Students with documented disabilities have the ability to write the SAT with special accommodations. Such accommodations typically include but are not limited to: extended time, extra/longer breaks between sections, computer accommodations, seeing accommodations (such as brail, larger font test booklet etc.) and/or hearing accommodations (such as audiocassettes, auditory amplifications etc.).
Eligible students are encouraged to take advantage of these accommodations because this will significantly aid them in their performance. Here are some things to keep in mind regarding the eligibility process.
Get Approved
To become eligible to write the SAT test with special accommodations, the student must get approval from the College Board. To do so, the student is encouraged to work with their school’s Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) Coordinator. They are encouraged to do so because the SSD has most likely had prior experience with the process and hence knows the procedure by heart. Talk to your SSD coordinator to assist you in arranging this.
Start Early
It usually takes about seven weeks for the College Board to process an accommodation request. Hence it is in the student’s best interest to start the submission process as soon as possible. Notice that working with the SSD coordinator allows for a more efficient application process and so using this resource significantly decreases the possible amount of waiting time.
Length of the Legitimacy of Approval
The approval of the College Board usually remains effective until one year after high school. Hence, if the student wishes to take the SAT another time for instance, they do not need to apply for the accommodations again (as long as they take it within the time frame mentioned above).
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