Straight answers
When do SAT scores come out?
Scores usually appear in your College Board online account about two weeks after you test — often around the thirteenth day. You'll see the total score, both section scores, and performance bands by content domain — not a question-by-question breakdown, which the digital SAT does not provide; score reports then go out to any colleges you designated.
Every test date has its own posted release date, so the exact day is published in advance rather than being a surprise. Scores arrive in the student's own College Board account — not by mail, and not through the school — so keeping that login accessible matters more than most families expect.
The score report is the most useful part and the most ignored. Beyond the headline number, it breaks results down into performance bands across the content domains. It will not show you which individual questions you missed — that service was retired with the digital SAT. That breakdown is what should drive the next few weeks of practice if you're planning a retake — much more than the total score alone.
Sending scores to colleges is handled from that same College Board account. Some sends are included around the time you register or test and additional sends carry a fee, so it's worth checking the current fee schedule before assuming any particular send is free. Students with fee waivers get score sends covered.
Colleges receive scores on their own schedule after you request the send — usually within a couple of weeks — so for a hard application deadline, request the send well before the deadline rather than the week of.