Road Trip May Be Needed to Take Upcoming SAT Exams

Tens of thousands of students had planned to mark the end of summer by taking the SAT exam tomorrow.  Unfortunately, the majority of these students who live in New Jersey will have to retain, for a while, the knowledge and testing skills they had honed.  More than 70 New Jersey high schools, scheduled to host the August 29th SAT exam, cancelled their proctoring plans as COVID leaves schools in a state of flux. Included are many high schools in Central New Jersey: Bridgewater-Raritan, Edison Township, Franklin, Hillsborough, Montgomery, New Brunswick, Somerville, South Brunswick, West Windsor-Plainsboro South. 

Some students, who were alerted in time, were able to change their registration in order to take the August test at another site. Others were left scrambling to register for an upcoming SAT in the near future as tests are also scheduled for September 26th, October 3rd, November 7th and December 5th. 

In order to find a testing site with available seats, students need to expand their radius on Collegeboard.org, the registration site for the SAT. Even in previous years, some families would find themselves taking a road trip to Pennsylvania, Maryland, or even Washington D.C. in order to get a seat for the very popular August exam.  This year, with the massive closure of testing sites, even more families are hitting the road.

Students who are questioning whether it’s all worth it should not be lulled into complacency by the fact that many colleges are not “requiring” SAT scores from the next applicant pool.  Colleges are concerned with getting the greatest number of applicants as possible in order to remain competitive in selecting their incoming class. Those students who submit impressive scores will certainly have a leg up on those who choose to skip the exam. 

Students entering their senior year may find the college application process to be even more competitive as many recent graduates “deferred” their acceptances. Colleges are therefore holding their seats until the fall of 2021, making fewer seats available to those who will graduate in the spring of 2021.

As no one can anticipate the role the coronavirus may play in limiting students’ access to future SAT exams, the best policy for all students is to carefully prepare in advance in order to reach their target scores as soon as possible.

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