Bulk Registration Instructions and File
Specifications
General Specifications
•
All files submitted for Bulk Registration must be in MS Excel (Excel 97 or later) or Comma
Separated Value (.csv) format.
•
The first row of the file must contain the column headers in the order specified in the Bulk
Registration File Specification section (below), even if some fields are left blank. Required
fields are also indicated in the section below. Important: Removal of column headers or
changes to the column headers will prevent the file from processing successfully.
•
Files larger than 200 MB cannot be processed and will need to be reduced. An add-on file
may be submitted in order to upload all student registrations. Please note that a .csv file of
200 MB can contain up to 2 million records.
•
Files will be validated within 24 hours of upload to the Bulk Registration and Pre-ID Label Tool
but are frequently completed sooner. Files will be validated for correct column headers,
columns in the correct order, required fields populated, and valid field values. Files failing for
any of these reasons will not be processed. Files can be corrected by uploading a correct
replacement file or correcting the errors directly in the Bulk Registration and Pre-ID Label Tool.
•
Templates in MS Excel and .csv formats, with column headers populated, are available for
download at http://www.collegeboard.org/bulkregistration or from the Bulk Registration and
Pre-ID Label Tool . You may create files from scratch or from the templates provided as long as
it meets the specifications in this document.
•
Sample files in MS Excel and .csv formats, with column headers and example data populated,
are also available for download at http://www.collegeboard.org/bulkregistration or from
the Bulk Registration tool.
•
Additional tips on working with .csv files and preserving leading zeroes in Excel, can be found in
the Help documentation in the tool.
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Bulk Registration File Specification
Field Name
Maximum
Length
Required Field?
Valid Values
Notes
Attending Institution (AI) Code.
Unique identifying number for
PSAT/NMSQT and SAT High Schools.
Required if registering any students
for PSAT/NMSQT, with a “Y” in the
PSAT Test Administration Indicator
column.
AI CODE
6
Yes for PSAT
and SAT
No for
ReadiStep
Required if registering any students
for SAT, with a “Y” in the SAT Test
Administration Indicator column.
Numeric values (0‐9);
If less than 6 numbers provided,
system will fill with leading zeros.
AI Codes can be looked up here:
PSAT:
https://psatordering.collegeboar d.
org/pno/public/search.do
SAT
http://sat.collegeboard.org/regist er/s
at‐code‐search
Unique College Board identifier for
ReadiStep schools.
READISTEP
SCHOOL CODE
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6
Yes for
ReadiStep
No for PSAT
and SAT
Numeric values (0‐9);
Required if registering any students
for ReadiStep, with a “Y” in the
ReadiStep Test Administration
Indicator column.
ReadiStep School Codes can be
looked up
here: http://www.host‐ collegeboar
d.com/ReadiStep/sea rchRSCode.js
Field Name
Maximum
Length
Required Field?
Valid Values
Notes
Indicator if the student registration
is for a ReadiStep test.
A ReadiStep event must also be
selected during file submission.
READISTEP TEST
ADMINISTRATION
INDICATOR
1
Yes for
ReadiStep
No for PSAT
and SAT
Y = Yes
The ReadiStep School Code is
required if the ReadiStep Test
Administration Indicator is
populated as “Y”.
Note: Each student must have at
least one test administration
indicator (ReadiStep, PSAT, or SAT)
selected, and may have two or all
three selected.
Indicator if the student registration
is for a PSAT/NMSQT test.
PSAT TEST
ADMINISTRATION
INDICATOR
SAT TEST
ADMINISTRATION
INDICATOR
A PSAT/NMSQT event must also be
selected during file submission.
Yes for PSAT
1
No for
ReadiStep and
SAT
Y = Yes
Note: Each student must have at
least one test administration
indicator (ReadiStep, PSAT, or SAT)
selected, and may have two or all
three selected.
Indicator if the student registration
is for the SAT test.
A SAT event must also be selected
during file submission.
Yes for SAT
1
No for
ReadiStep and
PSAT
The AI Code is required if the PSAT
Test Administration Indicator is
populated as “Y”.
Y = Yes
The AI Code is required if the SAT
Test Administration Indicator is
populated as “Y”.
Note: Each student must have at
least one test administration
indicator (ReadiStep, PSAT, or SAT)
selected, and may have two or all
three selected.
LAST NAME
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15
Yes
Alpha values (A‐Z);
‘‐‘ – Hyphen;
‘ ‘ – Space
Student Last Name
Maximum
Length
Required Field?
FIRST NAME
12
Yes
MIDDLE INITIAL
1
No
SEX
1
Yes
Field Name
Valid Values
Alpha values (A‐Z);
‘‐‘ – Hyphen; ‘ ‘ –
Space
Alpha values (A‐Z)
M = Male
F = Female
Notes
Student First Name
Student Middle Initial
Student Gender
Student Date of Birth
DATE OF BIRTH
GRADE
ETHNICITY
8
2
2
Yes
MMDDYYYY format
Yes
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
OT
No
1 = American Indian
or Alaska Native
2 = Asian, Asian‐
American or Pacific
Islander
3 = Black or African
American
5 = Mexican or
Mexican American
6 = Puerto Rican
7 = Other Hispanic,
Latino or Latin
American
9 = White
10 = Other
= 6th Grade
= 7th Grade
= 8th Grade
= 9th Grade
= 10th Grade
= 11th Grade
= 12th Grade
= Other
If less than 8 numbers provided,
system will fill with leading zeros
Student Grade
Grade will be compared to date of
birth, and if the grade does not seem
aligned to expected birth date, it will
generate warning in the validation
log. Warnings do not stop the data
from being processed.
Student’s Racial/Ethnic Group
Student’s Mailing Street Address
MAILING STREET
ADDRESS
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Yes for SAT
25
No for
ReadiStep and
PSAT/NMSQT
Alpha values (A‐Z);
Numeric values (0‐9);
‘‐‘ – Hyphen;
‘.’ – Period;
“/” – Slash (valid for
PSAT and SAT only)
‘#’ – Number Sign; ‘
‘ – Space
While this field is required for SAT
registrations only, it is preferred for
ReadiStep and PSAT/NMSQT
registrations. Street addresses will
help match student data to their
score data. Addresses are not shared
externally unless a student indicates
“Yes” to Student Search Service on
test day.
Field Name
MAILING STREET
ADDRESS 2
Maximum
Length
25
Required Field?
No
Yes for SAT
MAILING CITY
MAILING STATE
ABBREVIATION
26
No for Readistep
and PSAT/NMSQT
Valid Values
Alpha values (A‐Z);
Numeric values (0‐9);
‘‐‘ – Hyphen;
‘.’ – Period;
“/” – Slash (valid for
PSAT and SAT only)
‘#’ – Number Sign;
‘ ‘ – Space
A‐Z; Alpha values (A‐Z);
‘‐‘ – Hyphen;
‘.’ – Period;
‘ ‘ – Space
Yes for SAT
2
No for Readistep
and PSAT/NMSQT
Valid alpha state code
Notes
Student’s Mailing Street Address
This field is not required and reported
for SAT registrations only. Street
addresses will help match student
data to their score data. Addresses are
not shared externally unless a student
indicates “Yes” to Student Search
Service on test day.
Student’s Mailing City Name
While this field is required for SAT
registrations only, it is preferred for
ReadiStep and PSAT/NMSQT
registrations.
If this field is populated for ReadiStep
or PSAT/NMSQT registrations, it will
be truncated to 15 characters in the
Pre-ID labels and data reports.
Student’s Mailing State Abbreviation
While this field is required for SAT
registrations only, it is preferred for
ReadiStep and PSAT/NMSQT
registrations.
Leave blank for international
addresses.
MAILING ZIPCODE
10
MAILING COUNTRY
CODE
2
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US Zip codes Numeric
values (0‐9); No
Student’s Postal Code
Dashes;
5 or 9 Digits (##### or While this field is required for SAT
#########)
registrations only, it is preferred
Yes for SAT
for ReadiStep and PSAT/NMSQT
International
registrations.
No for Readistep
Postal Codes
and PSAT/NMSQT
Alpha values (A‐Z);
If less than 5 or 9 numbers
Numeric values (0‐9);
provided for US addresses,
‘‐‘ – Hyphen;
system will fill with leading
zeros.
‘/’ – Forward slash;
‘ ‘ – Space
Student’s mailing two character
country code, for example US.
Valid country code
No
While this field is optional, it is
preferred.
Field Name
TELEPHONE
NUMBER
Maximum
Length
Required Field?
15
No
Valid Values
Numeric values
(0-9); No '-' or '()'
or '+' ; No spaces
Notes
Student’s telephone number
Student’s Social Security number
SOCIAL SECURITY
NUMBER
9
No
Numeric values (0-9)
No dashes
Please provide ONLY if this is your
unique student identifier needed to
match back to your systems.
If less than 9 numbers provided,
system will fill with leading zeros.
EMAIL ADDRESS
50
No
STUDENT ID
NUMBER
25
No
TYPE OF STUDENT
ID
1
No
Alpha values (A-Z);
Numeric values (0-9);
Special character:
Student’s email address
!#$%’*+-/=?^_`{|}
No embedded spaces;
Must contain ‘@’ and ‘.’
Education student ID number,
such as State ID, District ID or
School ID.
Alpha values (A-Z);
Numeric values (0-9);
This field will not be included in
No embedded spaces
the Pre-ID labels or downstream
data reports if Student ID is
greater than 15 characters.
Type of Student ID provided in prior
field, if applicable.
1 = State
2 = District
If not indicated, and Student ID number
3 = School
provided, 1 (State) will be defaulted.
SSD ID NUMBER
10
No
Numeric values (0-9)
FREE AND
REDUCED LUNCH
1
No
Y= Yes
N= No
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Services for Students with Disabilities
(SSD) ID, as assigned by the College
Board when an accommodations
request is approved. Not reported back
at this time, but may be reported back
in the future as part of new data
initiatives.
Student Demograpic Flag; not reported
back at this time, but may be reported
back in the future as part of new data
initiatives.
Log – Post validation additional fields
After your submitted file is validated, a log file will be available for viewing. Errors are
problems that must be fixed in order for the file to be processed. Warnings are potential
problems that can be ignored if verified as correct. The log file will contain your original file,
plus eight additional columns at the end. The additional columns are listed below and contain
status information to help you locate and correct issues in your data and determine the
record’s fulfillment status.
To address errors and warnings, you may upload a new file that replaces the existing file. If you choose to
upload a replacement file, you may correct your data using the log file and optionally removing the last eight
columns. Save the file locally and submit it as a replacement file (in .csv or MS Excel format) using the actions
available on the dashboard or request details page.
Note: when using your log file to create a new upload file in Excel, be mindful of working with leading zeros in
Excel. If Date of Birth, Grade, Mailing Zipcodes, Student ID Numbers, or SSD ID Numbers contain leading zeros,
you will need to follow special steps when opening your log or your original file, to prevent loss of leading zeros.
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Field Name
VALIDATION STATUS
Description
This is the status of each record. There are three statuses are: Passed (i.e., no errors
or warnings), Passed w/ Warnings (i.e., no errors, one or more warnings), and Failed
(i.e., one or more errors).
TOTAL NUMBER
OF ERRORS
This is the total number of errors generated for the record during the validation.
ERROR DESCRIPTION
This contains up to the first five errors for the record. When there are more than five
errors for a record, it will say “more...” at the end. For details on validation rules, see
below.
TOTAL NUMBER
OF WARNINGS
This is the total number of warnings generated for the record during the validation.
WARNING
DESCRIPTION
READISTEP
FULFILLMENT
STATUS
PSAT
FULFILLMENT
STATUS
SAT
FULFILLMENT
STATUS
This contains up to the first five warnings for the record. When there are more than five
warnings for a record, it will say “more...” at the end. For details on validation rules, see
below.
This contains the ReadiStep fulfillment status for the record.
• Records that are not ReadiStep records will have “N/A.”
• Prior to fulfillment, ReadiStep records will either be “Pending Fulfillment” or “Will
Not Be Fulfilled”, depending on whether or not the record contains errors that will
prevent it from being fulfilled.
• After fulfillment, ReadiStep records will either be “In Fulfillment” or “Not
Fulfilled”, depending on if the record was fulfilled.
This contains the PSAT/NMSQT fulfillment status for the record.
• Records that are not PSAT records will have “N/A.”
• Prior to fulfillment, PSAT records will either be “Pending Fulfillment” or “Will Not
Be Fulfilled”, depending on whether or not the record contains errors that will
prevent it from being fulfilled.
• After fulfillment, PSAT records will either be “In Fulfillment” or “Not Fulfilled”,
depending on if the record was fulfilled.
This contains the SAT fulfillment status for the record. The fulfillment status will be
updated on a nightly basis.
• Records that are not SAT records will have “N/A.”
• Prior to fulfillment, SAT records will either be “Pending Fulfillment” or “Will Not
Be Fulfilled”, depending on whether or not the record contains errors that will
prevent it from being fulfilled.
• After fulfillment, SAT records will be “Not Fulfilled”, if the record contained an
error that prevented it from being fulfilled. Records that were fulfilled will have a
status that reflects where it is within the SAT Registration process, including In
Fulfillment, Registration Pending, and Registration Complete.
Field-Level Validation Error Messages
Note: The field name will be inserted in front of the Error message (e.g., AI Code: Required Field)
Field Name
Error Message
Multiple Fields
Duplicate record
ALL FIELDS
Field length greater than maximum length
Field length less than minimum length
Invalid value
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Validation Rules
More than one record contains the exact same
information for a student for a specific event
Field exceeds maximum length
Field does not meet minimum length
Data contains invalid characters
Field Name
Error Message
Required field
Required field
Invalid value
ReadiStep School Code and AI Code are not
for the same organization
AI Code
Invalid value
Invalid Value
Student is not covered by a contract
Required field
Invalid value
Invalid value
ReadiStep
School Code
ReadiStep School Code and AI Code are not
for the same organization
Invalid value
ReadiStep Test
Administration
Indicator
PSAT Test
Administration
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A ReadiStep event was not selected for this
Bulk Registration file
At least one Test Administration is required
A PSAT event was not selected for this Bulk
Registration file
Validation Rules
Field is required, but is not populated
If PSAT Test Administration Indicator or SAT
Test Administrator Indicator equals 'Y', then
required.
AI Code must exist and status must be active.
If PSAT Test Administration Indicator and/or
SAT Test Administrator Indicator equals 'Y' and
ReadiStep Test Administration Indicator equals
'Y', then AI Code and ReadiStep School Code
must be for the same organization.
For PSAT Records, the Organization ID
corresponding to the AI Code must be either
(1) the same as the submitting Organization ID
or (2) must be in the Enterprise organization
relationship hierarchy of the submitting
Organization ID.
For SAT Records, the Organization ID
corresponding to the AI Code must be either
(1) the same as the submitting Organization ID
or (2) must be in the SAT contract relationship
hierarchy of the submitting Organization ID.
For SAT records, the AI Code and Grade Level
of the student must be for a valid contract
If ReadiStep Test Administration Indicator
equals 'Y', then required.
Organization ID must exist and status must be
active.
The Organization ID must be for a school.
If PSAT Test Administration Indicator and/or
SAT Test Administrator Indicator equals 'Y' and
ReadiStep Test Administration Indicator equals
'Y', then AI Code and ReadiStep School Code
must be for the same organization.
The Organization ID must be either (1) the
same as the submitting Organization ID or (2)
must be in the Enterprise organization
relationship hierarchy of the submitting
Organization ID.
If equal to 'Y', then Bulk Registration event for
ReadiStep program must be selected.
Either ReadiStep Test Administration Indicator
or PSAT Test Administration Indicator, or both,
must equal 'Y'; if neither is set to 'Y', then error
for all selected registration event(s).
If equal to 'Y', then Bulk Registration event for
PSAT program must be selected.
Field Name
Indicator
Error Message
At least one Test Administration is required
A SAT event was not selected for this Bulk
Registration file
SAT Test
Administration
Indicator
At least one Test Administration is required
Date of Birth
Invalid value
Grade
Invalid grade for ReadiStep
Mailing State
(short)
Invalid value
Invalid value
Mailing
Zipcode
Invalid value
Mailing
Country Code
SAT Test
Center
Invalid value
A Test Center ID is required for this school
The Test Center ID is not valid for this school
Validation Rules
Either ReadiStep Test Administration Indicator
or PSAT Test Administration Indicator, or both,
must equal 'Y'; if neither is set to 'Y', then error
for all selected registration event(s).
If equal to 'Y', then Bulk Registration event for
SAT program must be selected.
The SAT Test Administration Indicator,
ReadiStep Test Administration Indicator or
PSAT Test Administration Indicator, or any
combination, must equal 'Y'; if none are set to
'Y', then error for all selected registration
event(s).
Must be a valid date.
If ReadiStep Test Administration Indicator
equals 'Y', then only valid values are:
06 = 6th Grade
07 = 7th Grade
08 = 8th Grade
09 = 9th Grade
10 = 10th Grade
Must be blank or must equal a valid, active
enterprise State Code.
If Country Code = US or Blank, then must be
blank, 5 or 9 digits. Valid values are numeric
only (0-9).
If Country Code is not US, then cannot exceed
10 digits. Valid values can be A-Z, 0-9, -, /,
space or blank
Must equal a valid, active enterprise Country
Code or be blank. (If blank, assume 'US').
If SAT Test Administration Indicator = ‘Y’ and AI
Code is contained within the SAT School Day
Test Center List, then required
Must be a valid Test Center ID for the AI Code
Field-Level Validation Warning Messages
Note: The field name will be inserted in front of the Warning message (e.g., Date of Birth: Student is younger than
expected for the indicated grade)
Field Name
AI Code
ReadiStep School Code
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Warning Message
Organization cannot administer
the test
Organization has not ordered
tests
Validation Rules
AI Code is not for a Level 2 School
The Organization must have placed an order for
ReadiStep.
Field Name
Student Last Name
Student First Name
Mailing Street Address
Mailing City
Student Last Name
Student First Name
Date of Birth
SAT Test Center
Student ID
for Registration File only
Student Telephone Number
Social Security Number
Email Address
Warning Message
Validation Rules
Invalid characters were removed
Strip invalid characters
Data was truncated to maximum
length
Truncate to maximum length
Student is younger than expected
for the indicated grade
Student is older than expected
for the indicated grade
The age of the student on October 31 of the
current school year should be within the
Minimum and Maximum expected ages, as
outlined below.
Grade
Min Age Max Age
6
10.8
12.2
7
11.8
13.2
8
12.8
14.2
9
13.8
15.2
10
14.8
16.2
11
15.8
17.2
12
16.8
18.2
The Test Center ID is not valid;
therefore the default test center
for the school will be used.
It is recommended that Student
ID be included for students
A SAT Test Center was provided for an AI Code
that does not have a multiple test centers
associated with it in the contract.
Invalid characters were removed
Strip invalid characters
Student ID is not provided for the student.
© 2014 The College Board. College Board and the acorn logo are registered trademarks of the College Board.
ReadiStep is a trademark owned by the College Board. PSAT/NMSQT is a registered trademark of the College Board
and National Merit Scholarship Corporation. All other products and services may be trademarks of their respective
owners. Visit the College Board on the Web: www.collegeboard.org.
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