A good study plan is crucial for passing the SAT or ACT.
To plan well, it’s good to know the SAT and ACT test dates. And of course, several other factors – and study materials – go into creating your perfect SAT/ACT prep calendar.
SAT Test Dates and ACT Test Dates
One positive change regarding the tests is that the test dates are not as spread out as they used to be.
With that in mind, there are still some months with no SAT test dates, so you still need to think very carefully about when you take the test.
The same is true for the ACT. Like the SAT, the ACT is only offered on very specific days, and it is not available every month.
Another thing the ACT has in common with the SAT is that it’s administered only on Saturdays, with calendar dates for the test that vary from year to year.
And if that’s not enough, one more thing to be mindful of is the registration deadlines for the exams you’ll take.
You can’t just register for the SAT or ACT the day before you’ll take your test. Missed registration dates are another common reason that students aren’t able to test on their ideal day and make their perfect study plan.
Fortunately, there are ways to keep track of all of the relevant dates for taking the SAT and ACT at the right time.
There’s a great online resource for SAT and ACT test dates, complete with upcoming test dates, registration dates, and dates when scores are released.
Here are the remaining SAT dates in 2025 and the test dates in 2026:
2025-2026 SAT Dates
| SAT Test Date | Registration Deadline | Late Registration Deadline | SAT Scores Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 23, 2025 | August 8, 2025 | August 12, 2025 | September 5, 2025 |
| September 13, 2025 | August 29, 2025 | September 2, 2025 | September 26, 2025 |
| October 4, 2025 | September 19, 2025 | September 23, 2025 | October 17, 2025 |
| November 8, 2025 | October 24, 2025 | October 28, 2025 | November 21, 2025 |
| December 6, 2025 | November 21, 2025 | November 25, 2025 | December 19, 2025 |
| March 14, 2026 | February 27, 2026 | March 3, 2026 | March 27, 2026 |
| May 2, 2026 | April 17, 2026 | April 21, 2026 | May 15, 2026 |
| June 6, 2026 | May 22, 2026 | May 26, 2026 | June 19, 2026 |
*The late registration date is one week earlier if you are registering by mail.
The SAT registration and score release dates in the chart above are estimates based on Compass Education Group’s analysis of the patterns of previous testing years.
Here are the remaining ACT dates in 2025 and the test dates in 2026:
Here are the anticipated test dates, registration deadlines, and score release dates for 2025 and 2026. The test dates are confirmed by ACT, Inc., the others are our projections based on historical data.
2025-2026 ACT Dates
| ACT Test Date | Registration Deadline | Late Registration Deadline | Score Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 6, 2025 | August 1, 2025 | August 19, 2025 | September 16, 2025 |
| October 18, 2025 | September 12, 2025 | September 30, 2025 | October 28, 2025 |
| December 13, 2025 | November 7, 2025 | November 24, 2025 | December 23, 2025 |
| February 14, 2026 | January 7, 2026 | January 21, 2026 | February 24, 2026 |
| April 11, 2026 | March 6, 2026 | March 24, 2026 | April 21, 2026 |
| June 13, 2026 | May 8, 2026 | May 27, 2026 | June 23, 2026 |
| July 11, 2026** | June 5, 2026 | June 24, 2026 | July 24, 2026 |
**Test date excludes New York City and international locations.
Making Your SAT/ACT Prep Calendar
Of course, there’s more to setting the right test date than just knowing the days of registry, testing, and score reporting. You also need to figure out exactly how much time you need to prepare for the test.
The study plans that students put together vary in length and depend at least partly on an individual student’s learning needs and time constraints.
That being said, a typical high school student can usually become fully prepared for the SAT or ACT in about a month. On average, SAT and ACT preppers will need around 6-12 hours of study time per week.
This study can be done on as little as three days a week, or it can be stretched across every weekday. Some students even do their one-month test prep plan by studying one or two hours a day, five to seven days a week.
The key to a good study plan is practice, practice, practice.
So the trick is to find enough prep materials for a month’s worth of mock exams and other practice exercises.
Official SAT practice from the College Board and similar official ACT preparation are a must-have.
There are other good third-party materials as well. Taking suggestions from an SAT test-prep master couldn’t hurt.
Again, the internet is your friend as you try to figure out your study schedule timelines, weekly activities, and materials.
Here’s a good page to see what a typical one-month SAT study schedule looks like. And here’s a good example of a one-month ACT study schedule.
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