Last updated: 11 September 2026; every item and rule below was read that day on College Board’s SAT test-day pages. Written by Josh Hutcheson, OnlineCourseing editor. See our review methodology.
THE CHECKLIST
Required: a fully charged approved laptop or tablet with the Bluebook app installed and exam setup completed · your admission ticket (printed preferred) · a physical photo ID · pencils or pens for scratch work · your College Board login · an approved calculator if you want your own.
Worth packing: a charger or power bank · a watch with no alarm · a snack and a drink for the 10-minute break · a backup device. Leave at home: anything that connects, records or reminds; and the No. 2 pencils and sharpener every older checklist still mentions.
The SAT has been a digital test in the United States since March 2024, and most “what to bring” lists have not caught up. They still open with two sharpened No. 2 pencils, warn you about the no-calculator Math section, and describe three breaks. None of that is true of the test you are sitting. This checklist is built from College Board’s own what-to-bring page, its ID requirements, its calculator policy and its prohibited-devices list, all read on 11 September 2026, and it is organised the way the morning actually runs: what gets you through the door, what you use in the room, what you eat at the break, and what gets you sent home.
The six things you must bring to the SAT
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| Item | The rule | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Your testing device | Fully charged, with the Bluebook app installed and exam setup completed before test day | No device, no test. Setup is what generates your admission ticket |
| 2. Admission ticket | The up-to-date ticket from Bluebook; College Board says a printed copy is preferred | Checked against your ID at the door; it also shows your reporting time |
| 3. Photo ID | Original physical document, government- or current-school-issued, valid, legal name matching the ticket, recent photo | A phone photo of your licence is not an ID; you will be turned away |
| 4. Pencils or pens | For scratch work only | Nothing is written on an answer sheet, so any pencil or pen will do |
| 5. College Board login | Your username and password | You may need to sign back into Bluebook at the centre |
| 6. Calculator (if you want your own) | An acceptable handheld; Bluebook also has Desmos built in | Allowed on the whole Math section, not just part of it |
1. A device that Bluebook will actually run on
Bluebook, College Board’s testing app, supports a narrow list of devices, and the approved-devices page is specific about versions: a Windows laptop or tablet on Windows 11 24H2 or later, a Mac on macOS 15 or later, an iPad on iPadOS 18 or later, or a school-managed Chromebook on ChromeOS 144 or later. Personal Chromebooks and phones are not supported. The device has to hold a charge for three to four hours, because College Board recommends bringing a power cord or portable charger while warning that you might not have access to an outlet.
Install Bluebook the week before, not the night before, and complete exam setup inside it: that is the step that downloads the test, checks the device and produces your admission ticket. If you skip it you arrive without a ticket. A backup device is on College Board’s own nice-to-have list, and a second laptop borrowed from a parent for the morning is cheaper than a $34 test-date change.
No device? College Board will lend you one. After you register, choose the request option in My SAT and complete a short questionnaire with an adult reference (a teacher, counsellor or administrator). The request must be in at least 30 days before test day, a loan is not guaranteed, and students who receive one arrive at 7:15 a.m. to sign in and complete setup on the loaned machine. Ask your school first; most will lend a managed Chromebook for the day.
2. Your admission ticket
The ticket lives in Bluebook once exam setup is done and is also emailed to you. College Board’s wording is that bringing a printed ticket is preferred; print it the night before, because the ticket is also where your reporting time appears, and a centre can set a time other than the standard 7:45 a.m. It is checked against your ID at check-in and your name on both must match exactly.
3. A photo ID that will pass the door
This is where students get turned away, so here is College Board’s ID rule in full. Your ID must be a valid, unexpired photo ID issued by a government or by your current school; an original physical document, not a photocopy or anything on a screen; bear your full legal name exactly as it appears on your admission ticket; carry a recent, recognisable photo; and be in good condition with legible English text.
| Accepted | Not accepted |
|---|---|
| Driver’s licence or state non-driver ID card (physical) | Any digital or electronic ID shown on a device |
| Current school student ID with photo (physical) | Damaged, worn, torn or digitally altered documents |
| Passport or US Global Entry card | Credit or debit cards, even with a photo |
| Government-issued military or national ID | Birth certificates and Social Security cards |
| SAT Student ID Form, prepared by your school or a notary (homeschooled students under 21 at US centres) | Employee IDs, temporary IDs, ChildFind cards |
If you are homeschooled or your school does not issue photo IDs and you have no licence or passport, download the SAT Student ID Form from that page in advance; it needs a photo attached and a school official’s or notary’s signature, which is not something to arrange on Friday night.
4. Pencils or pens, for scratch work only
Every answer goes into Bluebook, so there is no bubbling and no essay on the weekend SAT. College Board’s list says simply “pencils or pens for scratch work”. Bring two of whatever you like writing with; the sharpener, the spare erasers and the No. 2 requirement belong to the paper test.
5. Your College Board username and password
You sign into Bluebook with your College Board account, and a centre’s Wi-Fi or a device restart can log you out. Know the password or have it written down in your bag; you will not be allowed to look it up on your phone.
6. A calculator, if you want your own
Two things changed with the digital SAT. First, a calculator is allowed on the entire Math section; the old 25-minute no-calculator section is gone. Second, you do not have to bring one: Bluebook has an embedded Desmos calculator with a graphing and a scientific mode you can toggle between. College Board’s calculator policy still lets you bring your own approved handheld, and most students who have used one all year should.
| Acceptable | Prohibited |
|---|---|
| The Desmos calculator built into Bluebook | Calculators with computer algebra system (CAS) functionality |
| Graphing calculators without CAS | Anything with wireless internet, Bluetooth or cellular connectivity |
| Scientific calculators | Devices with a camera or audio/video recording |
| Basic four-function calculators (allowed, not recommended) | Phone calculator apps; tablets and laptops used as calculators (unless an approved accommodation) |
Use the calculator you practised with. If you are bringing a handheld, put fresh batteries in it the night before; it stays on your desk during the break.
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Nice to have: what College Board suggests packing
- A watch without an audible alarm. Bluebook shows the module timer on screen (you can hide it until five minutes remain), so the watch is for the break and the wait, not for pacing. Smartwatches are prohibited.
- A charging cable or portable charger. Recommended by College Board, with the warning that an outlet is not guaranteed. A charged power bank is the safer of the two.
- A bag or backpack. Phones and prohibited items go in it, away from your desk, for the whole morning including the break.
- Drinks and snacks for the break. You cannot eat or drink while testing; you can during the single 10-minute break. Something you can eat in three minutes without a mess: a granola bar, nuts, a banana, a bottle of water.
- A backup testing device. On College Board’s own list. If a second approved device exists in your house, bring it.
- Layers. Not on any official list, but test rooms in October and December run cold and there is no dress code beyond ordinary school rules.
Two items need a word. Epinephrine auto-injectors such as EpiPens are permitted without any accommodation request. Headphones are prohibited unless you are approved for a text-to-speech accommodation, in which case you must bring your own wired, non-Bluetooth pair; wireless earbuds are a dismissal, not an exception.
What not to bring to the SAT
College Board’s prohibited-devices list is longer than most students expect because the digital test added device-adjacent items to the old list. You may not have any of these with you during testing or breaks unless it is an approved accommodation:
- Phones, smartwatches, fitness trackers, smart glasses or any other wearable technology
- Audio players and Bluetooth devices, including wireless earbuds and headphones
- Detachable privacy screens for your device
- External keyboards for laptops or Chromebooks, and a stylus for an iPad
- Cameras or recording devices of any kind
- Separate timers of any type (a plain watch is fine; a stopwatch is not)
- Notes, books, papers or any other reference material
- Compasses, rulers, protractors or cutting devices
- Headphones, earbuds or earplugs
- Prohibited calculators (see the table above)
The consequence is spelled out: if a prohibited device makes noise or you are seen with it at any time, including during breaks, you may be dismissed immediately, your scores may be cancelled, and the device may be confiscated and its contents inspected. Testing staff either collect phones and hold them for the whole morning, or require them to be switched off and stored in a bag away from the desk, break included. Do not check your phone at 9:30.
How the morning runs
Knowing the schedule tells you what the bag is for. From College Board’s what-to-expect page:
| Time | What happens | What you need out |
|---|---|---|
| 7:15 a.m. | Students with a loaned device arrive to sign in and finish setup | Ticket, ID |
| 7:45 a.m. | Doors open; check-in; assigned seating | Ticket, ID; phone switched off and bagged or handed in |
| 8:00 a.m. | Doors close. Nobody is admitted once testing has started | – |
| 8:15–8:30 a.m. | Connect to the centre’s Wi-Fi, open Bluebook, enter the proctor’s start code, begin Reading and Writing | Device, login, scratch pen |
| ~9:30 a.m. | One 10-minute break between Reading and Writing and Math. Leave the device open, keep your ID accessible, calculator stays on the desk | Snack, drink |
| ~9:40 a.m. | Math (70 minutes); calculator allowed throughout | Calculator, if you brought one |
| 10:45–11:00 a.m. | Standard-time testing ends; answers submit automatically; the room is dismissed together | Everything back in the bag |
You can take an unscheduled break if you need to, but the timer keeps running. Students with extended time finish later (around noon to 12:15 with time and one-half, 1 to 1:15 with double time) and get a longer scheduled break; our how long is the SAT page has the full timeline and the extended-time table.
The night before: a five-minute check
- Open Bluebook on the device you are bringing, confirm exam setup shows complete and the admission ticket is there. Print the ticket.
- Charge the device to 100% and pack the charger or power bank.
- Put the physical ID in the bag now, and read the name on it against the ticket.
- Pack two pens or pencils, the calculator with fresh batteries, a snack and a drink.
- Check the reporting time on the ticket and plan to be through the doors by 7:45, not 8:00.
- Decide where the phone goes: switched off, in the bag, from the moment you check in until you are dismissed.
That is the whole list. The test itself is 2 hours 14 minutes of work you have already practised; test day is mostly about not giving the proctor a reason to send you home. If the practice is the part you are still worried about, our SAT study guide covers how to build a plan around College Board’s free Bluebook practice tests, and our good SAT score guide explains what the number you get back means.
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Still choosing between the tests? Our SAT vs ACT comparison sets the 2026 versions side by side, and our best test prep courses guide covers the wider field.
Frequently asked questions
What do I need to bring to the SAT?
Four things get you into the room: a fully charged laptop or tablet with the Bluebook app installed and exam setup completed, your admission ticket (generated in Bluebook after setup; printed is preferred), a physical government- or school-issued photo ID, and something to write with for scratch work. Bring an approved calculator if you want your own (Bluebook has a Desmos calculator built in), and pack a charger, a snack and a drink for the 10-minute break.
Can I use my phone as my SAT admission ticket or ID?
No to both. College Board requires a physical photo ID; digital or electronic documents on a device are on its list of unacceptable IDs. The admission ticket can be shown from the Bluebook app on your testing device, but College Board says a printed copy is preferred, and phones are collected or bagged before the test starts, so a ticket on your phone is not a plan.
Do I need to bring a calculator to the SAT?
Not necessarily. The digital SAT allows a calculator on the whole Math section, and Bluebook includes a built-in Desmos graphing and scientific calculator. You may also bring your own approved handheld: any graphing calculator without a computer algebra system, a scientific calculator, or a four-function calculator. Calculators with CAS, wireless connectivity or a camera are banned, and so are phone calculator apps.
Do I need pencils for the digital SAT?
Only for scratch work. There is no answer sheet to fill in and no essay to write, so the paper-era advice about sharpened No. 2 pencils no longer applies; College Board’s list simply says pencils or pens for scratch work. Mechanical pencils and pens are fine.
Can I bring my own laptop to the SAT?
Yes, if it meets Bluebook’s requirements: a Windows device on Windows 11 24H2 or later, a Mac on macOS 15 or later, an iPad on iPadOS 18 or later, or a school-managed Chromebook on ChromeOS 144 or later. Personal Chromebooks and phones are not supported. The device must hold a charge for three to four hours, and you should install Bluebook and complete exam setup before test day, because that step generates your admission ticket.
What if I don’t have a device for the SAT?
Ask your school first, then a friend or family member. If none of those work, College Board will lend one: after registering, choose the device-request option in My SAT and complete a short questionnaire with an adult reference, at least 30 days before your test date. A loan is not guaranteed, and students testing on a borrowed device arrive at 7:15 a.m. to sign in and complete exam setup.
Can I bring snacks and water to the SAT?
Yes. Drinks and snacks for the break are on College Board’s own nice-to-have list. You cannot eat or drink during testing; you can during the single 10-minute break between the Reading and Writing section and Math, when you may also use the bathroom. Keep food in your bag, not on the desk.
What gets you dismissed from the SAT?
Any prohibited device that is seen or makes a sound at any point, including during the break. College Board’s wording is that you may be dismissed immediately, your scores may be cancelled, and the device may be confiscated and its contents inspected. The list covers phones, smartwatches, fitness trackers, smart glasses, wireless earbuds, cameras, separate timers, notes and reference material, and non-approved calculators.
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