SSAT dates and deadlines for 2026–27

The SSAT runs on a testing year rather than a calendar one. The 2026–27 year opened for registration on 3 August 2026 and offers six standard paper test dates. Each date has three deadlines attached, and the one families miss is not the obvious one.

The six standard paper dates

Not every level is offered on every date, and availability varies by location. The October date, for instance, is listed for Upper and Middle Level only; Elementary Level appears on the November date. Check the level and the site together before settling on a date.

The deadline most families miss

The third column is the one to watch. Students who need extended time or any other accommodation must apply for and be approved for that accommodation before they register, and registration for an accommodated test closes about two weeks earlier than ordinary registration. EMA asks for at least two weeks from a completed application to a decision, so the real starting point is roughly a month before the test.

Miss it and the options are an unaccommodated sitting or the next date, which in the December-to-January stretch can be past a school's deadline.

Registering late costs money, then becomes impossible

Each date has three registration windows. Regular registration carries no extra fee. Late registration adds $59. Rush registration adds $100. After rush closes there is no way in — walk-ins are not admitted at test sites. Both surcharges apply to paper Standard tests only.

If the dates do not work

Standard dates are not the only route. Flex testing stays open until 20 July 2027, and the computer-based options at a Prometric centre or at home run on their own schedules rather than these six Saturdays. Each format has its own deadlines and its own limit on sittings.

Paper Standard tests begin at 9 a.m. local time unless the admission ticket says otherwise, and arriving 30 to 45 minutes early is expected.