National Test Prep Association Meeting with the College Board: Important Updates on the SAT

Recently, the National Test Prep Association met with the College Board, which provided some quality insights into SAT changes and updates, including meaningful improvements in how the exam is administered. Many of these changes are especially relevant for students and families navigating the testing process and preparing to take the exam for the 2026-2027 admissions cycle. Below, Test Prep Chicago outlines the most notable changes, and how these adjustments can benefit or impact your student and their test-taking experience.

Afternoon Testing

One of the biggest shifts is the introduction of afternoon testing at select commercial locations, such as hotels and convention centers. This past year, in addition to the traditional 8:00am start time, some students in California were able to take the March SAT at 1:00 PM, which went smoothly. If things continue to look good from a scoring and data perspective, this afternoon testing option is expected to return for students in the fall. For now, though, the College Board plans to limit afternoon testing to these larger commercial sites, since offering it at schools would create logistical challenges and make for an unusually long school day for staff.

Travel Benefits
For many families, this new afternoon option could make test day significantly easier from a travel perspective as well. Students who live far from a testing center often have to travel the day before and stay overnight in order to make it to an early morning exam. With a 1:00pm start time, those same students can now theoretically travel on the morning of the test and return home later that day, saving both time and money. It’s a small scheduling change that can have a big impact, especially for students in areas with little to no testing locations.

Overall Access
Access to testing continues to be a major focus overall. The College Board is actively tracking how far students have to travel to take the SAT, and the trend is moving in a positive direction. In California, for example, the average distance students traveled dropped significantly in just one year, thanks to the addition of more testing sites, the use of commercial locations, and the inclusion of afternoon testing. Efforts like these are expected to continue across the country, with the goal of making the SAT more convenient and accessible for all students.

SAT Security
Families can also feel reassured that test security remains a top priority. The College Board designs the SAT so that no two students receive exactly the same test, making it also extremely unlikely for a student to see the same question twice across different test dates. They also actively monitor for any leaked or compromised questions and remove them from use right away. This helps ensure that scores remain fair and that no group of students has an unfair advantage. Families should also note and factor this important information in as their student prepares for the SAT.

Tools for Preparation
At the same time, there are ongoing efforts to improve the tools students have access to in order to prepare. Updates are in the works for the official Question Bank, with the goal of making it easier to navigate and more useful for targeted practice. The “Practice Additional Questions” feature, which is tied to score reports, is also being refined so students can better focus on the areas where they need the most improvement. While there is no official timeline for these updates yet, they reflect a broader effort to make official prep resources more effective and student-friendly.

Test Prep Chicago can help you harness this information, along with the College Board's practice tools, in order to prepare for the SAT. Through our practice tests (which are based on real SATs), targeted homework assignments, focused SAT Math & Reading material, and test-taking strategies for both specific sections, taught by professional and experienced SAT tutors, TPC can help your student succeed on test day, no matter where they are testing. For students taking the exam this spring, sign up for individual tutoring now here while there is still time! For students taking the exam later in 2026 or in early 2027, learn more about our summer SAT prep course here. We can also provide individual tutoring for the SAT here at any time.