Many teachers and professors advise their students to take the SAT, an important exam for any high school student looking to have an impressive rap sheet for college admission. You finally heeded their advice: you studied English and Mathematics for hours and stressed for what felt like even longer during the test to make double and triple extra sure that you got the right answers. But it’s been several days, and you’ve got nothing back. What is the problem?
You might have experienced a delay in your SAT. Don’t worry—you’ll receive your test scores soon enough. But why do SAT scores get delayed? And can you do anything to hasten its arrival? This article will give you a piece of mind and inform you of what causes a delay in your SAT scores.
How is the SAT Administered and Scored?
How is the SAT Administered and Scored?As stated before, the SAT is essential to a high school student’s education. High schools and colleges both use the SAT as a benchmark for how well a student can perform in English language subjects and Mathematics, two of the most common core subjects in the United States.
Let’s begin by explaining how SATs are administered. The SAT is a standardized exam administered in schools and designated test sites. A student can only take the SAT at specific dates in a year, but they can take it as many times as needed, so long as they succeed. Students must pay for SAT admission to offset the costs, with the exception of students with dire financial aid-based needs.
A student takes the test in a classroom with other students and marks their answers on a bubble sheet (pencils and erasers are recommended before taking the SAT). Any institution that cares about what SAT score the students make will look at their highest or combined highest scores.
The SAT is divided into three key sections: Evidence-Based Reading & Writing, Mathematics, and an Essay Question.
- The Evidence-Based Reading & Writing section comprises of 54 reading questions and 44 writing questions, both multiple-choice.
- The Mathematics section is made of 45 multiple-choice questions and 13 student-produced responses.
- Finally, the Essay section has only one question for you to create a sizable essay to answer.
As for how the SATs are scored, the test is scored on a scale of 400, the lowest, and 1600, the highest possible score. This score is the composite score of a student’s Evidence-Based Reading & Writing and Mathematics Test section. These tests each have a score range of 200 to 800. Most schools and universities only look for the composite score. So, for example, it is possible to do poorly on the English section of the SAT but excel in the Mathematics portion, creating a composite score still attractive to many institutions. However, some places will look at each score individually.
If a student fails their SAT or has a score that they are not satisfied with, they can retake it later as a makeup test.
Now that we have defined what makes the SATs, when does a student receive the results they so anxiously need?
When Do SAT Scores Usually Come Out?
When you have completed your SAT, the test scores will likely be distributed ten days or two weeks after your exam. In other words, you should not take long to see the fruits of your labor.
The delivery timing largely depends on whether a student has taken the SAT before or during a certain date (for the year 2023, this month is March) and if they took the SAT in school on a weekday, which is a relatively new inclusion to the SAT system. This is typically because the SATs in this scenario are handled by a different group with different priorities and objectives for delivering your and the other students’ tests.
But receiving your SAT scores should not take a student very long. But how will you know when you’ve got it? How do you get your SAT scores?
How Do You Get Your SAT Scores?
There are two primary ways in which a student gets their SAT scores.
- The first and most traditional fashion is having the SAT scores delivered to a person by mail. Following the ten days to two weeks expectation, a student should expect to receive mail of their Evidence-Based Reading & Writing, Mathematics, and Essay scores in their mailbox, so long as they have properly informed their school or the College Board of where they reside.
- The second and more convenient fashion is giving it to you automatically through your College Board account. When the SAT scores are released, students can go to their Student Score Report page and check their detailed score report; this is faster, easier, and something you can immediately email to people interested in knowing.
In the vast majority of cases, however, a student will receive their tests through both methods; either of which is very convenient for a student, as when you are being interviewed by the college or university of your choice, you can make copies or readily pull out your SAT score when prompted. However, both of these methods, while simple and straightforward on the surface, are very complicated for the CollegeBoard and the people handling the papers and data.
We’ve spent this whole time talking about how SATs are administered, scored, and distributed, but why are any SAT scores delayed?
3 Possible Reasons Why Your June SAT Scores are Delayed
Millions of students take the SAT every year, so it is expected that, at some point, some people will have their SAT scores delayed. Whether you have had your scores delayed or are afraid that a delay will happen to you, you should be interested in these three most common reasons for delayed SAT scores.
Makeup Tests
If you have taken a makeup test, and the date is later than the regular SAT, your SAT scores may be delayed due to College Board needing more time to grade your later submission. In this case, the delay should be expected, though still aggravating, result.
However annoying it is to wait extra time than others, the benefits of being able to take a makeup test and achieve a better score that is more attractive to colleges than a lower, on-time score are more than worth it.
Delayed Delivery
Sometimes, whoever is in charge of getting your answer sheet to the college board may be delayed. Unfortunately, you can only wait until it makes it to your mailbox or your account. The postal system is complicated, after all.
A slowed delivery is the most common reason for delayed SAT scores, and there isn’t much you can do about it as a student. However, College Board takes responsibility for anything that may happen under its watch. This outcome is much less likely when receiving your scores through your SAT account.
Inconsistent Information
Your SAT scores may be delayed because your information on the registry, including your address, may be inconsistent with your actual information. After all, how are they supposed to know where you live if you didn’t inform them? Thankfully, this is an issue that you can help yourself with, and they will likely contact you through your CollegeBoard account to inform you of any error.
If this is the delay you are going through, then the College Board will quickly inform you of the issue and get it sorted as soon as possible.
Wrapping Things Up: Why Do June SAT Scores Take Longer?
The SAT is an exam with a lot of importance. For both the students who take it and the proctors and professionals who must mark and curate it correctly, it can take a long time, and it may take even longer for you to know the results of your labor. However, it is nothing to worry about. When you have completed your SAT, the job is done, and your final scores, no matter how good or bad, will be returned to you!
Did you enjoy this post? Then you’ll love the other posts related to SAT here:
> The 7 Most Common Careless Mistakes on the SAT Math Test
> What Calculators are Allowed on the SAT?
> Why Do June SAT Scores Take Longer?
> Has Anyone Gotten 100% on SAT?
> Can You Take the SAT After High School?
> What a 1030 SAT Score Really Means for You?
> Why Do October ACT Scores Take Longer?
