A Guide to Finding Your Best Sat Date

At this point in time, some of you may have one or two SAT experiences under your belt, or you're in the middle of the SAT preparation process. Whether you're taking the SAT for the first, second or even the third time, it's important to create a test-taking strategy to determine the test date that works best for you. When choosing an SAT date, consider asking yourself these 4 questions: When are the application deadlines for the schools I'm looking to apply to? What dates are best if I'm applying Early Action? Early Decision? Regular Decision? Rolling Admissions? If needed, when can I retake the SAT? What other important tests will I have to take, such as subject tests, AP tests, midterms/finals - and when are they? Application timeline As you start to organize your college applications, keep due dates in mind, and if they apply to you, early action or early decision deadlines. These dates will help you decide when to take the SAT. You'll want to allow yourself sufficient time to study, register, take the exam and then reflect on your test scores and potentially take the test a second time. Each college has its own deadlines, and it's important that you map your test taking strategy around those dates. For example, many Ivy League schools have early January as their regular decision deadline, meaning you could take the SAT as late as October for early decision/action and as late as November for regular decision. RELATED: 4 things to watch out for when applying to a top school Be careful not to wait until the last possible test date to take your SAT. If by chance you're unhappy with your score, you'll want to allow yourself enough time to reflect, study and retake. And remember it takes three weeks to receive your SAT scores and then you'll need to give yourself time to send them with your final application. Don't procrastinate - choosing an SAT date should be right at the top of your to-do list, along with deciding which colleges you'll be applying to. Scheduling SAT prep As you edge closer to your graduation date, you'll find your schedule filling up with extracurricular activities, summer programs, sports, AP coursework, midterms and finals - and the list goes on. After looking at your year at large, consider important college application due dates, and then plan out a solid month or so when you can dedicate at least 90 minutes, three times a week to SAT studying. Finding a time when you can commit to an SAT study schedule will be a direct correlation to when you actually sit down to take the exam. Choosing the best SAT test date The best test date will depend on you and your readiness, which includes concentrated SAT preparation, sufficient planning and important college application deadlines. The key is to outline a plan starting your junior year or roughly a year before your first important college admission and scholarship deadlines. Start by including any application due dates, and then go backwards giving yourself sufficient time to: study and take your first SAT test receive your SAT scores and reflect on them allow yourself time to take a second SAT test and review your scores submit on time with your college applications This article originally appeared on the Ivy Advisors blog. RELATED: Which standardized test should you take ï ¿ ½ the ACT or SAT? To help you create a strategy to finding your best SAT test date, please review the following 2017-2020 test dates and deadlines for the SAT ï ¿ ½ for both U.S and International students provided by The College Board. 2017ï ¿ ½2020 U.S SAT Administration Dates (Anticipated) table{font-family:arial,sans-serif;border-collapse:collapse;width:100%}td,th{border:1px solid #ddd;text-align:center;padding:8px}tr:nth-child(even) {background-color:#ddd} TEST DATE REGISTRATION DEADLINE LATE REGISTRATION DEADLINE SCORES RELEASED January 21, 2017 December 21, 2016 January 03, 2017 (by mail) January 10, 2017 (online or by phone) February 23, 2017 March 11, 2017 February 10, 2017 February 21, 2017 (by mail) February 28, 2017 (online or by phone) April 13, 2017 May 06, 2017 April 07, 2017 April 18, 2017 (by mail) April 25, 2017 (online or by phone) June 08, 2017 June 03, 2017 May 09, 2017 May 16, 2017 (by mail) May 24, 2017 (online or by phone) July 12, 2017 August 26, 2017 August 26, 2017 October 07, 2017 November 04, 2017 December 02, 2017 March 10, 2018 May 05, 2018 June 02, 2018 August 25, 2018 October 06, 2018 November 03, 2018 December 01, 2018 March 09, 2019 May 04, 2019 June 01, 2019 August 24, 2019 October 05, 2019 November 02, 2019 December 07, 2019 March 07, 2020 May 02, 2020 June 06, 2020 All deadlines and score release dates for these dates are not yet released. These dates are anticipated dates from The College Board. At this point in time, some of you may have one or two SAT experiences under your belt, or you're in the middle of the SAT preparation process. Whether you're taking the SAT for the first, second or even the third time, it's important to create a test-taking strategy to determine the test date that works best for you. When choosing an SAT date, consider asking yourself these 4 questions: When are the application deadlines for the schools I'm looking to apply to? What dates are best if I'm applying Early Action? Early Decision? Regular Decision? Rolling Admissions? If needed, when can I retake the SAT? What other important tests will I have to take, such as subject tests, AP tests, midterms/finals - and when are they? Application timeline As you start to organize your college applications, keep due dates in mind, and if they apply to you, early action or early decision deadlines. These dates will help you decide when to take the SAT. You'll want to allow yourself sufficient time to study, register, take the exam and then reflect on your test scores and potentially take the test a second time. Each college has its own deadlines, and it's important that you map your test taking strategy around those dates. For example, many Ivy League schools have early January as their regular decision deadline, meaning you could take the SAT as late as October for early decision/action and as late as November for regular decision. RELATED: 4 things to watch out for when applying to a top school Be careful not to wait until the last possible test date to take your SAT. If by chance you're unhappy with your score, you'll want to allow yourself enough time to reflect, study and retake. And remember it takes three weeks to receive your SAT scores and then you'll need to give yourself time to send them with your final application. Don't procrastinate - choosing an SAT date should be right at the top of your to-do list, along with deciding which colleges you'll be applying to. Scheduling SAT prep As you edge closer to your graduation date, you'll find your schedule filling up with extracurricular activities, summer programs, sports, AP coursework, midterms and finals - and the list goes on. After looking at your year at large, consider important college application due dates, and then plan out a solid month or so when you can dedicate at least 90 minutes, three times a week to SAT studying. Finding a time when you can commit to an SAT study schedule will be a direct correlation to when you actually sit down to take the exam. Choosing the best SAT test date The best test date will depend on you and your readiness, which includes concentrated SAT preparation, sufficient planning and important college application deadlines. The key is to outline a plan starting your junior year or roughly a year before your first important college admission and scholarship deadlines. Start by including any application due dates, and then go backwards giving yourself sufficient time to: study and take your first SAT test receive your SAT scores and reflect on them allow yourself time to take a second SAT test and review your scores submit on time with your college applications This article originally appeared on the Ivy Advisors blog. RELATED: Which standardized test should you take ï ¿ ½ the ACT or SAT? To help you create a strategy to finding your best SAT test date, please review the following 2017-2020 test dates and deadlines for the SAT ï ¿ ½ for both U.S and International students provided by The College Board. 2017ï ¿ ½2020 U.S SAT Administration Dates (Anticipated) table{font-family:arial,sans-serif;border-collapse:collapse;width:100%}td,th{border:1px solid #ddd;text-align:center;padding:8px}tr:nth-child(even) {background-color:#ddd} TEST DATE REGISTRATION DEADLINE LATE REGISTRATION DEADLINE SCORES RELEASED January 21, 2017 December 21, 2016 January 03, 2017 (by mail) January 10, 2017 (online or by phone) February 23, 2017 March 11, 2017 February 10, 2017 February 21, 2017 (by mail) February 28, 2017 (online or by phone) April 13, 2017 May 06, 2017 April 07, 2017 April 18, 2017 (by mail) April 25, 2017 (online or by phone) June 08, 2017 June 03, 2017 May 09, 2017 May 16, 2017 (by mail) May 24, 2017 (online or by phone) July 12, 2017 August 26, 2017 August 26, 2017 October 07, 2017 November 04, 2017 December 02, 2017 March 10, 2018 May 05, 2018 June 02, 2018 August 25, 2018 October 06, 2018 November 03, 2018 December 01, 2018 March 09, 2019 May 04, 2019 June 01, 2019 August 24, 2019 October 05, 2019 November 02, 2019 December 07, 2019 March 07, 2020 May 02, 2020 June 06, 2020 All deadlines and score release dates for these dates are not yet released. These dates are anticipated dates from The College Board.