Last Saturday’s official SAT

Hello friends,

Many of you who are reading this either took the SAT yourselves here in France last Saturday, or know someone who did. My students took the exam in either Paris, Bordeaux, or Rennes. While students dealt with the usual issues of test-day nerves and tough exam questions while getting through the morning, this SAT round had its own unique set of challenges.

As you may know, students were required to wear masks for the duration of the exam. This rule proved inconsequential, in and of itself, in terms of its effect on students’ performances. Most test-takers were already used to wearing masks at school - an important healthcare policy - and therefore forgot about them once the exam started.

However, my students in Bordeaux ran into a new host of issues. Evidently, the test administrators spent so much time going through administrative explanations after students’ arrival that students began the actual exam an hour and a half late! Now, I recognise as much as anyone that administration is a necessary part of exams. However, taking that much extra time for admin. meant that my students felt tired and unfocused by the time the real exam began. Not what you want on test day.

Therefore, if you have registered to take the SAT again this fall or are planning to do so, (and if so, please do it soon, as many test centres are already full!), I would recommend avoiding the Bordeaux testing centre! While I am sure that this “first time” situation will be resolved soon, I can’t let my students run the risk of experiencing these kinds of problems for such a high stakes exam. Please just register for another testing location, give the exam your best shot, and move on!

Wishing you all the best in your test preparation! Finally - please - keep dreamin’ big through it all!

Meg