Believe it or not, you need to send your SAT and ACT scores to colleges way ahead of their specified deadlines. It is important that you send your scores at least 2 weeks in advance of the due date and that you check your portal to be sure they actually arrived in your account. Here is why you must send them so far in advance.
When it comes to college applications today, everything is sent electronically – and it is usually received almost instantaneously. We live in the world of here and now and there is no other option. If something takes 30 seconds to arrive we get frustrated. That line of thinking can get you into plenty of trouble when deciding on the timing of when to submit your SAT and/or ACT scores to the colleges to which you are applying.
How Long It Takes Colleges to Receive Your SAT Scores
You would think that once you pay for the College Board to send your scores that colleges will receive them in a day, maybe 2, at the most. After all, it’s all done over the internet, right? Here’s some news. It can take up to 2 weeks, and maybe more, for your colleges to actually receive and apply your SAT and ACT scores to your application!
Why Does It Take So Long for Scores to be Received and Applied?
Well, some of this is a mystery and I certainly don’t have all of the answers. What I will say is that every college has its own timeline of when they do things. They may only download test scores from the College Board or ACT once per week and then it may take time after that to actually apply the scores to your application. And, beware that there have been plenty of times that the college applies your test scores to the wrong applicant! What?!? Yes, you read that correctly. This is why I ALWAYS tell, retell, and remind my students (and their parents) to check and double-check to be sure all of the schools you have applied to have received everything they need to review your application, including these elusive SAT and ACT scores.
Bottom Line on Sending SAT and ACT Scores
Send your SAT and ACT scores at least 2 weeks in advance of the college deadline and check that they actually arrived and are recorded in your college portal.
Some College Application Advice
Procrastination doesn’t work in your college journey. It can be a devastating blow when you’ve waited too long to do any piece of the application and newsflash, that only hurts you. My advice? Don’t get hurt, be proactive and ahead of the game. Follow this thought process every step of your journey and you will feel more in control rather than complete panic.
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