Tutor Advises How To Deal With the Cancelled SAT
The cancellation of the SAT at testing sites across the world this weekend frustrated high school juniors who've been preparing for weeks and months. As a tutor, I've received several calls, emails, and texts from confused and worried parents. What follows is a summary of my advice to them -- and to all parents facing the same circumstances.
If your child’s SAT on March 14 was canceled, the College Board will refund your fees and you can register for the May 2 or June 6 exam (https://www.collegeboard.org/releases/2020/college-board-coronavirus-update-what-to-do-if-you-are-registered-take-march-14-sat).
Unless there’s a strong reason to wait until June 6, I’m advising the students that I tutor to register for the May 2 exam. If May will make the first time your child is taking the exam, then I also suggest registering for the June 6 exam.
(Students’ scores usually rise between their first and second sittings.) In short, I strongly recommend finishing standardizing testing before the end of the junior year. While it’s not impossible to write college applications and study for the SAT simultaneously during the fall of the senior year, it’s certainly not a pleasant experience.
There are seven weeks between March 14 and May 2.
I recommend that students take at least two – preferably three – evenly chronologically spaced, full exams between those dates to keep their test-taking strategies sharp.
Students should review all notes and note cards taken during our sessions immediately prior to taking the practice exams.
Students should check their answers in the back of the College Board book and read the explanations of correct answers for questions that they answered incorrectly. (If they still cannot figure out how to get to the right answer, feel free to contact me. I tutor for the SAT online.)
In between their two or three big practice exams, students might fill their free time by re-doing questions that they got wrong on all past practice tests.
This strategy will be particularly helpful on the two math sections, and may also help them to avoid errors on similar questions in the Writing & Language and Reading sections.
Graphic by Dominique Padurano. Photograph of man on chair by @ratushny on Unsplash.
7. If students are registering for the May exam with the essay and have not reviewed how to write the SAT essay with me, I would advise booking a 45- minute session with a tutor to learn how to write the essay, and another 30-minute, post-writing session with a tutor to review their essay. If your budget dictates choosing between the two, definitely choose the latter.
8. Though JFK probably misinterpreted the Chinese language when he said, “the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters, one representing danger and the other, opportunity,” it might be useful to remember that the extra time, if used wisely and strategically, could represent an opportunity to hone skills and bolster individual weakness that we’ve pinpointed during our sessions. Whether the student needs help adding fractions or mastering his racing mind long enough to slow down and read the question, the cancellation could be useful.
9. The extent to which your children adopt this viewpoint may be significantly impacted by how you’re reacting to the cancellation. If you verbalize that the March 14 cancellation represents an insurmountable hurdle, your child will likely internalize that viewpoint. If, on the other hand, you point out to your child the potential opportunity that the cancellation provides, they might come around to that point of view – or at least not catastrophize the situation to the same extent!
10. Finally, while the SAT plays a part in college admissions, it’s worthwhile remembering at times like these that it’s not the biggest or the only factor that will influence where your child eventually attends college. Keeping the “big picture” in focus may also help your child to adopt a healthy attitude toward the March 14 cancellation.
Thank you all for your support, understanding, and concern for me personally during the past couple of weeks. I’m wishing you all continued good health and a speedy end to this pandemic soon,