Current events are turning our lives upside down—and high school students are no exception.
School is at home. Extracurriculars are cancelled. Milestone events like graduation have been postponed. It’s uncertain when the situation will begin to stabilize.
In the midst of this turbulence, there’s one more challenge for juniors: the cancellation of SAT and ACT test dates across the country. While standardized testing is not exactly an exciting event for most students, it is something they plan and work very hard for in anticipation of testing on a specific date.
If your test date has been cancelled, what should you do?
Put the extra time to good use. Students are typically preparing for standardized tests during an already crowded junior year. Particularly for students who felt underprepared, this “extension” is a great opportunity to boost your skills in areas where you were feeling a little shaky.
Keep studying! Even if you felt super prepared for your SAT/ACT, you need continuous review in order to stay sharp. Not to mention that consistent studying will add some structure to the long day’s you’re spending at home right now. Revisit your study materials on a weekly basis at minimum. Here are a few more ideas:
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- Take another full-length exam (available on the SAT and ACT websites or in the books they publish) to practice consolidating everything and build endurance
- Review/analyze that exam to identify areas to work on
- Use resources like Khan Academy, PWN the SAT, ACT Academy, or a tutor to help master new skills
Stay informed. The organizations that run the SAT and ACT have tentatively rescheduled the dates they’ve cancelled, but all of that is subject to change. Check their websites regularly (College Board for SAT and ACT.org for ACT) for the latest information.
Remember that we’re all in this together. You aren’t alone in being affected by COVID-19. Its impact is global, and that means everyone will be making adjustments in the weeks and months to come. We aren’t sure how the pandemic will affect the college admissions process, for example. Schools may presently be focusing on wrapping up this school year and whether or not they’ll be able to have students on their campuses in the fall. But we do expect some accommodations that recognize the unique challenges of this moment in time.
Stay the course in your studying, take advantage of the extra preparation time, and be willing to adapt as needed. If you’d like us to assess your specific standardized testing situation, please reach out to us. We’re here to help.
For the latest information on SAT and ACT testing, visit the College Board (SAT) and ACT.org (ACT) websites.
