How-to-Study Blog

In an article in the Education Life section of the New York Times, 11/1/09, Rachel Aviv discussed the issue of SAT test conditions. She quoted Robert Shaeffer of Fair Test, a nonprofit organization that works to prevent misuse of standardized testing. According to Shaeffer, if the SAT is truly standardized, it should be given in the same setting, for the same length of time, and in the same calm and quiet environment. According to Shaeffer, this is simply not the case.

The reality is that some students take the SAT in individual classrooms, while others take the test in large cafeterias. The quality of proctors varies as does the amount of distracting noise such as automobile horns and sirens. Anecdotal reports include taking the test at a site where the school bell went off every 45 minutes, taking the test in downtown Manhattan while a protest with drumming and chanting raged outside, and taking the test while the proctor sat in front planting flowers in vases and arranging piles of pebbles.

There seems no way to control these factors. Students should be encouraged to carefully select test sites. The test conditions factor is still another reason why college admissions personnel should take many other aspects of students’ applications into account when making decisions.