Test Day Experience
Find out what proctors and students experience in the digital testing room. Refer to the Test Coordinator Manual, Proctor Manual, and Test Day Toolkit for role-specific test day instructions outside this overview.
Test Day Timing
If you're administering the digital SAT to a student with school-based accommodations, your timeline will vary. This is an approximate test-day schedule for the Saturday administration:
- 7 a.m. local time: Staff arrive.
- 7:15 a.m.: Students using a loaned College Board testing device arrive.
- 7:45 a.m.: All students check into the test center.
- 8 a.m.: Test center doors close.
- 8:15–8:30 a.m.: Testing starts.
- 10:45–11 a.m.: Standard time testing ends.
- Noon–12:15 p.m.: Time and one-half testing ends.
- 1–1:15 p.m.: Double time testing ends.
Accommodations
Most accommodations are administered in test centers, including:
- Extended time
- Text-to-Speech (Embedded)
- Accommodated breaks, including breaks as needed
- Medical devices and aids (for example, to check blood sugar)
Additionally, you might have students with accommodations who require testing in separate rooms. Test Day Toolkit includes several different group types, which involve combinations of timing and other accommodations that can be tested together.
You can find a full list of accommodations and information on how to administer them in the Proctor Manual. You can also find more information on our Accommodations website.
What to Expect on Test Day
On test day, the proctor starts by signing in to Test Day Toolkit with their College Board professional account. Proctors will be granted access to Test Day Toolkit the day before the test administration by the test coordinator.
Preparing the Room
The proctor checks their room setup, distributes scratch paper, and writes instructions on the board.
Room Check-In
When students arrive at their testing room, the proctor uses Test Day Toolkit to verify their identity using the students' physical IDs and checks them in.
Students take their assigned seats and follow the instructions on the board, signing in to their College Board account and checking in to Bluebook. During Bluebook check-in, students follow instructions and clear their desks. The app shares critical information about test security, test features, and other topics.
Getting Started
After checking students in to the room, the proctor reads a short script, checks desks, collects unauthorized devices, and provides students with a start code.
Testing
Students enter the start code and begin testing. They can view (or hide) a countdown clock, use an embedded calculator, and access other tools.
Bluebook times each student individually, so if student start times are slightly different, their break and end times will be too. When the first section ends, students are shown a break screen and told they can leave the room. When their break time ends, students click a button to start the next section.
The proctor doesn't time the test or dismiss students at break. Once testing starts, they can concentrate on maintaining test security and monitoring student progress on the Test Day Toolkit dashboard. Students with certain accommodations may have different timing for sections and breaks. The app will ensure each student receives the correct timing and breaks.
Learn more about how digital accommodations are supported.
Answer Submission and Student Dismissal
When time runs out, Bluebook ends the test and submits answers automatically. Students who don't have an internet connection when the test ends need to sign in later to submit their answers.
Students must remain seated—and quiet—until their test is over. When a student's time is up, the proctor will make sure their answers were submitted, collect their scratch paper, return any collected items, and dismiss the student. The dismissal process should be silent, as some students will finish testing before others.