By Anna Lynch
With the rise of COVID-19 came the closure of schools, which are the main testing sites for students to take the SAT’s. Many seniors had their final chances of boosting their score one last time cancelled, and juniors had their first chances gone as well. Testing sites were closed for months and dates are not getting pushed back or cancelled, which is proving to be difficult for seniors and juniors trying to achieve the best score that they can.
Many seniors, like Kayla Rodriguez, have had to go out of their way to get to the closest test site available, as local schools have put limits on capacity and testing in general. “I had to find a whole new date and time in Oviedo, which was very difficult to work with,” Rodriguez explained. Typically students can drive 5-10 minutes to their closest high school and take the test first thing in the morning, but now they have to make up to a 40 minute commute just to make it on time.
Other seniors, like Korissa Burns, have found it difficult to find that perfect score that they can send to colleges that they are applying to. Burns stated, “I don’t have the score I was aiming for and I’m running out of time. I’m taking the SAT for the second time on the school test day and I’m hoping that even though I lost a lot of chances and time, I also gained a lot of study time so hopefully I’ll get the score I want this time.” Although many colleges are opting for a test-optional application, some seniors rely on the SAT to showcase their true academic abilities, if they aren’t shown through their GPA or other extracurricular activities.
Although many test sites are closed or limited, Timber Creek is still having the typical SAT and PSAT/NMSQT school-wide tests in October. The SAT for seniors is available to take on October 14, the PSAT/NMSQT for juniors and sophomores is available on October 29, and the PSAT 8/9 is available for freshmen on October 20. Although students have to sign up on their own and LaunchED students have to provide their own transportation to and from school, these tests are free and given to students by the school.
Link to sign up: https://forms.gle/eVaRmHfmi3VKoaqc7
