<p>Son is taking the SAT for the first time on Saturday. He keeps getting messages from College Board asking him to choose schools to send his scores to. Does he have to choose schools now? Or can he wait until the scores come in or even after another sitting? He is only a junior and hasnt really finalized his college list yet.</p>
<p>You do not have to list any colleges and can decide later where to send scores. The difference is in cost. With each test date registration, you get to send scores to up to four colleges for no extra charge above what you pay to take the test. However, to use those “free sends” you must designate those four colleges in your test registration and you must do that before test scores are released; you actually have until 9 days after the test date (till second Monday after the test) to make those designations. Failure to make those designations forfeits your free sends for that test date. You can wait until after scores come out to order scores sent, and in your case you can wait until next fall, but ordering scores sent after they have been released means you will pay an additional fee for that order of $11 per college (which I suspect might be $12 by next year).</p>
<p>Though you cannot recapture those four free sends, you do get four new ones with every test registration. Thus, if he takes an SAT or SAT subject test later, he will again have the opportunity to list four colleges and if he does so, College Board will send to those colleges, when that test score is released, that particular test plus all prior tests he has taken unless you choose to withhold prior tests. Thus even if you don’t designate now you will have a chance to send the scores from this test for free again if he takes another test later.</p>