Winter 2025–26 ACT® & SAT® Dates (Plus Holiday Prep Tips for Tutors)
December doesn’t just bring school concerts, midterms, and holiday celebrations; it also marks some of the year’s most important test dates.
Think of winter as a pivot point for test prep:
December ACT® and SAT® dates close out the fall testing season.
February and March give test takers, specifically juniors, their first serious shots at official scores in the new year.
Clients feel the time pressure long before they feel fully “ready” to test. A clear winter calendar makes it much easier to build a test-prep plan that fits around holidays, school events, and college application deadlines.
Below, I’ve pulled together the upcoming winter 2025–26 ACT® and SAT® dates, plus some holiday-season planning tips you can share with your clients.
Winter 2025–26 ACT® Dates and Deadlines
All ACT® information below is from ACT’s official test dates and registration pages.
ACT® – December 13, 2025 (Registration is Closed)
The December ACT® is the last fall testing opportunity for 2025, and a final chance to lock in test scores before college scholarship cycles move on.
At this point, registration for the December 13th test is closed. The focus for students registered for this exam must be on final prep and logistics:
Confirm test center, ID, and admission ticket.
Double-check calculator and allowed materials.
Make sure students with approved accommodations know exactly what to expect on test day.
Check out our post on the 7 Essential Reminders for Students to Cross Off Their Test Day Checklist.
If your client has missed registration for this exam, reset their goal toward February 14th as the next realistic target.
ACT® – February 14, 2026 (First Big Winter Target)
The February ACT® is one of the most important national dates for juniors. It lands far enough after winter break to allow real prep time, but early enough that there’s still space for a spring retake if needed.
For students taking the ACT®, you might frame this test date as:
A first official attempt for juniors starting prep in December or early January, or
A strategic retake for students who tested in the fall and are hoping to bump up their scores this winter.
It’s also important to remind clients that ACT® accommodations or English Learner supports must be requested and approved in advance through ACT’s system, which effectively moves the “real” deadline up for students who need support.
Winter 2025–26 SAT® Dates and Deadlines
All SAT® information below is pulled from the College Board’s SAT® Dates & Deadlines and official flyers for the 2025–26 school year.
SAT® – December 6, 2025 (Registration is Closed)
The December SAT® is the last weekend SAT® of the fall and often serves as:
A last-chance test for seniors, and
A low-pressure first attempt for some juniors.
Registration is closed for the December 6th exam. Students sitting for this test should have already have:
Bluebook installed and devices fully tested.
Their admission ticket and acceptable ID ready.
A clear understanding of digital SAT® timing, section structure, and built-in tools.
For students, especially juniors, who are not registered for this December exam, steer them toward March 14, 2026 as the next realistic goal.
SAT® – March 14, 2026 (Key Winter SAT® for Juniors)
Although March falls late in the winter season, this is the first major SAT® of 2026 for most weekend test takers and the main winter target date to plan around.
For many juniors, March 14th is:
A first serious attempt following a winter prep plan, or
A follow-up for students who took a “trial” SAT® in the fall or simply haven’t met their target score.
Turn Winter Dates Into a 3-Step Solid Prep Plan
Dates are only useful if they lead to an actual plan. Once you know which of these winter tests a client is targeting, work backward.
1. Decide on the “anchor” test first.
Pick one anchor date as the central goal:
ACT®: February 14, 2026
SAT®: March 14, 2026
From there, use December in one of two ways:
As a final fall attempt (for seniors or advanced juniors), or
As a benchmark and planning period to prepare for the February/March exam.
This avoids the trap of constantly “maybe” registering for multiple tests with no clear plan.
2. Build an 8–10 week winter runway.
Working backward from the anchor date, set up a rough 8–10 week runway:
Week 1–2: Diagnostic testing (or updated diagnostics) and goal-setting.
Week 3–6: Core content work on the weakest areas + targeted strategy lessons.
Week 7–8: Timed sections and 1–2 full-length practices.
Final week: Light review, logistics, and confidence-building.
3. Use score-release timelines as coaching checkpoints.
The official ACT® and SAT® score-release timelines are also useful when discussing next steps with clients.
December ACT® scores (Dec 13 test): Initial release around Dec 30, 2025.
December SAT® scores (Dec 6 test): Available to students around Dec 19, 2025.
February ACT® scores (Feb 14 test): Initial release around Mar 3, 2026.
Frame those dates as built-in “decision points” and consider:
Did my client reach their target goal yet?
Do we want to register for the next available winter/spring date?
Do we shift focus to the other exam instead?
Holiday-Season Test-Prep Tips You Can Share With Your Clients
The winter calendar only works if students can actually stick to a plan during a busy season like winter.
Here are four simple guidelines you can pass along (and that you can adapt in your tutoring emails/newsletters):
1. Put test dates and deadlines on the family calendar now.
Encourage parents to add both the test date and registration deadline to their family calendar:
ACT®: December 13, 2025 & February 14, 2026 (with Jan 9 as a big “don’t miss” date).
SAT®: December 6, 2025 & March 14, 2026 (with Feb 27 marked for registration).
Once those are in place, it’s much easier to build schedules for other events.
2. Keep holiday-week goals small and specific.
Instead of pretending students will suddenly double their workload over winter break, ask them to commit to small, consistent actions, like:
2-3 timed sections
A short reading passage + explanation
A focused set of math problems on their weakest topic
Done consistently, those small steps can prevent learning loss over the long break.
3. Use portable practice for travel days.
For students out of town over the holidays, suggest “travel-friendly” practice:
Reading and summarizing an article (preferably in SAT®/ACT®-style prose)
A small no-calculator problem set
Reviewing prior mistakes and redoing missed questions
The goal is to keep test prep alive, not to recreate full tutoring sessions in a grandma’s guest room.
4. Plan a “re-entry” week for January.
Similar to prep after summer break, always assume that the first week back in January will be rusty.
Start with a light review of strategies and formulas
Give a short diagnostic check-in (one section)
Reset goals for the February ACT® and/or March SAT®
That way, students and parents don’t panic when the first post-break session proves a little weaker than before break.
Turning the Winter Calendar Into a Business Asset
Winter test dates aren’t just academic milestones; they’re also natural anchors for your marketing and client communication:
Use registration deadlines and score-release dates as reminders in your client email list.
Consider creating short winter “booster” packages tied specifically to the February ACT® and March SAT®.
Share a simplified version of the exam winter calendar in your newsletters or social media posts so families see you as the one keeping track of all the moving pieces.
Clear Choice Prep
At Clear Choice, we’ve built curriculum and software around these predictable test-date patterns. That way, tutors can plug in diagnostics, lessons, and practice tests without reinventing the wheel every season. If you’d like to see how this could work for your business, reach out for a quick demo and I’ll walk you through how to make winter test prep simpler and more effective for your clients.