These are crazy times we’re living in.
I’m writing this self-quarantined from my home office in Jersey City, NJ. The last time I left the house—with gloves and mask on and disinfectant spray in hand—was for a quick drive to my SoHo office to pack up all my favorite SAT, ACT, and SAT II Subject Test books and client files I might need for the next while and bring them home.
This is likely a tumultuous—and scary—time for you as well. There is so much we just don’t know. Some of you might be facing economic hardship due to temporary job loss in your family. Some of you may be feeling the social isolation of having to stay at home, away from your classmates. Some of you may be petrified of how virtual school classes are going to work out. Some of you may have a loved one who’s sick.
For all the upheaval, possible loss, and fear—I am so sorry. I wish I could wave a magic wand and take it all away and tell you exactly what was going to happen and how long it’ll take to be normal again.
But alas, I don’t have a crystal ball. (Actually, I DO have a crystal ball. I keep it on my desk at home. Unfortunately, it must be on the fritz or something as far as seeing the future is concerned!)
However, here’s what I CAN offer you: hope, some semblance of control in an uncontrollable world, and some backup plans for how this crazy pandemic might affect your Testing Timeline for the SAT, ACT, SAT II Subject Tests, and college admissions process.
So here goes, for right now, anyway:
Will the SAT and ACT be canceled because of coronavirus?
Yes.
We are taking this day-by-day and week-by-week, but as of this writing, the ACT has rescheduled its April 4, 2020 test date in the US to June 13th. All students who were scheduled for the April 4th test date will receive an email informing them of this postponement and showing them how to reschedule to June 13th for free.
As of this writing, the College Board has canceled the May 2, 2020 test date, as well as the March 28th make up test date.
Will we still have the June 2020 ACT and SAT test dates?
As of this moment, it appears so. However, who the heck knows?! We have to take this day-by-day and be flexible. That’s what I can help you with; I’m the QUEEN of “flexible.”
It’s important that you keep informed with ACT & SAT Testing updates. I’ll keep you informed for sure, but I’m getting my info straight from the source, and you can, too:
How will Coronavirus affect my ACT Testing Timeline?
If you’re a junior who’s freaked out because you’ve been busily preparing for April 4th, and now it’s canceled, here’s what you can do:
Do NOT just take two months off! Instead, prep for June 13th. Do we know if this date will still happen? No. But what we CAN do is be prepared for it. Treat this like a gift: you get TWO EXTRA MONTHS to study! Many of you are home from school, and your virtual school hours end much earlier than usual. Some of you finish up by noon each day! You have time. Don’t waste it like many of your classmates might, binging Netflix and killing time on Instagram, TikTok, and the latest phone game (it’s definitely not still Candy Crush, right?). Use this gift of extra time during the day—and this gift of more days—to your advantage.
If June 13th ends up getting canceled, you still have: July 18th, September 12th, and October 24th as possible chances to get your scores before application deadlines. There’s also a December 12th test date that some colleges may possibly accept, depending on their application deadlines.
How will Coronavirus affect my SAT Testing Timeline?
If you’re a junior who’ll end up missing the March 28th make-up test date (make-up from March 14th) and now will also miss the May 2nd test date, here’s what to do:
If you still need to reach your target score on the SAT I Reasoning Test, plan on June 6th being your new test date. This gives you an extra month+ to study, so USE THIS GIFT of extra study time to your advantage. While your friends are on Snapchat and TikTok, YOU can be mastering your grammar, reading, math, and strategy skills so you end up getting a higher score in June than you would’ve in May, anyway.
If you DON’T yet have your target SAT I score, but you DO need to do Subject Tests at some point, here’s the plan: use June 6th for the regular SAT I Reasoning Test. Then you’ll have backup test dates for either the SAT I or for Subject Tests on: August 29th, October 3rd, or November 7th. There’s also a December 5th test date that some colleges may possibly accept, depending on their application deadlines.
If you’re DONE with the SAT I and now you just need to take SAT II Subject Tests: plan on June 6th being you date to take all (up to 3) of your SAT II Subject Tests. Unfortunately, you won’t get to do my strategy of doing ALL your Subject Tests in May and then ALL of them again in June. Now, you’ll just have June, so USE THE EXTRA MONTH of studying so you only NEED to take it once! (And, if you don’t get your score in June, use August 29th, October 3rd, and November 7th as your backups.)
Wait! What if June 6th ends up being canceled as well?! Ugh, what a bummer that would be! What you’ll do is this: Use Aug 29th, October 3rd, and November 7th as the dates you really hone in on. If you still need to take the SAT I, you’ll take it until you get your score (or “good enough” score). Then any remaining test dates can be used for Subject Tests, if you even need them at all.
Here are a few things to remember in this unprecedented time:
This is not just happening to YOU. EVERYONE in your class will have the very same SAT/ACT hiccups that you’re experiencing.
That means most students will likely have to get their target scores together fall of senior year, instead of finishing up spring of junior year. That also means several students might never quite attain the superscore they’d hoped for, not just YOU.
Colleges understand this is happening!
My prediction is that for the class of 2021 who are applying to colleges in the fall, universities will understand that there weren’t as many test dates available to this class as to other classes in the past. They will likely be flexible in different possible ways:
perhaps being test optional for a year when they normally aren’t (so far, only Case Western Reserve is doing this, but I’ll keep you posted);
perhaps SuperScoring when they normally don’t;
perhaps allowing the December ACT and SAT test dates to count, regardless of the application deadline;
or (MY guess) perhaps just accepting a slightly lower threshold of scores! So maybe if your dream school typically has a median 50% range of 31-34 on the ACT, maybe this coming year, the range ends up a bit lower, like 29-32, for example. WHO KNOWS?!
We are ALL going to have to BE FLEXIBLE.
That means: preparing for multiple scenarios. That means: when one plan gets knocked off course by more restrictive laws or heightened pandemic, we try—no matter HOW PREPOSTEROUS it may seem to us—to find the gift in it.
Test canceled? Now you have more time to prep for the next sitting!
Schools closed? Now you have more time to study/read/paint/practice guitar/learn to code/write poetry, with fewer distractions! Now with a condensed “school day,” you have more time to pull up your GPA!
Social distancing cramping your extroverted style? Now you can get creative on ways to stay connected and uphold meaningful friendships and relationships from afar, and even figure out how to build a larger community and become internet “famous” with this downtime!
This “gift” of time—of universal time—has never happened in any of our lifetimes, and will likely never happen again on such a large scale in yours.
USE IT. People—and your classmates—are going to fall into two different camps: those who want to be entertained and are now “bored”…and those who use this forced downtime to better themselves and even to create the message/art/ideas the world is going to need in the future.
Which one will you be?
If you want to USE this crazy time—and this crazy opportunity—to get AHEAD on your SAT and ACT and SAT 2 Subject Tests, I am here to help! I’ve ALWAYS done virtual tutoring—I’ve helped students in six different continents get their target scores and get into the colleges of their dreams—so as virtual becomes the “new normal” and students, families, teachers, tutors, and college counselors scramble to adjust, I’m in familiar territory and know the terrain. I’m already up and running and ready to help you no matter where in the world you are. And now, in response to the freaked-out families telling me that their kids are NEVER going to get the math scores they need when they can’t even be in their regular math classes, I’m opening my (virtual) doors again to not just help with test prep, like the SAT and ACT, but with all levels of math tutoring to help you improve your grades in school! Contact me to find out more. And no matter what you’re doing about test prep right now, stay safe, stay sane, and stay in touch with the people you love.
