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A student of mine recently asked me about when he'd have to ask for extended time on the SAT as an accommodation for his documented learning disability. Some quick smartphone research showed me that he was already past the deadline for requesting accommodations for the June 6, 2015 SAT. I believe the deadline was before I even started working with him. It looks like he'll have to see if the College Board is willing to grant him the accommodation, or if he'll just have to either take the SAT without extra time, or he'll just have to  postpone taking the SAT. I don't know what's going to happen, so I decided to help you learn from his mistake.

The reasonable accommodation process involves officials at your school, as well as the College Board, and also requires you to provide documentation showing you have a disability.

Here is a link to information on requesting a disability accommodation through your school: 

https://www.collegeboard.org/students-with-disabilities/request-accommodations


Here's a link to the documentation requirements, which can be onerous (great SAT word, right?) if you are making an unusual request, haven't had an IEP or 504 plan in some time, or under other circumstances:


https://www.collegeboard.org/students-with-disabilities/documentation-guidelines


Since it may take you a while to get the documentation, you should START NOW. Don't count on anyone at your school, any health care provider or educator's being willing produce medical or educations records in a hurry so you can meet a deadline, and definitely do not count on the the College Board's willingness to accept applications past the deadlines listed on their site.  

We're all special in our own ways, but no one is special to the people running schools, doctor's offices, or the College Board. They really have nothing to gain by doing you any special favors. However, they do stand to lose the respect and trust of test takers, their parents, colleges, and the general public, if some students appear to be more "special" than others, so they have a very strong reason to refuse to waive or modify deadlines for you.  Every college registrar's, financial aid, and bursar's office has at least one sign on the wall reading "Failure to Plan on Your Part Does Not Create an Automatic Emergency on My Part." At best, you'll have to grovel and beg to get your way; at worst, you're simply not going to get your accommodation on the test date you want. It is infinitely more likely that you will get no special favors if you miss the deadline, so DON'T MISS THE DEADLINE!

The deadline for requesting an accommodation for the October 3, 2015 SAT is August 14, 2015. That date and the other SAT, SAT Subject Test, and PSAT accommodation request dates can be found here:  

https://www.collegeboard.org/students-with-disabilities/calendar

The ACT also has its policies regarding accommodations:

http://www.actstudent.org/regist/disab/

Requests for accommodations must be received by "the late deadline," which, according to the ACT site, is  roughly three weeks before the test date. Plan on beating THAT deadline by at least a week, just to be safe.

Here are the registration deadlines for the upcoming ACT tests:

http://www.actstudent.org/regist/dates.html#second

The ACT's requirements for documentation can be found at this link:

http://www.act.org/aap/pdf/ACT-Policy-for-Documentation.pdf

SPECIAL NEW CUSTOMER OFFER: Free 30-minute diagnostic session. Limited spots. 415-623-4251.