# Can you use scratch paper on the SAT? | 1600.now

Source: https://1600.now/sat-faq/can-you-use-scratch-paper-on-the-digital-sat

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Format and timing

Yes. Testing staff provide scratch paper for both Reading and Writing and Math. You may not bring your own paper; ask the proctor if you need more, and leave all scratch paper with testing staff afterward.

Written by [Luke Finigan](https://1600.now/about)

2 min read Updated Oct 2, 2026

### Do proctors hand it out?

The paper comes from testing staff, not from a notebook you bring. Follow the proctor’s instructions for distribution and requesting another sheet. You cannot take the scratch paper out after testing.

Bring a permitted pen or pencil for scratch work. A stylus or electronic writing device is not a substitute for allowed paper-and-pencil materials under the testing rules.

### Can I use it in Reading and Writing?

Yes. Scratch paper is not limited to Math. It can help you separate a claim from a result in a data question or note the relationship needed for a transition. Keep the note shorter than the passage; copying the passage uses time without adding a new check.

### Make flagged Math questions easy to find

Label work with the module and question number before calculating. Write the requested quantity near the final value: “radius,” “percent,” or “x-coordinate,” for example.

If your graph gives $(3,9)$ but the question asks for $x$, record 3, not 9. Before returning to a flagged question, locate its numbered work instead of trying to recreate what an unlabeled calculation meant.

### Sources and current rules

- [College Board: SAT Weekend testing rules](https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/testing-rules/sat)

### Related SAT answers

- **[Can you bring a calculator to the SAT?](https://1600.now/sat-faq/can-you-bring-a-calculator-to-the-sat)**

  Yes. You may bring an approved non-CAS handheld calculator for Math, or use Bluebook’s embedded Desmos scientific or graphing calculator. Calculator use is allowed throughout Math, but not during Reading and Writing.
- **[What happens if you run out of time on the SAT?](https://1600.now/sat-faq/what-happens-if-you-run-out-of-time-on-sat)**

  When a digital SAT module’s timer ends, you lose access to that module and continue according to the test sequence. Blank answers do not earn credit, and there is no wrong-answer deduction, so make a best attempt before time expires.

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