You’ve spent weeks, maybe months, staring at Bluebook practice tests. You sat through the two-hour digital marathon on December 6. Now, you’re just waiting. Honestly, the wait for the december sat score release is usually more stressful than the actual math section.
The College Board follows a pretty strict rhythm, but that doesn't stop everyone from refreshing their browser at 3:00 AM. If you took the SAT on Saturday, December 6, 2025, your scores officially dropped on Friday, December 19, 2025.
That’s the standard 13-day turnaround we’ve come to expect since the SAT went fully digital. But knowing the date is only half the battle. There is a whole "batch" system that determines whether you’re celebrating at breakfast or biting your nails until dinner.
The Two-Batch Reality of Score Day
Most people think all scores hit the internet at once. They don't. College Board typically releases results in two massive waves.
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The first batch usually goes live early in the morning, often around 8:00 AM Eastern Time (5:00 AM Pacific). If you wake up, log in, and see "Your Score is Coming," don't panic. You aren't "cooked." It just means you’re probably in the second batch. That second wave typically rolls out in the evening, usually between 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM Eastern.
I’ve seen students get their results at 11:00 AM and others at 4:30 PM. It’s random. It’s annoying. But it's how their servers handle millions of people trying to log in at the same time.
Why Your December SAT Score Release Might Be Delayed
Sometimes, Friday comes and goes, and you still have nothing. This is where the anxiety really kicks in. While 99% of students get their scores on that second Friday, a few factors can pull the emergency brake on your report.
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- The "Additional Review" Email: If you see an email saying your scores are under review, it usually means there was a flag at your testing center. This isn't always about cheating. It could be a technical glitch with the testing devices or a proctor reporting a minor disturbance.
- Missing Information: If your College Board account info doesn't perfectly match what you entered on test day, the system gets confused.
- Random Audits: Every once in a while, College Board just picks a handful of scores for a "security review." It can take up to six weeks, which is a nightmare for those January 1st college application deadlines.
Dealing With College Deadlines
The December test is high stakes because it’s basically the "buzzer beater" for Regular Decision applications. Most colleges have a January 1st or January 15th deadline.
If your score came out on December 19, colleges usually receive them about 10 days later. That puts the delivery date right around December 29 or 30. It’s tight. Really tight.
Many schools, like the University of California system or various Ivy League colleges, allow you to "self-report" your scores on the application and send the official report later. You should check each school's policy on their admissions page. If they require the official report by January 1, you should have used your four free score sends during registration.
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What a "Good" Score Looks Like in 2026
The "good score" goalpost has shifted a bit since the digital transition. Because the test is adaptive—meaning the second module gets harder if you do well on the first—the scoring feel is different.
A 1450 is still a 1450, but the way you get there involves navigating more difficult, high-weighted questions in that second module. If you're looking at the december sat score release and wondering if you should retake, look at your percentiles. If you are in the 90th percentile or higher (usually 1350+), you are competitive for most state honors programs and mid-tier private schools.
Moving Forward After the Results
So the numbers are on your screen. Now what?
If you hit your target, awesome. Send those scores and go enjoy your winter break. If you’re 50 points short, you have to decide if a March retake is worth it. For seniors, December is often the end of the road. For juniors, it's just a diagnostic for the spring season.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Download the PDF: Don't just look at the number. Download the full Score Report from your College Board portal. It shows your "Score Skills" breakdown, which tells you exactly if you struggled with "Standard English Conventions" or "Algebra."
- Check Your College Portals: Log into the applicant portals for the schools you applied to. They often have a checklist. It might take 3-5 days for them to show your SAT score as "received" even after College Board sends it.
- Compare to Superscores: If you’ve taken the test before, manually calculate your superscore (your best Math + your best Reading/Writing from different dates). Most colleges only care about that higher combined number.
- Verify Score Sends: If you haven't sent your scores yet, do it now. The "rush reporting" feature exists, but it's expensive and often unnecessary if you just do it the day the scores drop.