What to Do if Your SAT or ACT is Canceled

For more than six months, the Covid-19 pandemic has upended most aspects of our lives. The college admissions and standardized testing process is no exception: campus tours have been eliminated, early action and early decision deadlines have been pushed back, in some cases canceled, and hundreds of thousands of students have seen their SAT or ACT tests canceled since March. Widespread cancellations have continued to be the norm into the fall. 

Instead of canceling tests en masse, as it did with the May and June SATs, the College Board is now allowing individual testing centers to determine whether or not they’ll hold the tests as planned. Many sites have already canceled the November 7 test. So if you’re registered for an upcoming SAT, be sure to check the College Board’s website for updates.

ACT, too, leaves the decision up to testing centers but, unlike the College Board, compiles a centralized list of canceled and rescheduled tests by location. Moreover, in response to complaints about how they handled cancellations in September, ACT has introduced “pop up” testing sites at “non-traditional centers” such as hotels, staffed by ACT employees. ACT insists that these sites will not cancel at the last minute.

If your test has been canceled, you may feel overwhelmed, especially if you've put in months of hard work preparing for a test that may never happen. So what should you do if your test has been canceled? 

• Don't panic or despair. Having your test canceled has become the new normal. Realize that hundreds of thousands of students are in the same boat as you. Furthermore, colleges are aware of the challenges, and are usually willing to be lenient. Over 1,600 colleges have adopted test-optional or test-blind admissions policies temporarily. So, in the very worst case scenario, if you're unable to test by your admissions deadlines, you can apply without an ACT or SAT score.

• Make a backup plan, but remain flexible. The first thing to do if your test has been canceled is to secure a new testing date. Contact the College Board or ACT as soon as possible. Be prepared to change your plan again in case your new date is postponed or canceled. 

• Have a specific study plan, and stick with it. Once you've got a tentative test date, the next most important thing is to make a study plan. If you’ve already invested in being prepared for your exam, the key will be to remain ready when you’re finally able to test. You should plan to spend about 30 minutes a day, six days a week, doing something to prepare for your exam. This might be studying grammar flashcards, reviewing math problems you’ve struggled with in the past, or working through a practice section from the SAT or ACT. Continue to track your progress, making notes of the sorts of questions and concepts that you struggle with most and spending the time mastering those skills.

• Take a full-length practice test. As your new test date approaches, take a full-length practice test. Ideally, you’d do this two weeks before your official test in order to give yourself time to review your results thoroughly and systematically, and to decide how you will approach the test differently based on mistakes you made in your final practice test.

• Get study support. Help hold yourself accountable by forming a study group with others who are preparing for their tests, attending a structured review session, or seeking one-on-one tutoring. 

For more testing strategy or personalized assistance in meeting your SAT and ACT score goals, reach out! Our tutors are happy to work around your unique timeline so that you feel comfortable and confident leading up to your test date.