This guide is for families in grades 5 to 11 applying to private schools in the 2026-27 cycle. It covers process rather than study method: test dates, registration deadlines, testing formats, when scores are released, who receives them, and when they can still be withdrawn. A missed date here usually pushes the application back a year.

Six standard test dates in the 2026-27 testing year

The SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test, the entrance exam used by many independent schools) runs on a testing year from 3 August 2026 to 31 July 2027, and registration opened on 3 August 2026. There are six standard paper test dates.

Test date Last day to register Accommodations deadline
10 October 2026 7 October 2026 26 September 2026
14 November 2026 11 November 2026 31 October 2026
12 December 2026 9 December 2026 28 November 2026
9 January 2027 6 January 2027 26 December 2026
30 January 2027 27 January 2027 16 January 2027
13 March 2027 10 March 2027 27 February 2027

Each date also carries a regular registration deadline, after which late and rush windows open at additional cost. Students needing extended time or other accommodations must apply by the date in the third column, two to three weeks earlier. That is the deadline families most often miss.

Four ways to sit the same exam

  • Standard paper test: at open test sites on the dates above, registered separately for each date.
  • Prometric test: computer-based at a Prometric test center, Middle and Upper Level only, coverage varying by area.
  • SSAT at Home: remotely proctored, Middle and Upper Level only, for students physically present in the United States, Canada or a US territory on the test date.
  • Flex test: a paper administration on a non-standard date, given by member educational consultants or member schools, which may charge their own fee.

Each student may take only one Flex test per testing year, 3 August 2026 to 20 July 2027, so keep it in reserve rather than using it first. Standard dates carry no such limit.

The two registration fields families get wrong

The first is grade. Percentiles compare a student against other test takers in the grade entered at registration, and families are asked to enter the current grade unless the school instructs otherwise. A student repeating a grade should generally enter one grade lower.

The second is score recipients, who can be added at registration, before the test, or after it. A recipient added after scores are released sees them immediately, and that cannot be undone. A score advisor is different: an advisor sees basic score information but not the full report or writing sample, unless also listed as a recipient.

Release timing and withdrawal windows

Scores reach the family and all designated recipients within three weeks, usually sooner: paper tests typically within two weeks, SSAT at Home on the Wednesday following the test date, and Prometric tests on the Wednesday following the Sunday that ends the scoring period.

There are two withdrawal options, on two different clocks.

  • Cancel the scoring of a test, within 24 hours of finishing. No one receives scores, and no refund is issued.
  • Cancel score recipients, within one business day of testing. Scores still reach the family and remaining recipients. After that window they cannot be recalled.

Two further rules shape strategy. Superscoring is not permitted, so each administration is reported in full. Scores stay available for this testing year and one more, and can no longer be viewed as of 1 August 2028.

A six-month countdown

Anchoring on a 31 January 2027 deadline:

  • July 2026: confirm entry grade and test level, sit one timed diagnostic, build the plan from section scores.
  • September 2026: register, and submit accommodations documentation if needed.
  • November 2026: one full-length proctored practice test every two weeks, focused on pacing.
  • December 2026: sit the first official test and prepare for interviews.
  • Within two weeks of scores: decide whether to sit 30 January or 13 March 2027.

December works as a first attempt because both later dates remain as retakes.

What EDUBUS recommends

The two process failures we see most often are late accommodations requests and a full recipient list submitted before the family understands the withdrawal rules. On registration day, put the six dates, the recipient list and the two withdrawal windows into one calendar.

The EDUBUS private school planning service handles school selection, the timeline and materials; the SSAT program covers preparation.

Sources

More on this topic