For all the incoming college students, here's news for you: Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, June 2 that the College Board that runs the SAT exam will no longer allow online or home exams for students. It turns out that the three-hour tests cannot easily be finished at home, especially now with the coronavirus pandemic happening in the country. Here's the alternative plan.
SAT won't be home exams anymore! But what about College?
The SAT is a standardized test used for college admissions in the country. If you wanted to study at a university, taking the test is required to know the extent of your knowledge or capability to pursue the course's requirements.
However, as explained by the agency, a lot of problems may occur once universities demand online exams on students. For one, weak or faulty internet connections are the most evident and common problem in an SAT exam. Since the test takes three hours to finish, the demand for faster and reliable internet connection must be highly-considered by the student. If not, there's a chance of failure-- and that's not what College Board wants.
'Accept test scores as late as possible,' says College Board to universities
Aside from canceling the online exam for SAT takers, the New York-based company also wishes for the universities to give flexible requirements to students. Since everyone in the country is suffering in some shape or form from the pandemic and the ongoing police brutality protests across the U.S., the College Board thinks that this is not the time for colleges to pressure students to take the exam.
"We know demand is very high and the registration process for students and families under this kind of pressure is extremely stressful," said College Board Chief Executive Officer David Coleman on Tuesday, June 2. "There are more important things than tests right now."
Colleges and universities in the country have not yet given a response to the suggestion.
'Not all students have internet and quiet place to study'
While it was unexpected for the SAT to cancel the home exams, it is not surprising. On May 20, a group of students sued the College Board for being unfair to their right to education. They explained that not all American students have access to the internet or gadgets, or even a quiet place to study for the exam.
"It is unrealistic to think that all students have quiet, private spaces at home in which to test," the students said. "Lower-income students are much more likely to face cramped housing, siblings and parents sharing the same workspace, internet connectivity problems, noisy environments, and less comfortable testing spaces."
If you don't like the SAT, you can still take the ACT
For those students that really aim to get an exam for college admissions, ACT--a rival of SAT--has still opened their exam unit for home tests. Compared to SAT scheduled for August, ACT will happen on June 13.
