COVID-19 and College Exams
Back in March when social distancing and quarantining became a part of our everyday lives, many events cancelled or rescheduled their dates. Chiefly among those in regards to high schoolers’ academic careers were the SAT and ACT college admission exams. The SAT on March 14th was cancelled for many, but others managed to still take it. It varied based on location. CollegeBoard opted to cancel the May 2nd exam and postpone until June 6th. Then, the April 4th ACT was postponed until further notice. However, since the COVID-19 situation hasn’t seemed to slow down much, both exams have had their schedules affected yet again.
Rescheduling and Refunding: SAT
As of now (April 21st, 2020), the CollegeBoard has entirely cancelled the June 6th SAT and will a new testing date in September to go along with the tests scheduled for August 29th, October 3rd, November 7th, and December 5th. Registration opens up in May for these dates with eligible students being able to opt for a fee waver. In addition, students who signed up for the June test or are in the class of 2021 and don’t have scores yet can sign up early. Refunds will be offered to those students who already registered for May, whose March test centers were closed, or who do not receive March scores because of any irregularities. In a worse-case scenario, the CollegeBoard has even said that they may provide the SAT for digital home use, much like the AP exams they are administering digitally. More information can be found on their website.
Rescheduling and Refunding: ACT
The ACT has postponed their April exam to June 13th in response to COVID-19. This comes with free rescheduling for anyone who signed up for the April 4th exam. However, keep in mind that students will have to manually reschedule via instructions sent by email near the end of April. There will also be a July 18th test date in case the June exam doesn’t work for any students. Refunds will be provided for any student who signed up for April and cannot take the June exam. Furthermore, they are offering free online resources like webinars, bootcamps, and workshops for all topics covered in the exam here. The ACT urges students and parents to keep up to date with information by using their website.
Stay Informed and Stay Safe
Parents and students should all be keeping up with the latest updates from school districts, colleges, and testing organizations like the SAT and ACT. It is extremely important for all students’ future, especially in these trying times. They should make sure to sign up for mailing lists from all related parties, if possible. On top of that, checking respective websites should be enough to stay up to date. Everyone should continue practicing social distancing until the worst is over. Understanding that keeping oneself safe also prevents others from being hurt is the most essential fact of this situation. It’s certainly not convenient and may even seem like the future is bleak for students who are missing out on school and college opportunities. Always remember that well-being is the most important part to living a good life. Stay safe and healthy and everything else will follow with time and dedication!
