It’s that time of year again! Summer’s so close you can almost smell the freshly cut grass, the ocean breeze, the sunblock. Before you dive into all the fun and relaxing activities that lie ahead, though, the sophomores and juniors among you would do well to hammer out a rough standardized testing timeline for the academic year to come, whether 2023-24 will see your first SAT/ACT sitting or your second/third/fourth. (After all, often it takes more than one go to achieve your target score!)
I promise: planning this stuff now will help you enjoy your summer the more fully because you’ll know WHEN you’re going to study for and take your test of choice. The task will feel concrete and doable, not amorphous and looming. And as a professional SAT and ACT tutor, I’m in the business of making every step of this whole process more concrete and doable!
That’s why this post is giving you an early glimpse of all ACT, SAT, and Digital SAT dates for the next school year. So grab your calendar and take a gander at these dates, alongside my testing timelines post, and you’ll already be on your way to a fabulous score!
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U.S. and U.S. Territories SAT Test Dates for 2023-2024
One important note on the table below before we jump in: although U.S. students can still take the original, paper SAT throughout 2023, all of that changes in 2024. Beginning in March 2024, all U.S. students must take the Digital SAT, not the former, paper SAT!
† Dates by which scores are projected to begin to be released.
When do SAT scores come out?
For the paper SAT, scores are typically released 13 days after the National Test Date. For the new, Digital SAT, score release dates are not yet an exact science. The College Board says scores will be uploaded to a student’s College Board account “within a few days of test date”… but the org has not specified exactly how many days, so there’s a chance the waiting period could be up to two weeks (the waiting period of the paper test).
Registering for the SAT and Digital SAT
You can register for the SAT and Digital SAT by mail or online via the College Board website. To register by mail, ask your school counselor for the Student Registration Booklet, fill out the form, and mail it in. It’s easier to register online, though, if that’s an option for you. Here’s what you’ll do:
Create a free College Board account.
Enter your name and information, which must match your ID.
If you want to opt into the Student Search Service, fill out the pertinent questions.
Upload a photo that fits these specifications.
Check out with a payment method, like a credit card—unless you have a fee waiver.
What Are the 2023-2024 ACT Dates for the United States?
+ If you cannot take the test on a Saturday for religious reasons, you may be able to take the test another day of the week. Follow these instructions to pursue that option.
* There are currently no New York State test centers scheduled for the July 2024 date.
ACT registration for the upcoming 2023-24 school year opens in the middle of July. To make sure you’re aware when registration opens—and can snag a seat in your preferred testing center on your preferred date—you can sign up on the ACT website to get automatically notified.
How quickly are ACT scores released?
For U.S. test-takers, ACT multiple-choice scores start to be released 10 days after a given test sitting. (So, two Tuesdays after your test date, for regular Saturday test-takers.) However, some students will have to wait longer to see their scores.
In particular, if you take the ACT with Writing (the essay component), receive special accommodations, do not take your test on Saturday, etc., it might take longer—up to eight weeks after your test date!—to get your score back. In fact, even if none of those conditions apply to you, you may STILL not get your score as fast as some of your peers.
So, if you log into your MyACT account on the “expected score release” date above and don’t see a score yet, just try back every Thursday and Tuesday until you do—which should, at the latest, be eight weeks after your test date.
How do I register for the ACT?
Use this link to register for the ACT. The process will require:
About 30 minutes.
A computer with internet access.
A payment method, like a credit card, unless you qualify for a fee waiver.
A recent photo / photo ID that meets the ACT’s requirements.
Details of the courses you’re taking in school, like the classes’ exact titles and your grades in them.
2023-24 Digital SAT Test Dates (International)
Since March of 2023, students outside the U.S. and its territories have been taking exclusively the Digital SAT rather than the paper SAT, and this will remain the case for the coming school year.
Note: Students taking the Digital SAT who need to borrow a device from College Board will need to register and request their device earlier than the registration deadline to account for international shipping times.
These test dates, registration deadlines and expected score release dates are based on the College Board website and past years’ dates. Visit the College Board’s official International Registration Page for the most current dates, fees, and additional information.
Also, it’s important to note that international SAT test dates don’t offer an option for late registration! There is only ONE registration deadline, and it is the same for registering, making changes AND cancelling your test registration.
When can non-U.S. Students take the ACT in 2023-2024?
A NOTE ABOUT ACT TEST DATES outside the U.S.:
As the above chart indicates, the International ACT test is offered during two-day windows, and at some testing centers it’s even offered in the morning AND in the afternoon on both days. Thus, some locations provide up to FOUR available test times on a given weekend: for instance, October 27th in the AM, October 27th PM, October 28th AM and October 28th PM!
A NOTE ABOUT International ACT SCORE RELEASES:
If you take the ACT outside the U.S., you can actually receive your multiple-choice scores and Composite Score as quickly as TWO BUSINESS DAYS after you take the test! Granted, that’s the earliest date at which the ACT first starts issuing scores. For whatever reason, your score might not be in that first set that’s released! So, all together, it can take as little as two business days, and as long as ten weeks, to learn how you did on the ACT.
How do I register for the ACT internationally?
Via this link. You’ll need:
About 30 minutes.
Internet access.
Credit card or alternate form of payment.
Details of the classes you’re taking in school, like your grades/marks in those courses and their exact titles.
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Phew! Did you get all that? Now that you know WHEN the SAT and ACT tests will take place during the 2023-24 school year, your next steps are as follows:
If you haven’t yet decided which standardized test you’ll take, today’s the day to do that. I promise, the choice will be less agonizing than you think! There are two straightforward ways to figure it out:
A) Take my free quiz: is the ACT or Digital SAT right for you?
B) Let me take the burden of the big-picture thinking off your plate. Schedule an Ace the Test: Game Plan™ package today.
Figure out WHEN you’re going to to take your first SAT or ACT. You can choose your Testing Timeline from among the four most common timelines I’ve assembled here.
Determine how long you need to study for the SAT or ACT. This blog post will help.
And of course, if you need an assist during any part of this process, you know where to find me.
