SAT test technical issue in Macau

On September 12th, some SAT test takers went all the way to Macau to take the SAT test. But some test centers encountered some technical issues that affected their test experience and even their test results. Some students were complaining afterwards.  

The SAT test is important for every high school student, and there are only a few times a year to take it. For seniors, they may want to take it several times to get a higher score before applying to college. But if they encountered an issue like this which prevented them from taking the test, it means that they may miss a precious opportunity. 

Copyright: zimmytws, Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto, Creator: zimmytws

A test taker posted a comment online saying that: “I could not connect to the internet at the beginning of the test and failed to submit my answers afterwards. There were also many noises during the test disturbing us. ” 

There were also many replies from test takers under his post; some said the proctors were rude, while others said they were not allowed to leave the room until an hour later. Basically, all the comments were about issues in the test center. 

To get a more accurate picture of the situation, I asked Jennifer Huang, a sophomore who is planning to take the SAT soon, for her thoughts and insights on this SAT exam. She said she had many friends who took the SAT in Macau in September, and they reported that the process went fairly smoothly. My initial guess is that the technical issues may have been more severe only at Macau KaoYip Middle School.

Later, I learned more about the follow-up to this incident on Rednotes. Many people have already sent complaints to the College board, and the responses they received was that they could only get a refund but not a retake on the exam, so this test opportunity is now void. Many people believe this solution is not entirely appropriate because every chance is precious, and the test takers who missed the chance due to the issue at the test center should be allowed to retake the exam.

All in all, I believe that for such an important exam, test takers should consider their test center options carefully before choosing and register ahead of time to avoid taking the exam at an unfamiliar place due to the shortage of seats available.

From: The 19th News