SAT and PSAT Rescheduling Due to COVID-19
February 11, 2021
Following mounting COVID-19 and weather restrictions, the uncertainty around SAT testing has become a struggle for those who plan to take and administer the assessment.
According to the College Board, “Test centers make individual decisions about whether to administer the SAT, and they may close before the administration, right up until test day” (collegeboard.org).
The College Board website states, “While College Board can’t directly control test center capacity and availability, we’re working to ensure as many students as possible are able to test safely” (collegeboard.com).
On January 25, in an announcement sent to the students taking the PSAT and SAT, San Diego Unified School District stated, “The inclement weather creates the potential exposure of testing materials and other testing irregularities that could invalidate the test. Our district leadership contacted College Board to request that the test be postponed until after the storm had passed or allow our students to take the exam online.” Currently, the district’s SAT exam is set for March 24, and juniors can use this score towards the National Merit Scholarship if they sign up to do so.
According to Junior Haley Reahr, “I was given a little more time to study, but honestly, overall it is inconvenient. I plan on going to a community college before a university, and I am worried that if I don’t take the SAT, I will miss the deadline.”
While many schools stated that standardized tests are not required for acceptance as a result of the pandemic, many students still wish to take the tests and show their academic capability. According to Prep Scholar, schools that don’t require SAT or ACT exam results for the 2020 to 2021 admissions cycle include the University of California system, all Ivy League schools, many top public schools, and top liberal arts colleges (prepscholar.com).
According to the website of a public school system in Maryland, “More than 700 students were set to take the exam at their home high school, and CCPS is canceling out of COVID-19 safety concerns,” sparking debate surrounding the inconvenience of last-minute test postponements (cboe.com).
