NEW! Our friend Wendy Raynor has written the definitive guide to understanding and obtaining SAT and ACT accommodations: check it out here.
Managing any physical or learning difference or disability can make the prospect of preparing for your first SAT or ACT a bit daunting. But exploring potential accommodations will likely lead you into a complicated sequence of bureaucratic hoops to jump through. You are probably all too familiar with similar hurdles, whether it be establishing an IEP at school or coordinating specialized transportation.
We can’t wait until Elon Musk abandons his rockets & flying cars and steps in to overhaul the whole standardized testing system. So while Elon is conquering space, we'll guide you through everything you need to know to get your SAT and ACT testing accommodations!
Extra time on the SAT and ACT: the short version
- Both tests offer extended time and other accommodations for students with a documented disability, but you have to be approved before test day. Neither test adds accommodations on the day itself.
- SAT: your school’s SSD coordinator requests them from College Board through SSD Online. A decision can take up to seven weeks, and up to seven more if documentation is missing. Approval also covers the PSAT and AP Exams and lasts until one year after high school graduation.
- ACT: you register first and answer yes to accommodations, then your school official submits the request through ACT’s accommodations system (TAA). Starting with the June 2026 test, the request deadline is the regular registration deadline.
- On the digital SAT, your extra time is built into the Bluebook test, and you can move on once standard time is up. Students approved for up to time and one-half or double time on a weekend SAT test in one day at a test center.
Special Accommodations for the SAT
Who is eligible:
Some students with diagnosed disabilities, of all sorts, are eligible for accommodations on the SAT. Disabilities are not limited to cognitive or physical impairments, and can be a wide range of diagnoses. Only disabilities that will impact performance on an SAT-style test should be considered, meaning those that result in functional limitations in reading, mathematics, writing, or sitting with attention for extended periods of time. A student’s request for accommodations needs to be approved by the College Board’s Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD).
All of this runs through College Board’s accommodations site, which has the forms, the deadlines and the contact details.
Short-term injuries, like a broken wrist, are handled separately from disability accommodations. If that’s you, check College Board’s eligibility page and contact them as early as you can.
Types of Accommodations:
On the digital SAT, most accommodations are built into the Bluebook app:
- Extended time: Your approved extra time is part of the test. You don’t have to use all of it: once standard time has passed, you can move on to the next module or section. A Math-only approval applies only to the Math section.
- Extra breaks: An extra 5-minute break between Module 1 and Module 2 of each section.
- Extended breaks: Twice the regular break time. You can be approved for both extra and extended breaks.
- Breaks as needed: You can pause the test whenever you need to.
- Reading and seeing: Text-to-speech, zoom and color settings, and your own screen reader or dictation software. Braille users can take a paper braille test or use a refreshable braille display.
A human reader or scribe is possible but rare. Computer use for the essay no longer applies, because the digital SAT has no essay. College Board’s page on using accommodations has the full list.
When to request accommodations:
Early. College Board says a decision can take up to seven weeks, and up to seven more if your documentation is incomplete. It publishes a request deadline for every SAT date, about seven weeks before the test. For the March 6, 2027 SAT, the request and documentation must be received by January 15, 2027. For the May 1, 2027 SAT, it’s March 12, 2027. Find your test on College Board’s dates and deadlines page. Accommodations approved less than 14 days before a test may not be ready in time for it.
How to Apply (for most students):
Apply through your school if you can. Most schools have an SSD coordinator, usually a counselor or special education administrator, who submits requests through SSD Online. Families can’t use SSD Online themselves.
- Ask your school’s SSD coordinator to start a request.
- A parent or guardian signs College Board’s Parent Consent Form (or the student does, if 18 or older).
- The coordinator submits the request, including your IEP or 504 plan if you have one. If College Board needs documentation, the coordinator uploads it.
- College Board sends the decision in up to seven weeks.
How to Apply (for homeschooled students/special cases):
If you’re homeschooled, or your school can’t submit through SSD Online, you can send a paper request directly to College Board, using its Student Eligibility Form plus your documentation. College Board’s request page explains how.
Documentation:
Documentation is needed if 1) you are applying through your school and the SSD Coordinator has been asked to provide documentation, typically when the student does not have a formal plan like an IEP or if the accommodations are uncommon, or 2) you are applying directly, without using your school, which should only be done if necessary, typically in the case of homeschooling. Documentation must provide evidence of three factors: the disability itself, the functional limitation (degree to which student activities are affected), and an explanation of need for the specific accommodation.
Documentation is split into Disability Documents and Accommodation Documents.
Disability Documents are more easily accepted if they meet the College Board Documentation Guidelines: 1. Diagnosis is clearly stated, 2. Information is current, 3. Educational, developmental, and medical history are presented, 4. Diagnosis is supported, 5. Functional limitation is described, 6. Recommended accommodations are justified, 7. Evaluators’ professional credentials are established.
Reports or letters from diagnosing professionals (MDs, therapists, tutors, teachers, etc.) must be specific, including descriptive details about the individual student, specific measurements from an evaluation, history of the impairment and how it would directly be aided by this accommodation, and a description of how frequent and severe symptoms are.
College Board’s accommodations site has its current documentation guidelines.
If Accommodation Request is Partially Approved or Denied:
If you have received some, but not all, of your requested accommodations, you may either find the accommodations sufficient or else will need to submit additional documentation to appeal to include the remaining accommodations.
An explanation for the reason behind denying a request will be provided in the decision letter. If the reason cited is that more information is needed, you should provide any additional documentation and allow 7 weeks of additional processing time to hear back. If the reason cited explains that your documentation does not support the requested accommodation, you should consider submitting any new documentation that you did not originally submit.
If Accommodation Request is Approved:
The accommodation approval letter will include an explanation of test accommodations and provide the student’s eligibility code, also called an SSD number. The student must use this eligibility code/SSD number each time they register for an SAT in order to receive their accommodations. Double check the student’s SAT admission ticket to be sure it has been included. Once you have received accommodations, they are valid up to one year after high school graduation, for any College Board test. You do not need to apply a second time. College Board tests include the PSAT, the SAT, and all AP Exams. For instance, if you apply to and receive special accommodations your sophomore or junior year, you do not need to reapply your senior year (you will need to put in your eligibility code/SSD number each time you register for a new test).
On Test Day:
Students approved for extended time (up to time and one-half or double time) or breaks as needed usually take a weekend SAT in one day at a test center. If you’re approved for accommodations that have to be given at your school, you’ll test there instead. Starting in fall 2026, the embedded text-to-speech accommodation is given at test centers. Accommodations can’t be added, changed or waived on test day.
Special Accommodations for the ACT
Who is eligible:
Like the SAT, the ACT offers accommodations for students with disabilities. It also offers English learner (EL) supports for students who qualify, and all EL supports are given at regular test centers.
When to request accommodations:
Starting with the June 2026 test, ACT’s accommodations deadline is the regular registration deadline for your test date. For the February 27, 2027 ACT, the request is due January 22, 2027. For the April 10, 2027 ACT, it’s March 5, 2027. Your school official can only submit after you register, so register well before the deadline. ACT doesn’t promise a decision time, so earlier is better. If you haven’t heard from your school official 10 business days after sending them everything, contact them.
How to Apply (for most students):
Step 1. Link your high school to your MyACT account, then register. When it asks whether you need accommodations, answer yes.
Step 2. ACT emails you instructions. Forward that email to your school official with a completed Consent to Release Information to ACT form.
Step 3. Your school official submits the request through ACT’s accommodations system (TAA). If you were already approved for the same accommodations, you don’t need a new request.
Step 4. Check your admission ticket. It should say Accommodations or Special testing.
National or Special testing: some accommodations, like time and one-half in a single session, and all EL supports are given at a regular test center on test day (National). Accommodations that can’t be given there, like testing over multiple days, happen at your school during a special testing window (Special). Starting June 2026, that window is nine days, including two full weekends.
ACT score reports don’t say if you tested with accommodations.
How to Apply (for homeschooled students/special cases):
Homeschooled students follow a separate process, on ACT’s page for homeschooled and non-enrolled students. If your school refuses to submit your request, you can ask ACT for an exception using its Exceptions Statement Form. For a temporary condition like a broken arm, email ACTAccom@act.org for a request form.
Documentation:
Documentation must show that the diagnosed condition “limits life activities”, and that requests for accommodations are “appropriate and reasonable.” Documentation must meet seven ACT criteria: state the specific impairment as diagnosed, be current, describe relevant history, describe substantial limitations that are supported by test results, describe rationale for accommodation requested, establish professional credentials of evaluator, include dated comprehensive assessments and evaluations that contributed to diagnosis. ACT’s documentation policy describes some specific relevant documents for common disabilities, ranging from Autism Spectrum Disorder to Visual Impairment.
The required documents are
- Current IEP, Section 504, or other formal accommodations
- Complete diagnostic documentation
Specialized Tutoring
Step 1. Give us a call!
Whether you choose to work with a tutor or study independently, it’s important to get started well in advance of your first test and be patient with yourself. Aside from the formal testing accommodations available, learning some personal accommodations you can make to your test-taking strategy can be a huge help. When working one-on-one, all of our tutors personalize lessons and study plans to best fit each individual, and have experience working with students with all kinds of learning differences. There are always multiple ways to approach each question, and we love to tailor our strategies to fit each student’s unique learning style.
The two main ways we can help you with SAT / ACT prep are HERE.