Registering for the SAT test may seem like a grueling process, so we're here to give you some tips on this daunting endeavor. Don't worry - you can do this!
TIP ONE:
Registration takes a long time. Fun fact: The process for registering for the SAT test is in fact longer than actually taking the test.
TIP TWO:
There are 8,326 questions with this registration form. Yes, I know you'll probably want to just fill out a name, an address, and billing info, and then move on with your life. But this is not supposed to be an easy process. This is designed to create as much discomfort as possible.
TIP TWO:
Get ready for last-minute questions that you can't possibly know the answer to right away. These are especially challenging when you have a small timer at the top of your screen. Are you expecting to sign up for a test where you show up and they give you a test? It's not that simple. Apparently you need to bring a device with you, or have access to one. This information is conveniently presented at the very end of registration for your further inconvenience. It is designed to make you want to give up all hope, but don't stop believing.
TIP THREE:
Make sure your student name matches exactly the name on his or her official ID. If they've used a shortened version of their name in school for their communications at the school, you'll have to change that. But not immediately. Because this process takes over a week. First, you have to call someone at a number, and then go through various steps to prove identity, and once that is done, they have to talk to a supervisor for approval, and then finally they'll approve the change after this lengthy call. Unfortunately, you then have to wait over a week to get an email that says yes, in fact, they've done the thing that could have been done simply over a phone call. At which point the times you're hoping to actually register for will be full and you'll have to wait a few more months.
TIP FOUR:
Don't get too excited at the end. Yes, the finish line seems to be there as you've hit the "submit" button and there's a small moment of joy beginning to creep in as you realize you're nearly finished with this marathon of misery. But don't get too confident just yet. Yes, you might not be able to register, because you could get a message that says something about another device using the same account on a phone some time ago, and you'll need to use that device instead of the one that you've been doing 98% of the work on that day. The point is, don't get your hopes up that this will be easy.
TIP FIVE:
It's not you. It's them. The registration website you need to use is so slow that it makes you think there's something wrong with your own computer. It's not. This is just a slow website designed to separate the weak from the strong. Yes, strong people like you hang on, even after waiting two minutes for a new screen that tells you about a missed answer several pages ago. Hang in there. You'll make it. Eventually. Fun fact: it would be quicker to drive across the country to wherever this registration center is than it would be to do this all online.
TIP SIX:
When picking a location to take the SAT, as with all things related to this website, be ready for disappointment. Yes, the site says that your chosen location is available. But that doesn't mean it's available. In fact, it may be unavailable. You may discover this while still registering online. This can be avoided by registering a year in advance, or avoiding the registration process entirely and moving to an isolated cave to commune with nature and live off the land high in the mountains away from registration websites.
TIP SEVEN:
If you've made it through the registration process, congratulations! You survived. I know that the confirmation email and order summary does not have a starting time for the test, and only a date. This information is normally considered useful. This lack of information is designed to make you come back to their website again, even though you'd rather do something more pleasant, like extensive dental surgery. You should find the starting time for that test a little easier.
TIP SEVEN:
Just say no. There's an option where you can check a box so that you can hear back from this website. Having spent so much time with them already simply trying to register, this is of course unnecessary.
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