Pandemic Preparedness: Watch for Spring SAT/ACT Date Changes

As the looming pandemic continues to result in changes on the educational front, staff at the College Board and ACT continue to pivot to adhere to changing local health and safety requirements. With SAT/ACT spring 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. ACT students may register to test at a pop-up site, if one is nearby. Pop-up sites are operated by ACT and generally do not cancel on short notice.

• 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, in the event that 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 take a practice test and gain a better understanding of 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.