SAT test day checklist
What to bring, what to expect, and how to keep your head clear.
The night before
- Sleep beats cramming. Learning new material the night before rarely helps, and being rested does.
- Skim your mistakes list and formula sheet — light review only.
- Charge your device fully and pack your bag.
What to bring
- Your admission ticket and an acceptable photo ID.
- Your fully charged laptop or tablet with Bluebook installed and the exam pre-downloaded, plus a charger.
- A backup calculator if you prefer your own (an approved model), though Desmos is built in.
- Bring your own pencil or pen for scratch work — College Board's what-to-bring list requires it. Scratch paper is handed out by the testing staff and collected at the end.
- A snack and water for the break.
Policies can change — always confirm current requirements on the College Board's website before your test date.
During the test
- Watch your pace: roughly 71 seconds per Reading and Writing question, 95 seconds per Math question.
- Flag anything that stalls you, put down your best guess, and move on.
- Answer every single question — blanks earn nothing and wrong answers cost nothing.
- Use the break to stand up, breathe, and eat something.
If you panic
Put your pencil down, take three slow breaths, and start the next question fresh. One hard question is worth exactly the same as one easy one — never let it cost you the five easy questions after it.