As the pandemic continues to cause changes on the educational front, staff at the College Board and ACT will make adjustments to comply with local health and safety requirements. With SAT/ACT test dates on the horizon, here are a few things to keep in mind as your student makes preparations for these key college entrance exams.
We know from experience that test centers may close or make changes on short notice, including on test day, and they may even close for the scheduled makeup date.
Summit Recommends:
- Check the test center and testing company websites regularly for news of cancellations. Monitor your email accounts for any changes to the student’s test registration up to test day. You can monitor test center cancellations using the following links, (but bear in mind that sometimes schools delay or overlook reporting cancellation or limitation decisions to ACT/College Board – so it’s best to check with the test site as well):
ACT: https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-day/rescheduled-test-centers.html
SAT: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register/test-center-closings
- If your student is traveling to another state to test, check in advance and make sure to follow any quarantine requirements or travel restrictions in the location in which they’re testing. Bear in mind that test centers may require proof that they’ve followed quarantine requirements and/or travel restrictions at check-in.
If Your Student’s Test Center Cancels the Scheduled Exam:
- If your student’s test center closes or reduces capacity, your student can try to switch to a different test center, as long as it happens before the late registration deadline.
- If your student is not able to find a nearby test center with availability, or the change in their test status happens after the late registration deadline, they can: request standby testing (ACT), to be added to the waitlist (SAT), or simply wait to test on the next available test date.
- And finally, if your student’s test is canceled and cannot be rebooked on the original date, encourage your student to take a proctored practice test in the Summit office on the date/weekend of the original test. That way they’ll get a chance to test in a simulated environment and better understand what to expect on the big day. As of now, we plan to continue offering in-office practice tests every weekend, with reduced capacity and safety protocols in place.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us. We are here to help.