One of the first—and the most important—steps on the long road to college is deciding exactly WHEN you’re going to take your ACT(s) or Digital SAT(s)! This decision has a butterfly effect on your entire testing timeline, especially because it often takes more than one attempt to hit your target score.
That means planning in advance, people!
And that, in turn, means you need to know the coming academic year’s ACT and SAT calendar ASAP. So, as a standardized testing wiz whose duty is to help high schoolers ace these exams, I always bring you these dates as soon as they’re all available.
So whether you plan to take the ACT/SAT for the first, second, or fifth time between fall 2025 and summer 2026, this post has got the deets you need. By the time you’re done reading this post, you’ll already be further along your way to a fantastic score!
Article Contents
1. Digital SAT Test Dates, 2025-26 (U.S. AND international)
a. When are SAT scores released?
b. How to register for the SAT
a. When are ACT scores released?
b. How to register for the ACT
3. ACT Test Dates (international)
a. When are non-U.S. students’ ACT scores released?
SAT Schedule for U.S. and International Students, 2025-26
† These are projections based on the 2024-25 academic year’s Digital SAT score release dates. The College Board has not yet published official release dates for 2025-26 SAT scores.
When do you get your SAT scores back?
For the Digital SAT (as opposed to the old, now-defunct paper SAT), score release dates are not yet an official science. Last spring, Digital SAT scores were released 13 calendar days after the test date, so the projections in the above table are based on that figure.
How to register for the Digital SAT
You can register for the 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' option is available to you. Here’s what you’ll do:
Create a free College Board account.
Fill out your name and information, which must match your ID.
If you want to opt into the Student Search Service, fill out the relevant 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 2025-26 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 on another day of the week. Here’s where the ACT website explains how to do so.
* No test centers are scheduled in New York for the July test date.
** These projections are based on last year’s ACT score release schedule, in which scores were made available a minimum of 10 days after the test date.
ACT registration for the upcoming 2025-26 school year typically opens in the middle of July. To make sure you’re aware when registration opens—and to ensure you reserve a seat in your preferred testing center, on your preferred date—you can sign up on the ACT website to get automatically notified.
When do ACT scores come out?
For U.S. test-takers, ACT multiple-choice scores begin 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 a 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 no more than be eight weeks after your test date.
How do you 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.
When can Students outside the U.S., U.S. Territories, and Puerto Rico take the ACT in 2025-26?
* These projections are based on last year’s ACT score release schedule.
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 17th in the AM, October 17th PM, October 18th AM and October 18th 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! (Since the ACT is taken over the weekend, that translates to about four calendar days.) 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 few as two business days, and as long as ten weeks, to learn how you did on the ACT.
How to register for the ACT outside the U.S.
Go to 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.
Your next steps
Ok, that was a LOT of details! I don’t blame you if you’re feeling a bit like Neo in The Matrix when he gets uploaded with martial arts lessons straight to the brain.
But now that you know when you’re able to sit for the Digital SAT and ACT tests next school year, here’s what you should do after reading this post:
If you haven’t yet decided which standardized test you’ll take, I recommend doing so today. Like, right now. I promise, it’s actually a less painful choice than you’re imagining! In fact, there are two easy ways to figure it out:
A) Take my free quiz: is the ACT or the Digital SAT the best test for you?
B) Allow me, a test prep expert who’s been in the industry for over fifteen years, to figure out your best test FOR you. You can do this by scheduling an Ace the Test: Game Plan™ session.
Determine 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.
Calculate how long you need to study for the SAT or ACT. This blog post will help.
And of course, if you need guidance during any part of your quest to get into the college of your dreams, you can learn more about my wide variety of services here.
