We provide testing to help students qualify for extended time on the SAT. Students must apply for accommodations through the College Board to take the 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 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 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?
Who can get 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. 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 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 SAT with Extra Time
The application process for SAT accommodations 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.
- Submit a Request for SAT Accommodations:
- If you’re already receiving accommodations at school, your school can submit the request 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 accommodation you’ll receive. If the exam administration date is approaching quickly, you should prepare as though you are not getting the accommodations.
Types of SAT Accommodations
- 50% Extended Time: Gives you time and a half on each section of the SAT.
- 100% Extended Time: Double the standard time, usually granted to students with more significant disabilities.
- Separate Room: Beyond extra time on the SAT, 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 SAT Accommodations 
Psychological testing is crucial in determining eligibility for extended time on the 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 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 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, 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 professionals 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 through psychological testing:
- Get a Diagnosis: Work with a psychologist or a licensed professional 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.
- College Board Review: The College Board reviews the documentation to determine if the student’s disability justifies extended time on the SAT.
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 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 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 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 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 extended 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.
It is important to note that there are no guarantees that our or anyone else’s testing for extended time on the SAT will conclude that the SAT accommodations are needed. We perform scientifically normed tests and then report on the results.
Contact Us For Extended Time on the SAT
Feel free to contact us or schedule a consultation to discuss your situation. We can tell you whether you might qualify for 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 after you get in.
