by | Scores out |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 7, 2026 | October 23, 2026 | October 27, 2026 | November 20, 2026 |
| December 5, 2026 | November 20, 2026 | November 24, 2026 | December 18, 2026 |
College Board's December 5 page calls it possibly "your last chance to take the SAT before college deadlines hit." After scores come out, College Board says it forwards them to the colleges you pick within 10-12 days. Our guides to the November 2026 SAT and the December 2026 SAT walk through each date. When it is time to send scores, see how to send SAT scores.
How many times should you take the SAT?
Plan on at least two tries, as College Board recommends. It says most students score higher the second time and most colleges consider your highest score. You can take the SAT as many times as you want, but you pay the fee again each time.
A second test also helps with superscoring. College Board's help center explains that many colleges combine your highest Math section score and your highest Reading and Writing section score from different test dates. You also choose which scores to send, so a weak first try does not have to reach a college.
Between tries, review every question you missed before you add new ones. The newest TTA banks are the October 2026 Reading and Writing bank and the October 2026 Math bank. The SAT Question Bank hub groups the banks by test month. For a weekly time budget, see how many hours to study for the SAT.
How we built this page
We used College Board's SAT dates and deadlines page (including the anticipated 2027-28 dates), its score release dates page, the November 7 and December 5, 2026 test date pages, its help center answer on when to take the SAT, its math domain page, and its December 2023 blog post on choosing a date. The Cornell quote comes from Cornell's admissions FAQ. The study plan options come from our own generator page. All facts verified 2026-10-13.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I take the SAT for the first time?
In the spring of junior year: March, May or June. College Board says that by then you have nearly three years of coursework behind you and still have time to retake. If you take the SAT only once, College Board says spring of junior year is the best time.
When should juniors take the SAT in 2026-27?
Juniors should aim for March 6, May 1 or June 5, 2027 (register by February 19, April 16 or May 21), then plan a fall 2027 retake. College Board's anticipated fall 2027 dates are August 28, September 18, October 9, November 6 and December 4.
When should sophomores start preparing for the SAT?
Sophomore year is a good time to build skills and find a baseline. Most sophomores now will take their first SAT in spring 2028; College Board's anticipated dates are March 4, May 6 and June 3, 2028.
What is the latest SAT date for college applications?
It depends on each college. Cornell, for example, says the latest test dates are in October for Early Decision and December for Regular Decision. In 2026 the last SAT dates are November 7 and December 5, with scores out November 20 and December 18.
How many times should you take the SAT?
At least twice, College Board recommends. It says most students score higher the second time and most colleges consider your highest score. Many colleges also superscore, combining your best section scores from different test dates.
Related Concepts
Sources and Citation Targets
- College Board Blog: When Should You Take the SAT? (Dec 18, 2023)
- College Board Help Center: How many times can a student take the SAT, and when?
- College Board: SAT Dates and Deadlines
- College Board: SAT Score Release Dates
- College Board: What's on the SAT Math Section
- Cornell Undergraduate Admissions: When should I take the SAT?
- College Board: December 5, 2026 SAT Test Date
- College Board Blog: When Do SAT Scores Come Out?