In this article
- The dates to lock in now
- Applying early in the US: November still counts
- Bocconi winter session: the SAT is a full equivalent
- IE University: Round 1 closes the day before
- Your three-week plan to 7 November
- Where we can help
The next SAT takes place on Saturday 7 November 2026, and registration closes on Friday 23 October at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. If you are applying to universities in the United States, to Bocconi or to IE University for 2027 entry, this sitting is one of the last two of the autumn, and for several deadlines it is the one that still fits. Here is what the date changes for your file, and how to use the three weeks between now and test day.
The dates to lock in now
According to College Board, the test is administered globally on Saturday 7 November 2026, with a 7:45 a.m. local start, and you choose your test center during registration. Standard registration closes on 23 October at 11:59 p.m. ET. After that, late registration, changes and regular cancellation remain possible until 27 October, with additional fees. One window has already closed: students who need to borrow a testing device from College Board had to request it at least 30 days before test day, so for 7 November you now need your own Bluebook-ready laptop or tablet.
After 7 November, only one sitting remains in 2026: Saturday 5 December, with registration closing on 20 November and late registration on 24 November. Then there is nothing until 6 March 2027. In other words, an applicant who skips both autumn dates will not have a new score before most Regular Decision files are already under review. Our SAT and ACT 2026-2027 calendar lists the full year of dates and deadlines.
Applying early in the US: November still counts
Most selective American universities close Early Decision and Early Action on 1 November, before the test itself. That is less of a contradiction than it looks. Harvard, which requires the SAT or ACT, asks Restrictive Early Action candidates to submit scores by the end of October but states that applicants “may submit the November series if needed”, with decisions announced in mid-December. In practice, the 7 November SAT is the last sitting an early applicant can still use, provided the rest of the file is submitted on time on 1 November. If that is your situation, register before 23 October, send your application on schedule, and let the score follow.
For Regular Decision, with files due around 1 January, both 7 November and 5 December work, but November leaves you the December date as a safety net rather than a single all-or-nothing attempt. We covered the 1 November strategy in detail in our guide to the Early Decision and Early Action deadlines of 1 November 2026, and our college counselling for international students page explains how we build US applications from Europe.
Bocconi winter session: the SAT is a full equivalent
Bocconi’s winter session for the 2027-28 academic year opens on 25 November 2026 and closes on 26 January 2027 at 3:00 p.m. Italian time, with results in mid-March. For undergraduate programs, Bocconi accepts three tests on an equal footing: the Bocconi online test, the SAT and the ACT, and the selection weighs the test at 55 percent against 45 percent for your grades in the second-to-last and third-to-last school years. A useful nuance for SAT candidates: you must designate Bocconi as a score recipient through College Board and submit your application by the deadline, but the score itself does not need to be available on that date. A 7 November or 5 December sitting therefore fits the winter session comfortably. Our Bocconi application guide walks through the whole file, and our Bocconi test prep page covers the alternative route through Bocconi’s own test.
IE University: Round 1 closes the day before
IE University’s Round 1 for undergraduate degrees closes on 6 November 2026, one day before the SAT, with admission decisions communicated by 11 December at the latest. The rounds are global and apply to all undergraduate degrees, and a file that misses a deadline is automatically reviewed in the following round, with Round 2 closing on 15 January 2027. If IE is on your list, aim to submit within Round 1 and treat the SAT as part of your US or Bocconi track rather than a blocker. Our IE University application guide details the documents and the timeline round by round.
Your three-week plan to 7 November
Week one, starting today: register on College Board before Friday 23 October, choose a test center with seats left near you, and sit one full digital practice test in Bluebook to get a baseline score. Week two: work only on the two or three question types that cost you the most points, in short daily sessions rather than one long weekend marathon. The week before the test: log in to Bluebook to complete exam setup and download your admission ticket, which College Board asks you to do during that week, and do one final timed rehearsal. On the day itself, arrive with your charged device, your ticket and your ID, and treat the 7:45 a.m. start as a hard appointment.
If your target score and your baseline are far apart, be honest about what three weeks can do: a focused push can secure the sections you already master, and the 5 December sitting remains available for a second attempt before Regular Decision deadlines.
Where we can help
Since 2018, Your Dream School has supported 1,000+ students with their applications abroad, including 7 admitted to Columbia, 3 to Berkeley, 3 to UCLA, 18 to Bocconi and 44 to IE University. Figures taken from our admissions database, 2019 to 2025 intakes. They are minimums: the 2017-2018 and 2025-2026 intakes are not yet consolidated. Families rate us 5/5 on Google across 160+ Google reviews. If you want a clear plan for the next three weeks, from SAT strategy to the final click on your applications, our premium admissions coaching team can take it from here: book a strategic call and we will map your deadlines together.
Sources: satsuite.collegeboard.org, college.harvard.edu, unibocconi.it and ie.edu, consulted 18 October 2026.
Author
With a Bachelor's (LLB) from UCL and Assas, and the Grande Ecole program at HEC Paris, Adam co-founded Your Dream School in 2018. Since then the company has coached more than 1,000 students through university admissions and interview preparation for top global institutions.
Need personalized guidance? Talk to our experts.
Talk to an Expert →
