Standby Testing
If you miss the late registration deadline, you may be able to take the SAT as a standby. Test centers accept standbys in the order of their arrival, only if they have enough space, testing materials, and staff—so there is no guarantee that you'll be admitted to the test. You will not be admitted until all preregistered test-takers have been seated.
Seating capacity for the May test is extremely limited, due to a high volume of SAT registrants. If you are planning to test standby in May, there is a possibility that you might not be admitted to the test center because it is full.
Instructions
To be considered for standby testing, please be present at the test center on test day before 7:45 a.m. You must include payment of a standby fee in addition to the regular fee for the test or tests you wish to take.
To register as a standby, be sure to:
- Fill out the Registration Form completely and be sure to fill in the oval for the standby fee in item 18; otherwise, your scores will be delayed.
- Include payment for the test fee, plus the additional standby fee. Payment must be in the form of a check, money order, or credit card (American Express, Discover, MasterCard, or Visa). Do not enclose cash. Checks and money orders should be made payable to "The College Board." Insufficient payment will cause your scores to be delayed.
- Enclose the completed form and proper payment together in the envelope provided and seal it.
- Place the appropriate label showing the test month on the envelope.
- Bring the sealed envelope to the test center and give it to the supervisor when you check in.
- Bring an acceptable photo ID.
Important Points to Remember
- Students taking Language Tests with Listening cannot test as standbys.
- If you have an approved SSD Eligibility Code for test center accommodations, you must bring a copy of your Eligibility Approval Letter.
- Because other accommodations may require additional staffing or materials, the only SSD accommodation that can be offered on a standby basis is 50 percent extended time.
- Standby testing is not available for SSD school-based testing, since only materials for registered students are sent.
- Although every effort is made to make standby testing available to students who request it, we cannot guarantee that space, staff or materials (including blank Registration Forms) will be available.
- Standby testing is not available in Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, or Togo.
- Please don't call test centers directly for information about standby testing. Contact Customer Service with any questions.
