We provide testing to help students qualify for extended time on the SAT and ACT. Students must apply for accommodations through the College Board to take the ACT or SAT with extra time. The SAT accommodations process is fair but stringent and requires that students prove it is essential. This post covers the process, the benefits, and the limitations. The psychological testing we provide goes beyond assessing your potential needs for SAT or ACT accommodations and provides suggestions to help you understand and overcome challenges and do your best.
Of course, feel free to contact us or schedule a consultation to discuss your child’s situation in more detail and whether they might qualify for ACT or SAT accommodations. We offer a free initial evaluation to give you an idea of the chances that she or he will qualify, though we can’t make any guarantees.
Who Qualifies for Extended Time on the SAT and ACT?
Who can get ACT and SAT accommodations? A student who has a documented disability that has a significant effect on their ability to manage the demands of the exam. The key point is that the disability has to be named, serious, and have an obvious, significant effect. Here are some examples:
- A student with a learning disability affecting their ability to do a major aspect of the exam may qualify for extended time on the SAT or ACT. For example, dyslexia may interfere with their ability to read the instructions or perform reading tasks quickly.
- A student with ADHD may have trouble focusing and attending and may need to use strategies to help them concentrate. If these strategies are likely to slow them down, they may qualify to take the ACT or SAT with extra time.
- A student with a visual impairment or physical disability that affects their test-taking in some way may qualify to take the SAT with extra time.
The process is easiest when a student has an IEP or 504 plan that gives similar accommodations to extended time on the SAT. These students are more likely to qualify for SAT accommodations and also usually need less, if any, psychological testing from us. However, for students who had 504 plans or IEPs but went off of them because they overcame some of their difficulties, students in private school where testing is less common, or those who had testing that is deemed to be dated, our psychological assessment services can help.
Applying for the ACT or SAT with Extra Time
The application process to take the SAT or ACT with extra time is relatively simple, though not guaranteed.
- Documentation: You will need to submit documentation of your disability. This may include:
- A doctor’s note or evaluation. This needs to include not only the name of the disability but also why it affects your ability to take the exam and why you qualify for the SAT with extra time. Having an empirically-based reason, meaning that the opinion is not just subjective but objectively based after testing, can help a lot. This is where our specific learning disorder assessments can help greatly.
- An IEP (Individualized Education Program): Send a copy of the part of your IEP or 504 plan, if you have one, and it specifically states a need for extended time on exams.
- Relevant school records: These may not help alone, but they can further your case for taking the SAT or ACT with extra time.
- Submit a Request for SAT or ACT Accommodations:
- If you’re already receiving academic accommodations at school, your school can submit the request for SAT or ACT accommodations to the College Board through their Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) online portal.
- If not, you can submit your request to take the SAT with extra time independently. Be sure to include all necessary documentation.
- Wait for Approval: The College Board will review your request, which can take several weeks. Once approved, you’ll receive an eligibility letter with specific details about the SAT or ACT accommodations you’ll receive. If the exam administration date is approaching quickly, you should prepare as though you are not getting the accommodations.
Types of ACT and SAT Accommodations
- 50% Extended Time: Gives you time and a half on each section.
- 100% Extended Time: Double the standard time, usually granted to students with more significant disabilities.
- Separate Room: Beyond extra time on the SAT or ACT, you may qualify to take the exam in a smaller space, such as if you have anxiety that affects your performance in large groups.
Psychological Tests for ACT and SAT Accommodations 
Psychological testing is crucial in determining eligibility for extended time on the ACT or SAT, particularly for students with learning disabilities, ADHD, or other cognitive impairments. This testing aims to provide objective evidence of a disability that significantly impacts the student’s ability to complete the SAT within the standard time. These assessments may not be necessary if you already have an IEP, but they can be vital for those students who do not.
Testing for Accommodations
Here are the psychological tests we use to help students take the SAT with extra time.
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Cognitive Ability Tests
These measure intellectual functioning and are often used to identify learning disabilities or cognitive processing difficulties. Commonly used tests include:
- Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) or Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC): This scale measures overall intelligence as well as specific cognitive abilities such as processing speed, working memory, and verbal comprehension. It can help diagnose a student with a cognitive issue that requires SAT accommodations.
- Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities: This test assesses various cognitive skills, such as problem-solving and memory, providing insight into a student’s learning style. This can also help clarify the cognitive components that may require SAT accommodations.
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Academic Achievement Tests
: These are used to assess a student’s academic skills (reading, writing, math) and compare them to peers. Tests may include:
- Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement: While achievement alone is unlikely to prove the need to take the SAT with extra time, they can show the effect of time pressures on performance, which can be a part of the assessment.
- Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT): Another achievement test that can show the need for SAT accommodations, especially when paired with an IQ test.
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Processing Speed and Attention Tests
: These tests focus on how quickly and accurately a student can process information, which is critical for evaluating the need for extended time on the SAT. Examples include:
- Conners’ Continuous Performance Test (CPT): Often used to diagnose ADHD and evaluate attention and response times.
- Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS): Assesses memory functions, which can be impacted by cognitive processing speed.
- Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA): Also used for diagnosing ADHD, it evaluates sustained attention and impulse control.
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Executive Functioning and ADHD Testing
: If the extended time request is based on ADHD or executive functioning difficulties, these tests can evaluate the student’s ability to focus, manage time, and complete tasks efficiently.
- Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF): Assesses planning, organization, and impulse control. These issues can be central in the need for SAT accommodations.
- ADHD rating scales: Completed by teachers, parents, and the student to assess symptoms of ADHD. These may not alone be enough to determine the need for extended time on the SAT, but they can be a first step to determining whether further psychological testing is needed.
Documentation of the Need for Extended Time on the ACT or SAT:
Documentation of the need for extended time on the SAT needs three aspects:
- Comprehensive Testing: The College Board requires recent and comprehensive psychological testing to determine whether a student needs to take the ACT or SAT with extra time, typically conducted within the last three years. While any child on an IEP has likely had that testing, those who are not often need testing now.
- Evidence of Functional Impact: The testing must demonstrate how the disability affects the student’s ability to perform in a timed testing environment. In other words, just having a disability, even one that often affects test performance, is not enough. In order to qualify for extended time on the SAT or ACT, you have to show that it significantly interferes with your performance under normal exam circumstances.
- Professional Diagnosis: The tests should be administered by a licensed psychologist, neuropsychologist, or other qualified professional who can interpret the results and provide a diagnosis. We fit those criteria.
Steps to Apply with Psychological Testing:
If you are not on an IEP and a letter from a professional is unlikely to be enough, here is the process of applying for extended time on the SAT or ACT through psychological testing:
- Get a Diagnosis: Work with a psychologist like us to undergo the necessary testing and receive a diagnosis if appropriate. There is no guarantee that a diagnosis will emerge, so we do a screening before proceeding (and before charging you the full price).
- Submit Documentation: Include the results of psychological testing, a formal diagnosis, and an explanation of how the disability affects the student’s ability to take timed exams. Ensure you carefully research how to submit the information and how long a decision may take. There should be a conclusion about how SAT and ACT accommodations are necessary to give you an equal chance to show your skills.
- College Board Review: The College Board reviews the documentation to determine if the student’s disability justifies extended time on the SAT.
SAT and ACT Accommodations Q & A
Q: Can I take the ACT with accommodations?
A: Yes, the extended time on the ACT and other accommodations are available for students with documented disabilities. To qualify, you must submit a formal request with documentation of your diagnosis, such as a psychoeducational evaluation or medical report. Your school typically submits this request through the ACT’s Test Accessibility and Accommodations (TAA) system.
Q: How long is the SAT with extended time?
A: With extended time (usually time-and-a-half), the SAT can take about 4 hours and 30 minutes including breaks. If approved for double time, the test often spans two days, with each section receiving double the standard allotted time. The exact duration varies depending on whether you take the SAT with or without the essay and whether you’re approved for additional accommodations like extra breaks.
Q: How do I make an SAT accommodations request?
A: Requested go through the College Board’s Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) system. Your school’s SSD Coordinator (often a school counselor or special education teacher) can submit the request on your behalf. You’ll need documentation—typically a recent evaluation with diagnosis—that shows how your condition impacts your ability to take standardized tests. Requests to take the SAT with extra time or for other accommodations should be submitted well before the registration deadline to allow time for review.
Q: How do I get extra time on the ACT?
A: To get extended time on the ACT or other ACT accommodations, you’ll need to:
- Register for the test date.
- Indicate during registration that you’re requesting accommodations.
- Have your school submit a formal request for you to take the ACT with extra time or receive other accommodations through the ACT TAA portal.
Documentation must show that extended time is a regular part of your school-based accommodations (such as in an IEP or 504 Plan) or must include psychological testing by us or another licensed psychologist. The ACT reviews each case individually.
Q: What are the ACT accommodations deadlines?
A: ACT accommodations requests must be submitted by the late registration deadline for your chosen test date—this is typically about four weeks before the exam. It’s recommended to start the process earlier, especially if new documentation needs to be gathered. After submitting, allow up to two weeks for a decision. We need to hear from you about two months before the exam.
Q: What are the SAT accommodations deadlines?
A: The College Board recommends submitting accommodation requests at least 7 weeks before your intended test date. This allows enough time for the review process and, if approved, for the accommodations to be added to your registration.
Here’s a breakdown of the steps and timing:
- Register for the SAT (or plan your test date).
- Submit your SAT accommodations request through your school’s SSD (Services for Students with Disabilities) Coordinator or directly through the College Board if needed. This would include our testing.
- Wait for approval, which typically takes 2–5 weeks.
You do not need to be registered for a specific SAT date before applying for accommodations, and once approved, most accommodations stay valid through high school.
Q: Can I get SAT or ACT accommodations for dyslexia?
A: Yes. Students with dyslexia may qualify for a range of ACT accommodations, including extended time, additional breaks, large print testing booklets, or use of text-to-speech software (for computer-based testing). You’ll need current documentation of testing for dyslexia, how dyslexia affects your reading and processing, such as a psychoeducational evaluation from us, and ideally, evidence that these accommodations are used in school.
Summary and Our Work
We provide psychological testing for SAT accommodations. We start with a brief screening to ensure that you have a good chance of receiving extended time on the SAT, though even then we cannot guarantee what the College Board will decide. The psychological testing we provide is designed to be helpful beyond just determining your need for extra time on the SAT, giving you advice and feedback to help you do your best on the exam despite any challenges, whether or not you get extended time.
We can provide a specific dyscalculia test or dyslexia screening as part of this process. We also provide extended-time evaluations for other exams, such as the GRE, ACT, and LSAT, and can help you get college accommodations for exams there. The processes in each case may be somewhat different, but our psychological tests are likely the same.
What We Provide
Once testing is completed, we write a report summarizing our findings, making it clear that they arrived at scientifically and meet empirical standards (i.e. they are not just our opinions and not just based on your own reports. The report summarizes:
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- Test scores and interpretation: We describe the results for each measure we use and explain why they do or do not back the case for extended time on the ACT or SAT. We include, when possible, comparisons with a normed peer group so the testing agency can see why we might feel that allowing you to take the ACT or SAT with extra time gives you an equal footing.
- A diagnosis (if applicable) that supports the need for extended time: In most cases, you need a specific mental health diagnosis that backs the fact that you need to take the ACT or SAT with extra time to overcome that disability. If we find that you have a diagnosis
- An explanation of why that diagnosis leads to symptoms that make it functionally impossible for the client to perform at their best on the exam in question.
- Specific recommendations for SAT or ACT accommodations, such as 50% or 100% extended time, based on the student’s individual needs, as elucidated by the testing
In other words, we go well beyond just stating a diagnosis exists by clearly articulating why taking the SAT or ACT with extra time is necessary and linking test results to the student’s functional limitations. Our report also gives our client suggestions to use during the day of testing to overcome barriers and challenges, as well as suggestions unrelated to the testing situation for other areas where the disability affects them.
Taking the SAT or ACT with extra time
It is important to note that there are no guarantees that our or anyone else’s testing for an extended time on the SAT or ACT will conclude that these accommodations are needed. We perform scientifically normed tests and then report on the results.
Contact Us For Extended Time on the SAT or ACT
Feel free to contact us or schedule a consultation to discuss your situation. We can tell you whether you might qualify for ACT or SAT accommodations and what steps you can take with or without our services. Our testing goes beyond a yes or no about your need for extra time, giving you strategies to overcome challenges and barriers. It will also provide information and advice to help you well beyond the exam situation, and can help you get college accommodations or exam accommodations after you get in.
