Updates on the SAT/ACT: What You Need to Know

All students had their worlds turned upside down this spring, but for college-bound high school students, the sudden cancellation of the March, April, May, and June SAT and ACT dates caused even more uncertainty. 

Good news: both the College Board and ACT have laid out schedules for upcoming administrations of the SAT and ACT. Here’s what your teens need to know about their plans this summer and fall: 

Updates on the SAT 

• There is a new September SAT. While the June SAT date has been cancelled, there will be a new administration of the SAT September 26.
• The College Board will offer monthly administrations starting in August. Students are able to take the SAT every month through the end of the year, beginning in August. Those dates are August 29, September 26, October 3, November 7 and December 5.
• Students who registered for the June SAT or Subject Test can transfer their registration. Students can choose any upcoming administration.
• Students in the class of 2020 or 2021 get priority registration. Any students in the class of 2020 or 2021 that do not have SAT scores can register now for the August, September and October SAT or SAT Subject Test.
• Registration opened May 28. Registration for the November and December SAT exams opened May 28, and the August, September and October test registration opens up for all on June 3.
• Seating capacity might be limited. Public health restrictions vary from state to state, so some exam dates might have limited capacity. The College Board suggests continuing to log back in to My SAT for updated capacity (as the company adds more test center seats when they become available).
• Two school-day administrations have been added. Those dates are September 23 and October 14. There has been a lot of interest in a school-day test option among the College Board’s state partners and district partners, so there could be more dates added soon.

 Updates on the ACT 

• The June 13 ACT is still on in some places. Last week, ACT contacted all students registered for the June 13 ACT with an update on whether their exam centers are available and have capacity for them to take the exam. Test center cancellations are posted on ACT’s website.
• If a test center scheduled for the June 13 ACT reduced capacity due to social distancing guidelines, 12^th and 11^th grade students received priority. Students in 12^th grade were prioritized first, followed by students in 11^th Thereafter, ACT looked at the order in which students registered when choosing which students would still be able to take the June exam.
• Starting in July, there are four national test dates. Test center availability might change, but as of now, July 18 is still a go. Thereafter, the ACT will be administered September 12, October 24 and December 12.
• Students have to re-register. If a student’s test date was cancelled, it is up to the student to re-register for a future date (or obtain a refund).
• Starting September 2020, students can test online. For the September 12 administration, students have the option to take the ACT on a computer at an ACT test center.
• At-home testing is coming soon. No dates have been decided, but ACT will make this available in late fall or early winter. 

As you know, things change daily amid this global coronavirus pandemic and they could change again in the weeks to come. Regularly check the SAT (www.collegeboard.org) and ACT (www.act.org) websites for most up to date information. For now, here are a couple of tips on what your teen should do in the meantime: 

• Prepare over summer. Your teen probably has more free time than ever. Now is the time to focus on targeted test prep so that when your teen does take the SAT or ACT, he or she is prepared to succeed.
• Don’t panic. If there’s any silver lining, it is that your teen is not the only one in this situation. If your soon-to-be senior was signed up for his or her first SAT or ACT and studied over winter, there’s a good chance he or she has lost some ground. That’s okay. It’s time to pick things back up this summer with a customized test prep program. 

Huntington is ready to enroll your teen for a summer SAT or ACT prep program. You can choose to have your teen work with one of Huntington’s experienced tutors online or in a re-opened center. We’ve helped tens of thousands of students achieve their best on these important exams and fulfill their college dreams. Contact us at 1-800 CAN LEARN to discuss our customized summer SAT and ACT prep programs.