What should I bring to the SAT?
The SAT is taken in the Bluebook app on a device you bring. Here’s what College Board asks you to bring to a weekend test center.
| Item | Need it? | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Testing device with Bluebook | Required | Fully charged, with exam setup completed. A Windows or Mac computer, an iPad, or a school-managed Chromebook. Not a phone or a personal Chromebook. |
| Admission ticket | Required | You get it after exam setup in Bluebook, starting 5 days before the test. A printed copy is preferred. |
| Photo ID | Required | An original, physical, unexpired ID with your name exactly as it appears on your ticket. |
| Pencils or pens | Required | For scratch work. |
| College Board username and password | Required | Know them before you arrive. |
| Calculator | Optional | Bluebook has a built-in Desmos calculator. If you bring your own, it must be an approved model. |
| Charger or portable charger | Nice to have | Your device should hold a charge for 3–4 hours, and an outlet isn’t guaranteed. |
| Watch | Nice to have | No audible alarm. Smartwatches aren’t allowed. |
| Drink or snacks | Nice to have | For your break. |
| Backup testing device | Nice to have | You can switch devices if yours fails during testing. |
Two more items depend on your situation. If you’re approved for embedded text-to-speech, bring your own wired, non-Bluetooth headphones. Epinephrine auto-injectors are allowed without accommodations, stored in a clear bag under your desk.
Which ID is accepted for the SAT?
Acceptable examples include a government-issued driver’s license or non-driver ID, a student ID from the school you attend now, a passport or U.S. Global Entry card, and a government-issued military or national ID. A school ID from the 2025–26 school year still works through December 31, 2026.
College Board won’t accept digital IDs, photocopies, temporary IDs, birth certificates, Social Security cards or damaged IDs. If you’ll be 21 or older on test day, you need a government-issued photo ID. Keep your ID with you all day, since staff may check it again after the break.
Which calculators are allowed on the SAT?
You can use graphing, scientific or four-function calculators that don’t have a computer algebra system (CAS). CAS models are banned, including the TI-Nspire CAS, the TI-89 and TI-92 series, the HP Prime and the Casio ClassPad. A TI-Nspire without “CAS” in its name is fine.
Before test day, remove any programs that do algebra for you and any stored documents. You can’t use a calculator during Reading and Writing, so it goes under your desk for those modules. Calculators with QWERTY keyboards, wireless or Bluetooth connections, or cameras aren’t allowed. If you’d rather use the built-in tool, read our guide to Desmos on the digital SAT.
When should I arrive for the SAT, and how do breaks work?
Test centers open at 7:45 a.m. and close their doors at 8:00 a.m. unless your admission ticket says otherwise. You can’t be admitted once testing starts, and if you miss the test you have to register and pay again. If College Board approved you to borrow a device, arrive 30 minutes early.
Testing usually starts between 8:15 and 8:30 a.m. and ends around 10:45 to 11:00 a.m. for standard time. You get one 10-minute break between the two sections. You can take an unscheduled break, but the clock keeps running. Leave your device open, and leave your calculator on your desk.
What should I bring to the ACT?
The ACT is offered on paper and online at test centers. Here’s ACT’s list for national testing.
| Item | Need it? | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Photo ID | Required | An original, valid, hard plastic photo ID from a city, state or federal agency or your school. Paper and electronic IDs aren’t accepted. |
| Admission ticket | Recommended | Print it from MyACT after your photo is approved. It has your registration match information and launch code. |
| No. 2 pencils with erasers | Required | Sharpened. No pens or mechanical pencils. |
| Laptop and charger | Required for bring-your-own-device testing | Fully charged and set up in advance. Personal Chromebooks, Windows S Mode, iPads and tablets aren’t supported. |
| Calculator | Optional | Math test only. ACT doesn’t provide one. Online testers also get a built-in Desmos calculator. |
| Watch | Optional | No alarm. It stays on your desk. |
| Snacks | Optional | For the break, outside the testing room. |
| Bilingual dictionary | Only if needed | It must be ACT-approved, and staff will inspect it. |
If you don’t have a current photo ID, bring the ACT Student Identification Form with a photo, completed by a school official or notary. A relative can’t complete it. If you registered to bring your own device and arrive without one, you won’t be able to test.
Which calculators are allowed on the ACT?
Four-function, scientific and graphing calculators are allowed unless they’re on ACT’s banned list. CAS models are banned, including the TI-89 and TI-92 series, the TI-Nspire CAS, the HP Prime and the Casio ClassPad. The regular TI-Nspire is allowed.
Some calculators need changes first. Remove stored documents and CAS programs, turn off the sound, remove any paper tape or power cord, and cover an infrared port with heavy opaque material such as duct tape. You can’t share a calculator. ACT suggests bringing extra batteries or a backup calculator.
When should I arrive for the ACT, and when does it end?
Be inside the test center by 8:00 a.m. Late arrivals aren’t admitted. There’s a short break after the second test, and you can’t leave the supervised area or use electronic devices during it. If you take the writing test, you get 5 minutes before the essay.
ACT lists ending times of 11:05 a.m. online and 11:25 a.m. on paper for English, math and reading. Adding science, writing or both moves the end time later, up to 1:30 p.m. for paper testing with both.
Scratch paper depends on format. Online testers get scratch paper from the test center. On paper, you work in your test booklet instead.
What should I leave at home?
- Both tests: notes, books and other reference material. Phones, smartwatches and fitness trackers can’t be used at any point, breaks included. If you bring a phone, staff will collect it or require it to stay off and out of sight.
- SAT: separate timers, earbuds, headphones or earplugs, rulers and protractors, an iPad stylus, detachable privacy screens, and external keyboards for laptops.
- ACT: scratch paper, highlighters, colored pens or pencils, correction fluid or tape, reading material and tobacco.
What should I do the night before and the morning of?
The night before:
- For the SAT, finish exam setup in Bluebook and print your admission ticket. For the ACT, print your ticket from MyACT and check the details.
- Charge your testing device and pack the charger. Don’t install a macOS or iPadOS upgrade before the test, which Bluebook advises against.
- Check that your ID isn’t expired and that the name matches your ticket.
- Pack your calculator with fresh batteries, pencils, a watch with no alarm, and a snack.
- For the SAT, check that your test center hasn’t changed or closed in Bluebook, your email and My SAT.
- Plan your route. ACT suggests a practice trip to the test center to estimate travel time.
The morning of:
- For the SAT, close and reopen Bluebook to see any last-minute messages, and check the test center’s website.
- Dress in layers.
- Leave early enough to arrive by 7:45 a.m. for the SAT, or the time on your ticket, and by 8:00 a.m. for the ACT.
- Leave your phone at home, or be ready to hand it over or store it as staff direct.
Check our SAT and ACT test dates if you still need to register.
Where does Hourly Prep fit?
Test day is easier when the screen and timing already feel familiar. Take at least one official practice test in the same format you’ll use: a Bluebook practice test for the SAT, or ACT’s free practice test for the ACT.
Hourly Prep’s free plan includes one SAT practice test, one ACT practice test and short daily practice sets for both exams. The sets use a test-style screen, and every question has an explanation. See SAT prep or ACT prep for what’s included.
Common test day questions
Can I use my phone as a calculator or timer?
No. College Board bans phone calculator apps and separate timers, and phones are collected or put away for the whole test, breaks included. ACT also bans calculators built into phones, and phones must be off and out of sight. Use an approved calculator and a watch with no alarm.
What if I forget my admission ticket?
For the ACT, you can still be admitted, but if you test on paper your scores may be delayed. For the SAT, College Board lists the ticket as something to bring and prefers a printed copy, so print it or email it to yourself when you finish exam setup in Bluebook.
Can I bring food or a drink?
Yes, for the break. College Board lists a drink or snacks as nice to have for the SAT break. ACT allows snacks during breaks, outside the testing room.