November SAT or December SAT? Check both sign-up deadlines and decide this week. This article lays out what each fall sitting gives a senior: the registration dates, when scores come out, and what that means against your colleges' own deadlines.
Details below are as of October 2026, taken from College Board's pages for the 2026-27 school year.
What are the two fall SAT dates and sign-up deadlines?
College Board lists two weekend sittings for seniors who want one this fall in the United States. Here they are side by side.
| November SAT | December SAT | |
|---|---|---|
| Test day | November 7, 2026 | December 5, 2026 |
| Regular registration deadline | October 23, 2026 | November 20, 2026 |
| Late registration deadline | October 27, 2026 | November 24, 2026 |
According to College Board, late registration is open worldwide and carries an additional fee. College Board's fee page lists the registration fee at $68 and the late registration fee at $38 for signing up after the regular deadline but before the late one. If you need a sitting in a particular month, the deadline for that month is the date to circle first.
When do the scores come out?
College Board's score release page gives one date for each sitting. Scores from the November 7 test are released on November 20, 2026. Scores from the December 5 test are released on December 18, 2026.
The same page says that most scores from weekend tests are released 2 to 4 weeks after test day, so treat the listed date as the one to plan around rather than hoping for earlier. It also says students can choose to send their scores to colleges, and that processing times may vary by college once scores are received. That last part is the one you cannot read off a College Board page. Only your colleges can tell you how long a score takes to show up in your file.
What does the November sitting leave you time for?
Count backward from the score release date, not forward from test day. With a November 20 release, you see your result with time to spare before a December sitting would close.
The December registration deadline is November 20, 2026, the same day November scores are released. So if you test in November and your score is not what you wanted, you can sign up for December on the regular deadline, as long as you do it that day. The late deadline of November 24 gives you a few more days at the late fee.
That makes November the sitting that keeps a second try open. It also asks for a decision soon: the regular registration deadline for it is October 23, and the late deadline is October 27.
What does the December sitting leave you time for?
December gives you more weeks to prepare, which matters if you have not yet taken a full practice test. Its regular deadline is November 20, so you can use the rest of October and most of November to study before you commit.
The tradeoff is that scores are released on December 18, 2026. If you test in December, that is your only fall result. The table above shows no later fall sitting, so a December score is your last fall result.
How do you set this against each college's deadline?
This is the step that decides it, and the answer is different for every college on your list.
- Open the admissions page of each college and write down its application deadline for the round you are using.
- Find what that college says about SAT scores for that round: whether it takes them, and the latest test date it will consider. If the page does not say, ask the admissions office.
- Compare. A December 18 release date that falls after a college's deadline is a problem. A November 20 release date that falls before it is not.
- Check whether the college superscores, accepts self-reported scores, or needs an official report. These change when a score has to be sent.
College Board says your first 4 score reports are free if you order them by 9 days after the test date. Decide which colleges get those four before that window closes. The college decides what it will use. College Board does not set that.
How do you decide this week?
Work through these in order and you will land on an answer without guessing.
- Have you taken a full, timed practice test in the last month? If not, the October 23 deadline for November is close, and a December plan may fit better.
- Does any college on your list close before December 18? If yes, November is the only fall sitting that can reach it.
- Do you want a safety net? Take November, then use the December regular deadline on the day scores are released if you need to retest.
- Is your calendar full in early November? Choose the date you can protect, not the one that looks better on paper.
Write the decision and the registration deadline in your calendar today, and register before the deadline rather than on it.
Exam dates, fees and rules change. Confirm the current details with the official exam body before you act on them.
Sources
- SAT Weekend Test Dates and Deadlines, 2026-27 (US), College Board
- SAT Score Release Dates, College Board
- SAT Test Fees, College Board
PrepGen's SAT practice tests adapt to you and show your results by topic and difficulty.
Stop studying hard and start studying smart. Free practice tests on PrepGen, built for your exam.