If your student uses accommodations at school, or if you suspect they might have a learning difference, accommodations on the SAT or ACT may help them show what they actually know. Testing accommodations give students with disabilities and learning differences an equal opportunity to do well. The test content and scoring are the same; the testing conditions are different. The process can be confusing, so here are the major points.
Common accommodations on the SAT and ACT
Extended time. Often appropriate for students with ADHD, dyslexia, autism, processing differences or visual impairments. Both tests offer time-and-a-half (+50%). Larger amounts, such as double time, are also possible but usually mean testing at your student's school rather than a national test center.
Testing over multiple days. A good option for some students with ADHD or medical conditions. Sections are split across more than one day.
Extra or extended breaks, or breaks as needed. Extra or longer breaks follow a set schedule. Breaks as needed let a student pause at unscheduled points and are typically for medical conditions such as diabetes or epilepsy.
Readers, text-to-speech, enlarged print, magnification and Braille. Students with dyslexia often benefit more from a reader or text-to-speech than from enlarged print.
Scribes, computer use or help recording answers. For students with dysgraphia, motor impairments or significant language-based learning disabilities. Messy handwriting or spelling difficulties alone do not qualify.
Small-group or separate-room testing. Helpful for students who are highly distractible or who have anxiety.
Preferential seating and sign-language interpreters for students with hearing impairments.
English learner supports, such as approved word-to-word dictionaries, are handled separately from disability accommodations.
A note on calculators: the digital SAT now allows a calculator on the entire math section, so the old "calculator on the no-calculator section" accommodation no longer applies.
How the request process works
SAT, PSAT and AP (College Board): Your school's SSD coordinator submits the request online. If your student already uses the same accommodations at school, the school can often verify them and a decision can come in about a week. Requests that need full documentation review can take up to seven weeks. Approved accommodations generally carry over to other College Board tests, so one approval covers the PSAT, SAT and AP exams.
ACT: Your student registers for a test date and answers "yes" when asked about accommodations. ACT then emails instructions, and a school official submits the request through ACT's online system. Time-and-a-half in a single session can be provided at a national test center; accommodations that can't be offered there, like multiple-day testing, are given through special testing, usually at your student's school. Starting in June 2026, the accommodations deadline is the same as the regular registration deadline, so plan ahead.
Our advice for both: Start the process by the end of sophomore year, regardless of which test your student plans to take. It leaves time to gather documentation, and time to resubmit if a request is denied.
504s, IEPs and school accommodation plans
A 504 Plan or IEP does not automatically include SAT or ACT accommodations. Students still need to apply, and the school will include information about the plan as part of that request. Private schools may not offer 504s or IEPs, but their own accommodation plans can be submitted instead.
If your student doesn't yet have a plan at school, try to put one in place by sophomore year. A longer history of using accommodations in school goes a long way toward approval on these exams.
How to get a 504, an IEP or a private evaluation
504 Plans let students with disabilities or learning differences fully participate in the general curriculum.
Document your child's needs: diagnoses, evaluation reports, report cards.
Submit a written 504 request to your school's 504 coordinator.
The coordinator may ask for more information, a meeting or an evaluation.
If the request is approved, you'll work with the school to build the plan.
IEPs are part of special education and are for students who qualify under specific categories, which include specific learning disabilities (such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia), ADHD (often under "other health impairment"), autism, emotional disabilities, speech or language impairments, hearing or visual impairments and others.
Gather documentation: schoolwork, report cards, notes from doctors and your own observations.
Request an evaluation from your school in writing.
If the district agrees to evaluate, it does so at no cost to you.
If your child qualifies, you and the school will develop the IEP together.
Private evaluations can be done at any point.
Gather report cards, teacher notes and any prior testing.
Ask other parents, friends or your pediatrician for recommendations. For learning differences, look for psychologists or neuropsychologists.
Testing can be expensive, so check whether your insurance covers any of it.
When you call, ask about turnaround time. Reports can take several weeks.
Private school students can request a free evaluation through their local public school district. It won't lead to a 504 or IEP, but the results can support an accommodation plan at their own school.
Homeschooled students follow a separate process for each test. Both the College Board and ACT explain how to request accommodations without a school.
What makes a strong request
Work closely with your school's coordinator; they navigate this process every year. Strong requests usually include:
A clear history of the condition and how it affects your student, including relevant educational and medical background.
Current evaluation results. Both testing organizations set limits on how recent testing must be, and the limits vary by condition. Check the current guidelines before you submit. A doctor's note alone is not enough.
Proof of accommodations used in school, such as the accommodations page of the IEP, 504 or school plan. If your student hasn't used accommodations before, include an explanation of why they're needed now.
Will colleges know?
No. Score reports do not show whether a student tested with accommodations.
In college, IEPs and 504 Plans do not transfer automatically. Your student will need to register with the college's disability services office and provide documentation to receive accommodations there. It's worth researching each school's disability services as part of building the college list.
