- Start 14 weeks before the test date you’ve chosen: for the March 6, 2027 SAT that was November 28, 2026, and for May 1 it’s January 23, 2027.
- Plan for two official sittings about eight to twelve weeks apart, with the second one the target and the first a rehearsal that counts.
- The last SAT that comfortably serves a November 1 early-action deadline is the early-October 2027 date; the December date serves only regular deadlines.
- Registration closes about two weeks before each test. Put the deadline on the calendar the same day you pick the date.
- Too late is not a date; it’s a gap. Fewer than eight weeks and more than 100 points to gain is the combination we turn away.
You’re planning your junior’s year, the test dates are scattered across two calendars, and nobody has told you when preparation actually has to begin. For a student in the class of 2028, SAT preparation should start 14 weeks before the first official sitting you intend to count, which means late November 2026 for the March 6, 2027 test, January 23, 2027 for the May 1 test, and February 27 for June 5, with a second sitting planned eight to twelve weeks after the first.
The rest of this guide is the calendar itself, worked backward from every 2027 date, and an honest description of what “too late” looks like, because it is not what most families think.
The 2027 SAT dates, with the start date for each
College Board publishes the dates at satsuite.collegeboard.org. As of November 2026 the spring 2027 dates and their registration deadlines are confirmed. The fall 2027 dates are listed by College Board as anticipated, which means planned but not final, and we’ve marked them accordingly.
A 14-week program is two sessions a week and a proctored full-length test every week, 28 sessions in all. Fourteen weeks is 98 days, so the start date below is 98 days before each test.
| Test date | Registration deadline | 14-week start | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Dec 5, 2026 | about Nov 20, 2026 [verify] | Aug 29, 2026 (passed) | Seniors in the class of 2027; juniors wanting a cold baseline |
| Sat, Mar 6, 2027 | Feb 19, 2027 (late: Feb 23) | Sat, Nov 28, 2026 | Juniors who want a first sitting before spring sports and AP exams |
| Sat, May 1, 2027 | Apr 16, 2027 (late: Apr 20) | Sat, Jan 23, 2027 | The most common first sitting; clear of March but before AP week |
| Sat, Jun 5, 2027 | May 21, 2027 (late: May 25) | Sat, Feb 27, 2027 | Juniors with a heavy spring; a second sitting after March |
| Sat, Aug 28, 2027 (anticipated) [verify] | not yet published | Sat, May 22, 2027 | Summer-prep students; a second sitting after May or June |
| Sat, Sep 18, 2027 (anticipated) [verify] | not yet published | Sat, Jun 12, 2027 | Rising seniors who want scores before early deadlines |
| Sat, Oct 2, 2027 (anticipated) [verify] | not yet published | Sat, Jun 26, 2027 | The last comfortable date for November 1 early deadlines |
| Sat, Nov 6, 2027 (anticipated) [verify] | not yet published | Sat, Jul 31, 2027 | Regular deadlines; tight for early action |
| Sat, Dec 4, 2027 (anticipated) [verify] | not yet published | Sat, Aug 28, 2027 | Regular deadlines only; the last sitting for most seniors |
Two things about the table. First, the start dates are Saturdays because that’s when the first proctored test in a program happens, and the free first hour sits in the week before it. Second, the deadline column matters more than it looks: late registration adds a fee, and students who need to borrow a device from College Board must request it at least 30 days before test day.
How to pick the first date
Work from the college deadlines backward, not from the student’s schedule forward. Early action and early decision deadlines at most schools fall on November 1; UT Austin’s priority deadline is November 1 and its regular deadline December 1 [verify], and Texas A&M’s freshman deadline is December 1 [verify]. Scores take roughly two weeks to arrive after the test, so the early-October date is the last one that comfortably serves a November 1 deadline, and the early-November date is the last for December 1.
That gives the class of 2028 a hard back wall of October 2, 2027 for early applications. Now count backward. A second sitting needs eight to twelve weeks of work between it and the first, and the first needs 14 weeks in front of it. From October 2, that puts the first sitting in May or June 2027 and the start in January or February 2027.
Most juniors we work with take the May 1 sitting first. March works well for students with a quiet winter and a heavy spring, but it compresses the start into Thanksgiving week. June suits students whose spring is full and who’ll be in town on the first Saturday of summer. Any of the three is fine; what matters is that the first sitting is a real attempt after a full program, not a cold sample.
Then the second sitting. A student who tests May 1 can retest August 28 with 17 weeks between, or June 5 with only five, which is too few for anything but a repeat. A student who tests June 5 retests August 28 or October 2. The second sitting is the target. The first one counts too, which is why we don’t treat it as a practice run.
What the 14 weeks look like
The structure doesn’t change with the date. Here it is mapped onto the May 1, 2027 sitting, with the dates shifting by the same offsets for any other date in the table.
| Weeks | Dates for May 1, 2027 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Week 0 to 1 | Jan 18 to Jan 30 | The free first hour, then a full-length proctored Bluebook test read question by question. The pattern report names the four or five leaking question types. |
| Weeks 2 to 6 | Jan 31 to Mar 6 | Two sessions a week on the student’s own leaks. Grammar rules as a checklist, question types as templates, hard-module math from the ground up. |
| Weeks 7 to 11 | Mar 7 to Apr 10 | Weekly proctored tests with hard-module exposure. Pacing drilled to 71 seconds a Reading and Writing question and 95 for Math. Line-by-line review on Mondays. |
| Weeks 12 to 14 | Apr 11 to May 1 | Two full dress rehearsals, a written test-week protocol, and the first-90-seconds routine for each module. Registration closed April 16. |
Notice where spring break and AP exams fall. For most Austin-area districts spring break lands in mid-March, inside the speed block, and AP exams start the first full week of May, right after the test. The May 1 date is popular because it threads that needle. A student taking the March 6 date hits the speed block over winter break instead, which is quieter and colder.
College Board’s structure is what sets the pacing targets: 54 Reading and Writing questions in 64 minutes and 44 Math questions in 70 minutes, each section in two modules with the second module chosen by first-module performance. The weekly proctored test is how the program rehearses that. Skip the weekly tests and the calendar is a list of appointments.
What too late actually looks like
Families usually ask whether it’s too late by the calendar. It’s the wrong unit. Too late is a relationship between the weeks left and the points needed, and we’d describe it like this.
A student 40 points from the target with six weeks to go is not too late. That’s a focused block on two or three question types and a dress rehearsal, and it’s an honest piece of work. A student 150 points from the target with six weeks to go is too late for that sitting, and the right move is to register for the next date and start the full program now. The date is the same; the answer isn’t.
The clearest signal is the first official sitting. If a student has already taken the test once, cold, and the score is more than 100 points from the target, and the next date is under eight weeks away, we tell the family to plan around the date after that. The score from the cold sitting isn’t wasted; it’s the diagnostic.
There is one genuinely too-late case. A senior in October with the December date as the last option, more than 100 points to gain, and early deadlines already passed. For that student the honest advice is to look hard at which schools on the list are test-optional, and to put the weeks into the applications. We say so in the first hour rather than selling eight sessions.
The calendar for a student who hasn’t started
If you’re reading this in November 2026 with a junior who hasn’t begun, the realistic paths are these, in order of how often we’d recommend them.
- Start the week of November 28 for March 6. The first hour falls in Thanksgiving week, which is awkward but workable, and the program runs through winter break. The second sitting goes to May 1 or June 5.
- Start January 23 for May 1. The most common path and the one with the least schedule friction. Second sitting August 28 or October 2.
- Start February 27 for June 5. For students with a full spring. Second sitting August 28 or October 2, with the fall anticipated dates to be confirmed.
- Take December 5 cold as a baseline, if registration is still open, with the score sent nowhere. Then start one of the paths above with a real report in hand.
Whichever path, the first step is the same and it’s free: one hour with Rick, reading the most recent score report or running a short diagnostic set, naming the leaks, and saying honestly what a realistic target is for the date you’ve chosen. Bring the family calendar.
What to do this week
- Confirm the spring 2027 dates and deadlines on College Board’s dates and deadlines page, and bookmark it for the fall 2027 update.
- Pick the second sitting first, working backward from the earliest college deadline on your list. For early action, October 2.
- Place the first sitting eight to twelve weeks before it, and mark the 14-week start on the family calendar along with both registration deadlines.
- If there’s no recent score, schedule a full-length proctored Bluebook test for Saturday morning, both sections, real start time.
- Book a free first hour before the start date and bring the test and the calendar. Rick will say whether the date and the target fit.
Questions people ask
When should a junior take the SAT for the first time?
For most students in the class of 2028, the first official sitting belongs in March or May of 2027, after 14 weeks of preparation, with a second sitting in late summer or fall 2027. Taking it cold in the fall of junior year as a baseline is fine if the score won’t be sent anywhere, but a proctored Bluebook practice test gives the same information for free.
How long does SAT prep take?
Our full program is 14 weeks at two sessions a week with a proctored full-length test every week. Shorter is possible when the starting score is close to the target. Longer is sometimes needed when a student is more than 200 points from the goal, in which case we plan two programs around two test dates.
Should we start in the summer before junior year instead?
Summer before junior year suits a student aiming at the August or October date of junior fall, usually a student who wants the score settled early. For the class of 2028 that window has passed; the equivalent now is a spring 2027 test with a start in late 2026 or January 2027, or a summer 2027 start for the August 28 date.
What if my student is a senior?
The class of 2027 has the December 5, 2026 date left for regular deadlines, and some schools accept later scores; confirm each one. If the student is within about 60 points of the target, a short focused block can be honest. If the gap is larger, the free first hour is where we’ll say so plainly.
How do I confirm the test dates?
On College Board’s dates and deadlines page at satsuite.collegeboard.org. The 2027 spring dates are published; fall 2027 dates are listed by College Board as anticipated and can change. Check the page before you register.