Waitlist

Starting in spring 2026, students residing in the U.S. and U.S. territories will have the opportunity to join Waitlist if they cannot find a preferrable test center around them.*

This feature will help students secure a seat for the SAT at a test center, within a customized distance, as they become available.

How Waitlist Works

• During SAT registration, students will see the option to join Waitlist on the test center search screen if no test centers are available within their search radius from the zip code search or when they redo their test center search. Students can then set how far they would travel from their home address for testing (up to 25 miles).
• Students must preregister and pay for the test registration to join Waitlist. Upfront payment is required so that a seat can be secured immediately. There is no additional fee to be on the Waitlist.
• Waitlisted students will be automatically placed into an open seat as they become available within the set radius 3 days before test day at 11:59 p.m. ET.
• Students may cancel their waitlist registration until 11:59 p.m. ET, 3 days before test day.
• Once placed from the Waitlist, the registration status will change from "Waitlist" to "Registered". All subsequent rules and applicable deadlines of a completed registration will now apply.
• Once placed into a test center from the Waitlist, students who are not satisfied with that test center can cancel through 2 days before test day (same as the typical registration cancellation deadline); the registration will be refunded upon cancellation, but late fees (if applicable) are not refundable.
• Students who are still not placed into a seat 3 days before test day will automatically receive a refund of the test registration. Refunds may take 5–7 business days.

Other Considerations

• Any available test centers that are in the chosen radius will be part of an exclusion list so that students can't register for them. In other words, if there are available test centers and the student still decides to join Waitlist, those test centers will be excluded from registration.
• Students who have more than 25 available test centers within their chosen radius will not be able to join Waitlist. They will be instructed to either reduce their radius search or choose from an available test center.

*Not available in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, and U.S. minor outlying islands.