Here’s what to bring to the SAT in 2026, as a quick test day checklist followed by the details. It covers the digital SAT you take in the Bluebook app, so it also explains what to set up on your device before test day and what you can’t bring into the room.
SAT Test Day Checklist
Required:
- A valid, physical photo ID
- Your admission ticket, printed or on your phone
- Your College Board username and password
- A fully charged testing device with Bluebook installed and exam setup complete
- A pen or pencil for scratch work
Worth bringing:
- A power cord or portable charger
- Your own approved calculator, if you prefer it to the built-in Desmos calculator
- Extra batteries or a backup calculator
- Snacks and a drink for the break
- A backup testing device, if you have one
Do before test day: complete exam setup in Bluebook 1–5 days before your test. That’s what generates your admission ticket, and College Board says students who skip it may be turned away.
What to Bring to the SAT: The Must-Haves
1. A Physical Photo ID
Your ID has to be a physical document, it has to match how you look on test day and the photo you uploaded when you registered, and it must be in good condition. Accepted examples include a driver’s license or non-driver ID, a current school ID card, a passport or Global Entry card, a military or national ID, or an SAT Student ID Form from your school (or a notary, if you’re homeschooled).
Not accepted: digital IDs on your phone, temporary IDs, credit or debit cards, birth certificates, Social Security cards, employee IDs, or anything damaged or altered. Keep your ID on you all day, including during the break. Full details are on College Board’s ID requirements page.
2. Your Admission Ticket
You get your admission ticket from Bluebook, not from a printer at home. Between one and five days before the test, sign in to Bluebook on your testing device and complete exam setup: a short video, confirming your details, agreeing to the testing rules and a device check. At the end, the app generates your ticket. You can print it, email it to yourself or take a photo of it, and show it printed or on your phone at check-in.
3. A Charged Testing Device with Bluebook
You take the SAT on your own laptop or tablet in the Bluebook app, so the device is now the most important thing you bring. It must be on College Board’s list of approved devices, you can’t test on a phone, and it needs enough charge for roughly three hours. It also has to connect to the test center’s Wi-Fi, so update the operating system ahead of time if Bluebook asks you to.
If you use a school-managed device, ask your school’s tech team to install Bluebook for you. If you don’t have a device, you can borrow a device from College Board; arrive 30 minutes early on test day to collect it and finish exam setup.
4. Your College Board Login
Bring your College Board username (your email address) and password. You’ll need them to sign in to Bluebook at the test center.
5. A Pen or Pencil
You answer on screen, so the old “two No. 2 pencils” rule is gone. Bring a pen or pencil for scratch work.
What to Bring to the SAT: The Nice-to-Haves
A Charger
College Board recommends bringing a power cord or portable charger but can’t promise you an outlet unless you’re approved for extended time. In practice, Bluebook uses little battery when nothing else is running, so a fully charged device should last.
Your Own Calculator
Bluebook has a Desmos calculator built in for the whole Math section, with scientific and graphing modes. You can still bring your own approved calculator if you’re faster on it, plus spare batteries or a backup. See our list of the best calculators for the SAT.
Snacks and a Drink
Snacks and drinks stay under your desk during testing, and you can only have them during the break. Pick something quick and steady, like nuts, fruit or a granola bar, and water rather than anything sugary.
A Backup Device
Not essential, but if you have a second approved device with Bluebook set up, it’s cheap insurance.
What You Can’t Bring into the SAT
Your testing device is the only electronic device you can use. Phones, smartwatches, smart glasses and other wearables can’t be used or accessed during the test, and Bluebook locks your device so no other app can run. You also can’t use a detachable privacy screen, and hats are off unless worn for medical or religious reasons. College Board’s SAT testing rules have the full list.
What to Expect on SAT Test Day
Checking In
Show your photo ID and admission ticket at check-in. In the testing room you’ll connect to the center’s Wi-Fi, check in on your device and type a short statement agreeing to the rules.
Taking the Test
The SAT has two sections. Reading and Writing is 64 minutes (two 32-minute modules) and Math is 70 minutes (two 35-minute modules), for 2 hours and 14 minutes in total. Each section is adaptive: how you do on the first module decides whether the second is harder or easier.
Taking Your Break
There’s one 10-minute break, between Reading and Writing and Math. Bluebook tells you when to take it, not the proctor, so you’ll break and finish at slightly different times from everyone else in the room. Keep your laptop open and your device on throughout.
If Something Goes Wrong
If your device loses its connection, you can keep testing without losing work, and College Board says you won’t lose testing time for a technical issue. There’s a help room at the center, though most problems are fixed by restarting the app. If your answers fail to submit, you have until 11:59 p.m. local time the next day to submit them.
After the SAT
Your scores appear in your College Board account, where you’ll also see percentiles and how you did in each content area. Release dates vary by test date; our SAT test dates guide lists them.
You can send your scores to four colleges or scholarship programs for free. Choose them when you register, any time before the test, or within 9 days after it; after that, each report costs a fee.
Wrapping Up
Pack your ID, admission ticket, charged device and something to write with the night before, and you’re set. Still preparing? Work through the official SAT practice tests, see our best SAT prep books, or read College Board’s SAT Student Guide for every rule in one place.