As the ACT just basically walked away from the international table, College Board (CB) continues to muddle through by woefully mismanaging the SAT both internationally and at "home" in the US. This Forbes article is the best we've seen in a while in detailing the problems in the domestic market that are only worse abroad. CB has grown fat and bloated operating as an oligopoly and as an organization could just about walk and chew gum in normal times. Now, it is being asked to walk, chew gum, juggle chainsaws, and balance a bowling ball on its head. Unsurprisingly, the net result is testing chaos.
About half of the kids scheduled to test in September and October globally were cancelled, many last minute. This is often completely out of the control of CB as the decisions are regularly made at the local level by the actual school or local authorities. What is very problematic is that often test centers are shutting but that information takes weeks to percolate through the College Board system to get back to students. This is doubly so in Singapore. Students have even been getting assigned test centers that are actually closed and not findings out the actual situation until a few days before test day - spending time and money on prep for a test that they can't take. A terrible state of affairs that is repeating around the world.
There is an online resource that CB claims will update students on the situation but in practice it is slow to reflect the latest information and the focus is, as ever, on the domestic market with international testing an afterthought. Only several test centers in Singapore are open to outside students and several that students are assigned to for December aren't actually presently planning to be open. Singapore regulations could change tomorrow that would allow for testing at MOE schools and that would help things greatly, but we just can't predict that. The large MOE schools have traditionally accommodated the bulk of the testers in Singapore and with them shut there is a massive supply/demand imbalance. If you are attending a school that is a "closed" test center then you should be just fine, but register early (and often!).
If CB told you that you have a place at a given test center in Singapore to test on December 5th, check with the test center directly to verify that it is still happening. Hopefully the schools will put this information on their websites. If that test center isn't happening then the chances you getting a place at another center that actually has seats is scant, and you'd probably better off not worrying about the test for now. If you are applying to start university in 2021 then the test is optional at just about every American school. If you are applying for 2022 then you should have a clearer run next year to test and even then, it will probably still be optional for you as well. The key thing: don't worry too much as universities need students, and if you can't test, then you can't be asked for a test result. Universities need students, especially full-fee paying students from abroad. Hence, all universities will be more flexible in terms of test and other requirements for the foreseeable future. Check the individual university websites for specific requirements and updates; Twitter feeds in particular often have the most recent information. Note that asking what the exact requirements will be beyond the present 2020-2021 admissions cycle will not get you far as schools really just don't know.
Kids in the class of 2023 should not even be thinking about testing for another 12 months or so and should work on regular school work and whatever other worthy activities they have access to.
Pretty much every school is now formally "test optional" for 2021 and maybe also 2022. That said, if you are able to sit these tests and get a good result then that will help your chances as there are fewer things for universities to consider now as most sports and other CCAs have been shelved. There is much speculation on how everything will pan out and if 2022 kids will have a harder time getting into the most competitive schools due to the many students deferring or not. Anyone who claims to know the answers now should not be trusted, or even listened to.
Needless to say, we are watching this situation very closely. If you want an update just send us an email and we can arrange a time to talk.
April 17th Testing Update
The June SAT has been cancelled worldwide and we fully expect ACT to do the same any day now. The IB final exams and Cambridge IGCSE/A Levels have also been cancelled while the AP Tests are moving towards an at-home format that will necessitate students in Asia taking the test in the middle of the night. Wow. This is the biggest disruption to the normal academic flow in living memory and the important, overarching message, is not to worry about testing matters and to be patient. Universities need students to keep the lights on and there will be massive short and medium terms changes to the normal application process to allow eager, qualified students to go on to university and get a great education. Now is a good time to work on other things: read books, bake bread, grow herbs, solve puzzles, play with cats, do yoga, and be thankful that you have that bright future awaiting you even if now things are a bit cloudy in terms of how you will actually get there.
There are so many moving parts to the situation right now that prognosticating what the specific situation will be in one, three, six, or twelve months is really a fool’s errand. That said, please find below specific guidance for students in different stages that will attempt to allay stress and help bring some calm. One things is that is common for all students and parents is to be careful where you are getting your information. Any changes to admissions or enrolment policies should be communicated directly from the university to you or displayed on the relevant university website. There are people trying to compile master lists of what schools are requiring what and when but that is the definition of a Sysiphean task. Check with the school or your high school university counsellor, not a WhatsApp chat group.
Present 12th graders to start university in 2020:
You are probably waiting to fully commit to one university and now the big question is whether that school will start physically or virtually come August. You may now not need to worry about high-stake year end exams (IB/A Levels) or you may be stressing about AP Tests, now to be taken at home next month. For APs, we have a team of top tutors ready to help you with many of the tests, contact us for details. For all, we’re sure that your new university is keeping you updated on this highly fluid situation and there may also be issues with visa and travel bans that there is no way to predict now. You will have some time over the next few months and it would be a great idea to steal a march on the courses that you are planning to take via enrolling in MOOCs or just by reading ahead in the classes that you plan on taking. Get fit, learn Spanish/Chinese/Bulgarian, learn how to cook some of your families’ favourites, etc. We will be starting some regular webinars called “Real Life 101” where will be talking to successful professionals to learn more about their academic, professional, and life journeys and these may be of interest to you. Stay tuned.
Present 11th graders to start university in 2021:
Things are the most unsettled for you. The important thing is that after University of California went “test optional” all other schools will likely follow suit and the SAT/ACT will probably not be required for any American schools. There are still good reasons to take the test that we will cover in a later post but the earliest you can take it now is August 29th so don’t worry about this quite yet. Once you have more clarity on when the test will be available and what format it be, you can make more concrete plans from there. If it comes to pass that you won’t have a good opportunity to take the test, or take it a second or third time, then don’t worry about it. The situation is out of your control, universities know this, and they will make changes accordingly. Finish the present school year as strongly as possible, even if you don’t have year-end exams to worry about. Grades in 11th grade are a key factor in admissions and will show universities that you can excel academically in adverse, abnormal circumstances.
Your summer plans are probably all in flux and you will likely have time on your hands. The earlier advice about non-academic activities holds, and you should maybe think of what formal extra-curricular activities you can continue or start while at home. Academically, we have our Grammar 101, Reading 101, and other enrichment courses planned that will help your broader academic and standardized testing performance - students with strong reading and writing skills do well in school, and also test well. You probably know exactly which math class you will be doing next school year so why not get started on that in June and July via Khan Academy? Khan likely covers some other subjects that you may be taking next year and we may be adding some related online courses over the summer months to help in this journey. For those with Extended Essays or Capstone projects, the expectations for you might be a bit higher given the amount of time you will have over the summer. There are also many virtual college tours and the like that you should take a look at.
Importantly, there is no reason to doing anything test-prep specific between now and July, at the earliest. There are better things to do with your time.
Present 10th graders to start university in 2022 (and younger students):
Deep breaths. We hope that things will get back to something approaching a “new normal” by the time you start the university application process next year. The advice above also certainly applies to you in terms of finishing the year strong and you should also consider our online “101” series of academic enrichment programs that we will deliver via video conferencing. Get a jump on next year’s math class and we are planning a pre-IB math “Boot Camp” over the summer.
There is no reason to get near standardized testing until October at the earliest. The tests cover what you learn in school and the more school you have, the better you will do. We do not recommend students look to take the SAT or ACT until December of their 11th grade year and have written about that extensively in the past. This advice remains. Getting started too early is a common, preventable, waste of time and resources.
Conclusion:
There are major problems in the world today and testing and your university applications are important to you, but take a moment to reflect on the broader situation. Start a diary or vlog/blog that you can record your personal experiences during this period to reflect upon in the future. Seek guidance from your school, your parents, or other trusted sources on how to get through this situation academically, and most important personally and emotionally. We’re monitoring the application and testing situation very closely and will be sending out regular updates in our e-newsletter, planned “Real Life 101” webinars , and Twitter feed.
There Are Seats Available for the SAT!
April 2021 Update:
At present there really aren’t any seats available in Singapore to take the SAT unless you attend a school that is a closed test center. We at Testtakers have no power whatsoever in getting seats for students. There are a few seats at the small open test centers that are available and you will need to register as soon as they are made available. We don’t know when they will be made available and we suspect not until June for the August SAT. The good news is that the SAT is optional for all American schools outside Florida so if you don’t take it, you can still apply. See our other more recent blog postings for more updates as well as our webinar channel on YouTube for more updates.
Original article from Sept 2019:
SAT seats in Singapore are filling up early. Students looking to register will be faced with the daunting prospect of "no seats available". Don't despair! There actually ARE seats available but College Board is restricting access to actual residents of Singapore. (College Board is the organization that administers the SAT). Students should "Let College Board find you spot", go on the waitlist, and wait patiently. More on this here.
The SAT is largely unavailable to Chinese students in China and there is a mass migration every test date to locations that do administer the test. The obvious location is Hong Kong, but the spill-over comes down to Singapore. Unlike many other locations, Singapore lacks large-capacity test centers and the fear is that if things are opened up all the way then all seats will get snapped up by Chinese kids immediately. There are actually companies in China that arrange special "testing trips" for students to travel to a non-Chinese Asian city, do 36 hours of last-minute prep, take the test on Saturday morning, go shopping, and then fly home.
Students go on the waitlist and then College Board presumably verifies that they are a resident of Singapore and then they will be allocated a spot and informed via email, in theory. This has been the case with the test dates in late 2019.
If this isn't working for you, we would like to know. Please email us if you are "stuck" and be sure to include your full name and also specifically when you tried to register for which test date with any communication you have had with College Board. We at Testtakers obviously have a vested interest and will be holding feet to fires to try to sort this out.
Note that if you are enrolled at the Singapore American School or UWCSEA then you are lucky. Your school is a “closed test center” with seats available just for you. Check with your school’s university advising team to find out how to do this.
Why We Don't Like the ACT (Part 1)
The ACT has transitioned to a Computer-Based Test (CBT) format this year for international locations. Test centers should have banks of computers and students will have options on taking the test in the morning or the afternoon of Friday or Saturday on test weekends. CBT formats are used for many other standardized tests such as the TOEFL and GMAT but employing this technology with a test like the ACT presents many challenges.
Test format and availability aside, in this issue we will dwell on official practice materials. The College Board has made available eight full SAT tests for free, legal download. These tests are as close as you can get to the real thing and come complete with scoring guides, answer descriptions, and scoring tables. College Board has also partnered with Khan Academy to make freely available on-line resources for SAT preparation. Eight tests is more than enough for any student and we heartily recommend our students avail themselves of this resource.
The ACT is using international students as a trial for the new CBT test format. We will get into the specific drawbacks of Computer Based vs. Computer Adaptive in the future, but a core issue is that there is only one test available for practice on the ACT website. It says "five tests" but it actually just one complete test with five sections, not five full tests. This one test is only available behind a registration-wall used to data capture details on potential testers. What is more, this actual test dates back to June 2013 (Form 71C) and there are several format differences between it and what kids will presumably encounter on the real test (double passages, specific math content, and number of science passages). There is one official paper-based test available with some skilled Google work, but the fact that there is only one option for practicing the cumbersome computer-based test interface belies the ACT's commitment to the international market.
While the College Board hasn't garnered much praise for its work with international students on the SAT, at least there are ample practice materials and hence students know exactly what to expect.
Why not to rush into test prep
The SAT/ACT test what students learn in school. Therefore, the more students goes to school, the higher the scores will be. The tendency to start prep for the tests too early in the summer before 11th grade is a common one, but ultimately foolish. The time would be better spent on any number of other activities that will make for a stronger application and ultimately better personal grown. Students will learn much more about the world and themselves scooping ice cream than taking a stack of practice tests over the summer.
There is a fair amount of math content on both tests that isn’t normally covered until the first half of 11th grade such as complex numbers, basic trigonometry, circle equations, and absolute value. It is much better to wait until these concepts are covered normally in school than trying to read ahead of normal course work. There are of course the really cool kids who are in honors math and go to math camp, but such students will probably excel in the math portion if they take it in August, and score even higher if they wait till December or March with no additional effort. Similarly, reading and writing/grammar skills will improve over time and scores tend to float up naturally with normal school work. Students should try to read as much as possible – anything without too many pictures is better than nothing.
The danger is students rushing into test prep too early, taking the test early in 11th grade, scoring ok but not great, then feeling the need to prepare again for December, rinse, and repeat in a Sisyphean quest for a few more points that won’t make a difference for admissions. Better to hold off until the second half of 11th grade or the December test at the very earliest. Prepare once, do well, and then worry about making varsity volleyball or getting the lead in the school play. You can take the test again if needed, but best to go in with a positive attitude.
