College Board (PSAT/SAT)

The Optional SAT with Essay in Colorado

When taking the Colorado school day SAT this spring, 11th grade students will have the option of taking the SAT with or without the optional essay. Adding the essay to their SAT registration is a student choice.

The default registration for all students is the SAT without essay. Students who wish to take the optional essay must register for it in advance; bulk registration for the SAT essay is not available.

Students and Parents - please be aware of the essay registration window! Schools will not receive extra essay materials for test day changes, therefore please be sure students register during the window.

The essay registration window is Jan. 17 – Feb. 15, 2022

This will be the only opportunity for students who wish to take the optional essay to add it to their April school day test registration.

Students may add the essay to their registration:

• Through their online College Board account, or by

• Calling the College Board.

Additional Information:

• The SAT Essay is scored separately from the SAT. A student’s score on the essay will not improve or reduce their score on the SAT.

• Students taking the SAT with essay must be tested in a separate room from students taking the SAT without essay. The SAT with essay will take approximately one hour longer than the SAT without essay.

• The optional essay is only offered as part of the 11th grade SAT. There is no essay option for the PSAT 8/9 for 9th graders or the PSAT 10 for 10th graders.

• Directions for this activity is below, part of a flyer for parents and students about the optional essay.

• There is a short webinar available on what the essay measures as well as how students can register,. You can access this webinar here, and the password is Colorado2@22 to play the recording.