By Jeffrey Dalton

Students around the world have just written the March SAT. Ideally, they have been preparing for weeks if not months, learning the material and sitting diagnostics and attending SAT prep classes. Education consultants create elaborate scheduling plans to ensure that students optimize their SAT score. On the day of the exam, students are hopefully well-rested and calm and are in the best possible position to succeed on the SAT.

Sometimes, however, things do not go according to plan.

College Board goes to great lengths to ensure uniformity in testing administration and integrity in testing security. In theory, taking the SAT anywhere on earth is the same experience no matter where you are. In practice, the world is a complicated place, and attempts at uniformity and integrity, however serious and well-intentioned, cannot account for every contingency.

Test Administration

Proctor quality matters. Individuals in the test room administering the SAT should be well-versed in the instructions for the test and in the timings for all of the sections. They should be in a position to control the classroom and maintain order and silence. The site should mimic the educational environment of a regular classroom exam.

Students have a right to fair and accurate test administration. This means that the appropriate number of breaks are offered, in the right order, and for the correct duration of time. This also means that a reasonable degree of silence should be maintained in the classroom of testing space. Proctors have little control over what happens outside of the classroom (ambient noise from the environment outside the testing center is unfortunate but mostly beyond anyone’s control) while inside the classroom is wholly within their jurisdiction.

If the classroom is too noisy - either because students are loud or proctors themselves are disturbing - any student has the ability to ask the proctor to intervene. Proctors should apply the policies laid out by the College Board exactly as they have been described.

Test Security

Cheating happens. While College Board makes every effort to maintain testing security and integrity, students the world over find ways to get past the system. Whether they chat openly during sections or consult their phones at any time, students have broken and continue to break the rules in order to maximize their scores.

College Board has a vast security apparatus to maintain the integrity of their exams; it is in their best interest to do so, in order to maintain the continued viability of standardized testing. While College Board actively patrols the internet to find leaked tests, for example, they also rely upon ordinary students at compromised testing sites to report any wrongdoing or malfeasance.

If you notice someone cheating on the test, say something. It hurts everyone, not just you!

Notifying College Board

If you would like to contact College Board to file a complaint about the test center, send an email to this address: [email protected]. This account specifically handles complaints and concerns about test centers. Reporting is routine and College Board expects responses.

If you would like to contact College Board about cheating, send an email to this address: [email protected]. College Board devotes considerable resources to maintaining the integrity of its examinations, particularly the SAT. Authorities want to hear from students of any irregularities or concerns.

Conclusion

In an era of “Test Optional” and “Test Blind” college admissions, there is more uncertainty than ever about standardized testing—especially the SAT. What students don’t need is even more uncertainty in the testing center. After studying for months and prepping fastidiously, each and every student should have the ability to sit the SAT in as close to optimal circumstances as possible. Some students will receive scholarships for their performance on the SAT; others will significantly improve their chances of enrolling at a top university for undergraduate education. The SAT remains important for students globally.

While every effort is made to ensure a positive testing experience, students should feel empowered to ask for better conditions in the case of an adverse testing situation—and to notify College Board in the event that their SAT testing administration has been compromised. Here in Dubai and in Abu Dhabi, we encourage students to report any testing irregularities they encounter. Through properly-administered testing, students should have every opportunity to achieve the SAT score of their dreams.

- Hale Education Group