SAT Score Holds
College Board holds student scores when a test day irregularity occurs. This could be the result of an Irregularity Report that was submitted by your test coordinator, a technical issue that occurred when the student tested, or a test security issue.
Score holds may be lifted pending the results of a College Board investigation. Staff should look for communications from College Board and address questions as soon as possible to avoid score delays. Depending on the test date, cleared scores will be reported immediately or on the next scheduled score release date following the conclusion of investigations.
For the PSAT/NMSQT, National Merit Scholarship Corporation may also contact your test coordinator to determine if students impacted by a test day irregularity want their scores used for entry into their competition.
Roster Report Score Statuses
In the K–12 Student Roster Report, you can use the Scores Released, College Reportable, and Guidance Purposes Only columns to understand score statuses.
| If Scores Released column shows: | And College Reportable column shows: | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | N/A | The student has not taken the test. |
| Scores Released | Yes | Score has been reported and if applicable, score sends are being delivered. |
| Scores Released | No—Scores permanently held | Scores have been reported to the student and school but have a noncollege reportable hold that cannot be released. |
| Scores Released | No—Pending student confirmation | Scores have been reported to the student and school, but score sends will not be delivered unless the student calls Customer Service to confirm they should be released. |
| Scores on Hold | No—Scores held | The score for this student is on hold due to a reported or suspected irregularity. After investigation, the score will either be released or stay in this category. |
| Score Canceled | N/A | No score report for this student. The student took the test but canceled their scores. |
| If Scores Released column shows: | And Guidance Purposes column shows: | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | N/A | The student has not taken the test. |
| Scores Released | No | Score has been reported with no holds. |
| Scores Released | Yes | Score has been reported for educational Guidance Purposes Only and cannot be used for consideration in scholarship programs. |
| Scores on Hold | N/A | The student took the test, and nonreportable holds were placed on the scores. |
| Scores Canceled | N/A | No score report for this student. The student took the test but canceled their scores. |
FAQ
In the K–12 Student Roster Report, view the column Scores Released. Students who are on hold will have "Scores on Hold" in this column.
For SAT School Day and PSAT-related assessments, if you haven't already done so, save the information from your submitted Irregularity Report. Make sure you have all information from your staff regarding any test day irregularities that may have occurred available in case College Board contacts you. We do our best to reach out within a few days of testing if necessary. If you have further questions about your student’s scores, contact Customer Service.
For SAT Weekend assessments, if students reach out to you regarding their scores being on hold for an SAT Weekend test date, advise them to first check the email address associated with their collegeboard.org account for any communications we may have sent. For weekend testing, we will reach out to students with important information, including information related to their score hold.
If the student hasn't received communication from us or has additional questions, they should contact Customer Service at sat.org/inquiry or 866-756-7346 (domestic) or +1-212-713-7789 (international). Customer Service hours are 9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET, Monday–Friday.
Contact the test coordinator so they understand they may have communications about the test administration they'll need to respond to for scores to be released. For weekend testing, communications are usually sent directly to the students.
College Board was unable to confirm a complete set of responses for scores with this distinction. As a result, the score was released to the student and their school but will not be sent to higher education institutions the student may have selected for their score sends. Students will see "Score Sends Held" on their PDF score reports and may call Customer Service to release their scores to their selected institutions.
Scores with this distinction have been reported to the student and their school but can be used for educational guidance purposes only. These scores cannot be used by higher education institutions or scholarship organizations.
In most cases, if a score is on hold, the student will see "Your score is coming" when they log in to their College Board account. Their score will automatically update when the hold is lifted.
If a student has a Score Sends Held score, they will receive a score report with "Score Sends Held" in the top-right corner and will see a message when they log in to their College Board account alerting them to call Customer Service if they want their score sends fulfilled.