How to Cancel SAT Scores

By

Updated on July 03, 2019

It happens after every test administration. Kids take the SAT test, then go home fraught with worry, anxiety, stress, and depression because they realize that they didn't do as well as they could have. Perhaps they didn't do one of the seven things they were supposed to do the night before the SAT, or maybe they just didn't get the right SAT prep materials to really knock their score out of the ballpark. Their question is, "Can you cancel SAT scores?" And much to their relief, the answer is a quick and easy, "Yes!"

Should You Cancel SAT Scores?

Before you decide to cancel, you must first realize that you'll truly have no way of knowing how well you've done on the exam until you get your SAT scores back, and that always happens a few weeks after your test. So, if you choose to cancel your scores, you'll be going on gut instinct alone, which isn't always a bad thing. But there are a few things to consider before you choose to cancel your scores.

2019–2020 SAT Score Release Dates

By Allen Grove

Don't cancel if… you're being paranoid. Most people have a little bit of doubt surrounding their testing performance. Is your doubt without warrant, based only on your paranoia? Then perhaps you should keep your scores. Remember that with Score Choice, you get to choose to report the scores you'd like to the schools to which you're applying.

Cancel if… there are extenuating circumstances that prevented you from doing your best. Perhaps you tossed and turned for two nights prior to the exam and woke up groggy and dim the day of the test. Or, maybe you woke up with the flu, but decided to test anyway because you didn't want to pay the SAT registration fee again. Or, maybe you were seated next to someone who distracted you in some way so you lost your place, miscalculated your time, and ended up having to erase half of your scantron. Things happen!

You Can Cancel SAT Scores At the Test Center

If you realize immediately after you've taken the test that your SAT score is not going to get you into one of your top choices because you skipped sections or miscalculated, then you can cancel your scores even before you leave the test center.

First, ask the test supervisor for a "Request to Cancel Test Scores" form.
Next, fill out the form and sign it right then and there.
Finally, give the form to the test supervisor before you get in your car and leave the test center.

You Can Cancel SAT Scores at Home

Maybe you're not as enlightened to your poor performance on the SAT. The desire to cancel might not really hit you until you've gone home and had a few conversations with friends about a particular reading passage in one of the Critical Reading sections (that you can't remember at all). If this is you, there's still time if you act quickly—very quickly. The College Board must receive your score cancellation request in writing no later than 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time) on the Wednesday after your test date. That's not much time at all! If you want to cancel, here's what to do:

First, immediately download and print the "Request to Cancel SAT Scores" form from the College Board website.
Then you'll need to fill it out, sign it, and either fax or overnight the request per these instructions:
Fax: (610) 290-8978
Overnight delivery via U.S. Postal Service Express Mail (U.S. only): SAT Score Cancellation, P.O. Box 6228, Princeton, NJ 08541-6228
Other overnight mail service or courier (U.S. or international): SAT Score Cancellation, 1425 Lower Ferry Road, Ewing, NJ 08618, USA