SAT Exam Needs To Be More Accessible To Students

The good news for high school students is that registration is now open for the August, September and October SAT exams. The bad news is that the demand is exceeding the supply. Many students and parents who logged into CollegeBoard.org as soon as registration opened ¬¬¬reported that the process took hours, and many were initially unsuccessful in their attempt to register.

Last year more than 2.2 million students took the test, recognizing its importance for college admissions, scholarships, class placement, and more. Anticipating that high demand for testing opportunities would be challenged by a limited seating capacity due to public health restrictions, College Board has asked testing sites (primarily high schools) to maximize their testing capacity. But there’s a simpler solution.

College Board should consider adding an afternoon test on each of their upcoming testing dates, which would double the testing capacity at each site. Currently, students typically report at 8 a.m. for a Saturday SAT exam which includes 3 hours of testing material as well as an optional 50-minute essay. Testing sites could offer another SAT exam at 1:30, utilizing the same rooms and the same proctors. An identical process could even take place on the Sunday of each testing weekend, again offering both a morning and an afternoon test. This solution, which is not unprecedented, would increase SAT testing capacity by 400%.  

Offering multiple tests in one day is the solution currently in effect for the MCAT exam, taken by students applying to medical schools. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) put into effect a policy, for exam dates between May 29th and September 28th of 2020, allowing students to register to test at 6:30 am, 12:15 pm, or 6:00 pm.  Previously, the MCAT was offered only once in a day, similar to the SAT exam.      

This may be the ideal solution as, due to technological and fairness issues, College Board has rescinded its plan to offer a digital SAT exam to be taken by students in their homes. College Board has a responsibility to do everything within its power to make the SAT as accessible as possible to the greatest number of students.  

Susan Alaimo is the founder of SAT Smart. For the past 25 years, SAT Smart’s Ivy League educated tutors have prepared students for the PSAT, SAT, ACT, Subject Tests, AP courses, and all high school subjects. Visit www.SATsmart.com or call 908-369-5362