SAT cancellation deadlines: what are the consequences?

I've registered for an upcoming SAT, but I'm not sure if I'll be prepared enough. Can someone tell me when the deadline to cancel would be? And if I do cancel, would it look bad or impact my college applications in any way? A little stressed here :(

Firstly, don't worry too much. Canceling an SAT doesn't inherently look bad or impact your college applications. Colleges won't even know you registered for the test unless you choose to send them your scores.

To answer your question about the cancellation deadline, typically, you can cancel your SAT registration up until five days before the exam. When you cancel, you'll receive a partial refund of your test fees. You won't get refunded for any additional services you may have purchased like the Question-and-Answer Service or the Essay. You can find the exact deadlines for your test date on the College Board website.

If you're unsure about your preparedness, you can still take the exam and choose not to send the scores to any colleges if you're not happy with your results. Most colleges participate in Score Choice, meaning you can choose which SAT scores you want to send, so a potentially low score wouldn't affect your college applications. However, keep in mind that some colleges require you to send all your SAT scores, so it's crucial to research the policies of the schools you're interested in before making any decisions.

The most important thing is to make an informed decision about whether you feel ready for this particular test date. If not, you can always register for a future test and focus on preparing more thoroughly to achieve the score you want. Good luck!