Blog
How score release actually works.
Plain guides to the rules behind the dates: release times, timing windows, score holds and upcoming changes. Every fact is checked against the organization that releases the scores.
Score release basics
How release dates, times and waiting periods work across exams.
- Score release basicsWhat time are exam scores released? Official times by examLSAT at 9 a.m. ET, MCAT by 5 p.m. ET and COMLEX by 5 p.m. Central. Most other exams publish no time at all, and that changes how you wait.Read the guide
- Score release basicsOfficial, target and estimated score release dates explainedFour kinds of dates appear on score calendars. Each one tells you something different about how sure the date is.Read the guide
- Score release basicsUnofficial vs official exam scores: which exams show them earlyGRE, some Praxis tests and NCLEX Quick Results give an early look. MCAT, LSAT and the CPA Exam never do. Only the official report counts.Read the guide
- Score release basicsBusiness days and exam results: how the wait is countedTen business days across Christmas and New Year's Day is 18 calendar days. The counting rules, the 2026 and 2027 holidays, and three examples.Read the guide
- Score release basicsExam score late? What to check before you contact anyoneA missing score is usually the wrong date, an unfinished window or an account hold. What each organization says about delays, exam by exam.Read the guide
CPA, CFA, CMA and CFP
Target dates, testing windows, the 2027 CPA platform change and month-based CMA timing.
- CPA, CFA, CMA and CFPHow CPA score release dates work for Core and DisciplineCore sections follow AICPA's data receipt deadlines; Discipline sections follow quarterly windows. Tables of every current target date.Read the guide
- CPA, CFA, CMA and CFPCPA Exam 2027 platform change: what happens to score releaseNo testing July 1 to 11, 2027, then a year of quarterly releases while AICPA recalibrates exam items on the new platform.Read the guide
- CPA, CFA, CMA and CFPCFA results timing: the 5 to 9 week rule and announced datesResults come 5 to 9 weeks after the window closes, counted from its last day. Sometimes CFA Institute names the date in advance.Read the guide
- CPA, CFA, CMA and CFPCPA scores after the target date: Score Notice and delaysA target date starts the process rather than ending it. Scores post within about 48 hours of NASBA receiving them, then the Score Notice.Read the guide
- CPA, CFA, CMA and CFPCMA exam results: the six week rule counted from month endIMA counts the six weeks from the end of your testing month, so a test on the 3rd and one on the 28th get results at the same time.Read the guide
- CPA, CFA, CMA and CFPCFP exam results: preliminary on test day, official in 4 weeksYou get a preliminary CFP result at the test center. The official email comes about four weeks after the whole window closes.Read the guide
LSAT, bar exam and MPRE
Score holds, NextGen bar scores and how the MPRE fits into admission.
- LSAT, bar exam and MPRELSAT score not released? Writing sample and account holdsNo approved writing sample or an account hold means no score at 9 a.m. ET. Processing takes up to three weeks, so timing matters.Read the guide
- LSAT, bar exam and MPRENextGen bar exam scores: the 500 to 750 scale and resultsOne score on a 500 to 750 scale, passing scores set locally, and results released only after your jurisdiction announces them.Read the guide
- LSAT, bar exam and MPREMPRE scores and bar admission: timing, reports and transfersScores typically arrive within five weeks on NCBE Score Services, go to the jurisdiction you named, and pass marks vary by jurisdiction.Read the guide
- LSAT, bar exam and MPREBar exam results day: portals, pass lists and release timesThere is no national bar results day. Each board picks a date, posts to its own portal and often publishes a pass list later.Read the guide
MCAT, USMLE, COMLEX, NCLEX and PANCE
Why MCAT scores take a month, COMLEX windows, the USMLE wait, NCLEX and PANCE results.
- MCAT, USMLE, COMLEX, NCLEX and PANCEWhy MCAT scores take 30 to 35 days, and what 5 p.m. ET meansAAMC scales and equates every exam form and reviews test-day concerns before releasing scores by 5 p.m. ET about a month later.Read the guide
- MCAT, USMLE, COMLEX, NCLEX and PANCENCLEX Quick Results vs official results: what each one meansTwo ways to learn your NCLEX result, on two timelines. Only one of them lets you practice.Read the guide
- MCAT, USMLE, COMLEX, NCLEX and PANCEUSMLE score release: the four week norm and eight week ruleMost USMLE results arrive within four weeks, but USMLE tells you to plan for eight. The notice comes from whoever registered you.Read the guide
- MCAT, USMLE, COMLEX, NCLEX and PANCECOMLEX score release: testing windows, levels and 5 p.m. CTNBOME gives every testing window one release date. Level 1 and 2-CE take two to six weeks from the window's end; Level 3 takes longer.Read the guide
- MCAT, USMLE, COMLEX, NCLEX and PANCEPANCE results: the two week wait, the score scale and PA-CNCCPA posts PANCE results about two weeks after the exam. The scale runs 200 to 800, and 350 passes.Read the guide
SAT, ACT and AP
Student and educator release dates, writing scores and the July AP release.
- SAT, ACT and APSAT score release: student dates, educator dates and state testsEvery weekend SAT has two release dates: students first, educators a few days later. School day tests follow your state's schedule.Read the guide
- SAT, ACT and APACT score release dates and why writing scores come laterACT lists an initial release date for each national test. Over 97% of scores arrive within about 2 to 4 weeks; writing can lag behind.Read the guide
- SAT, ACT and APAP scores: the July release and what to do if yours is missingAP scores come out once a year, in July. The exact 2027 date arrives in spring 2027, and some scores take longer than others.Read the guide
GRE, TOEFL, Praxis, FE and PE
ScoreSelect and Subject Test dates, TOEFL score timing, Praxis reporting days and NCEES timelines.
- GRE, TOEFL, Praxis, FE and PEGRE scores: ScoreSelect, sending scores and Subject Test datesGeneral Test scores follow an 8 to 10 day rule; Subject Tests have fixed dates. ScoreSelect decides which scores schools see.Read the guide
- GRE, TOEFL, Praxis, FE and PEPraxis score reporting dates: Tuesdays, Fridays and your testYour Praxis date depends on which test you took, where and when. ETS reports on Tuesdays and Fridays and shifts dates around holidays.Read the guide
- GRE, TOEFL, Praxis, FE and PEFE and PE exam results: business days, weeks and depth examsMost NCEES results post in 7 to 10 business days. PE Structural depth sections take 10 to 13 weeks because of standard setting.Read the guide
- GRE, TOEFL, Praxis, FE and PETOEFL iBT scores: 3 days, PDF reports and when copies arriveTOEFL is one of the fastest: scores in 3 days, a PDF a day or two later, and unofficial Reading and Listening before you leave.Read the guide
Looking for a date rather than an explanation? The 2026 calendar lists every upcoming release, and all exams links to each exam's page.