How to Study for the December 5 SAT: Free 7-Week Plan (2026)

Key dates, a seven-week plan and the colleges that still count it, for students taking the SAT on December 5, 2026.

The December 5, 2026 SAT is seven weeks from today, which is enough time for three full-length practice tests and a lasting fix for the two or three skills costing you the most points. The best free setup is Bluebook for official full-length practice tests, Official SAT Prep on Khan Academy for lessons on your weak skills, and Larry Learns for a short quiz every day on your phone. Register by November 20, 2026 (late registration closes November 24), and your scores arrive December 18.

December is the SAT date with the least room for error. For most colleges with a January deadline it is the last SAT that counts, so whatever you score on December 5 is very likely the score on your regular decision applications. If your October 3 scores came back short of your target, or you are taking the November 7 test and want a safety net, this is the plan to follow.

December 5 SAT Key Dates

Every SAT Weekend deadline expires at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Registration costs $68, and registering in the late window adds $38. Canceling by November 24 costs $34, canceling after that (until 11:59 p.m. ET on the Thursday before test day) costs $44, and changing only your test center costs $34. College Board lists every fee on its SAT test fees page, and with a fee waiver the late registration and cancel fees are free. Our SAT test dates guide has the whole 2026 to 2027 calendar, and how to cancel SAT registration walks through the cancel steps.

Why the December SAT Matters

For a regular decision deadline in early January, the December 5 test is the last SAT most colleges will take. The next national date after it is March 6, 2027, with scores on March 19, which is weeks after those applications are due. College Board's own page for the date calls it the "Last Test Before College Deadlines".

Colleges that publish a testing cutoff on their own admissions pages agree on December for regular decision, and none of these four takes it for a November Early Decision round:

Sources: Duke's checklist and deadlines, Penn's testing page, Brown's standardized testing FAQ and Vanderbilt's apply page, all read on October 8, 2026. Penn and Brown require an SAT or ACT score, while Duke and Vanderbilt (for fall 2027 entry) list scores as optional.

Two things follow from that table. First, December does not rescue a November 1 Early Decision application: the scores arrive December 18, weeks after a November 1 application has gone in. Second, it is the right date for regular decision and for second-round Early Decision with a January deadline. Our regular decision deadline list gives the date for 35 colleges, and the Early Decision 2 guide covers the second round with January deadlines.

The 7-Week Plan for the December SAT

Plan on 30 to 45 minutes on weekdays and one longer weekend session for each practice test. The weeks run Saturday to Friday so that every practice test falls on a weekend, the way test day does. If you start later than October 17, keep the order and shorten each week.

Thanksgiving falls on November 26, in week 6. That is why the third practice test sits on the weekend before it: a four-day break is easy to lose to family plans, and a test taken on the Sunday before still leaves a full week to review the misses.

If You Are Taking the November 7 SAT Too

The November 7 scores come out on November 20, which is also the regular registration deadline for December. You have two sensible ways to handle the overlap.

• Wait, then decide. Read your November scores on November 20 and register for December that night if you want another try, or in the late window through November 24 for the extra $38.
• Register now, cancel if you hit your target. Canceling by November 24 costs $34, a little less than the late fee. After November 24, canceling costs $44.

Either way, keep practicing through November 20. The four weeks between the tests are short, and a student who stops after November 7 and starts again on November 21 has lost half of them and the momentum the plan built. Our November SAT plan covers the first test, and when SAT scores come out explains where the scores appear.

The Best Free Tools for the December SAT

• Bluebook: the College Board app you test in. It has the official full-length practice tests, and after each one, My Practice shows your scores and builds a tailored question set from your results. It runs on a Windows or Mac computer, an iPad or a school-managed Chromebook, not on a phone, so take practice tests at a desk.
• Official SAT Prep on Khan Academy: free, and College Board says the course content is developed in partnership with it. Use it to learn a skill you are missing.
• Larry Learns: the daily layer on your phone. It draws from 25,000+ SAT and ACT practice questions, tracks a live score estimate, keeps a streak so the habit survives busy weeks, and lets you duel a friend. It is free for three quizzes a day on iPhone, Android and the web.

Bluebook tells you where you stand, Khan Academy teaches the missing skill, and a daily quiz keeps the skill from fading between practice tests. For section-specific practice, start with SAT Math or SAT Reading and Writing.

How to Spend Each Study Day

1. Start with your miss log. Reread the last three questions you got wrong and say out loud why the right answer is right.
2. Take one short quiz on the skill you are working on this week.
3. Study the misses, not the hits. For each question you missed or guessed, write one line naming the trap.
4. On lesson weeks, add one lesson on the skill behind those misses, then one more quiz to check it stuck.

On practice test weekends, set the routine aside. Take the test in one sitting with the official break, then review every miss the same day while you still remember your reasoning.

Your Free Score Reports Come Before Your Scores

Every registration includes four free score reports, but only if you order them by 9 days after the test date. For December 5, that is Monday, December 14, four days before your scores come out on December 18. After that, each report costs $15. So you have a choice to make: pick your four colleges by December 14 without seeing the score, or wait and pay. If your regular decision list is long, the free sends are worth using on colleges you will send to whatever happens. Our SAT score report guide explains what each college receives.

The Week of the Test

The digital SAT has 2 hours and 14 minutes of testing time: Reading and Writing is 54 questions in 64 minutes, then a 10-minute break, then Math, 44 questions in 70 minutes. Each section has two modules, and the second adapts to how you did on the first. Nothing about that changes in the last week, so do not try to learn anything new. Update Bluebook, charge your device (College Board says it must hold a charge for 3 to 4 hours, and you may not get an outlet), save your admission ticket and pack an approved photo ID. Our test day tips cover the morning itself.

Ready to start week 1 today? Take a free SAT quiz and see which skills to put at the top of your list.

Frequently Asked Questions About the December SAT

When is the registration deadline for the December 5 SAT?

The regular deadline is Friday, November 20, 2026. Late registration, with a $38 late fee, closes Tuesday, November 24, 2026. Both deadlines expire at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

When do December 5 SAT scores come out?

College Board releases scores for the December 5, 2026 SAT on December 18, 2026, in your College Board account.

Is the December SAT too late for college applications?

Not for regular decision with a January deadline. Duke, Penn, Brown and Vanderbilt all name December as the last SAT for their January rounds. It is too late for November Early Decision: Duke and Penn stop at the November 7 SAT for ED, and Brown at the last October date.

Is seven weeks enough time to study for the SAT?

Yes, if you practice most days. Seven weeks fits three full-length practice tests, lessons on your three weakest skills and a final week of light review.

Should I take both the November and December SAT?

If you are applying regular decision and your target matters, two attempts give you a second chance. The November 7 scores arrive November 20, the December registration deadline, so you can see the first score before committing to the second.

December is the last SAT most January applications will see, so make the seven weeks count. Create a free Larry Learns account and start your daily practice today on web, iPhone or Android.