I Missed the SAT!: Nightmare Situations and How to Fix Them

So you open the door to your SAT testing center…and you’re naked.  And you don’t have a pencil.  And everyone around you is some version of that girl who was so mean to you in 7th grade.  And she’s dating your ex.  And thumbtacks start to fall out of the sky.  And pizza no longer exists.

Yeah, yeah.  You know the drill.  Test anxiety nightmares are the worst.  But at least you have the benefit of waking up.

But what happens if you can’t wake up?  What if, against all odds, you find yourself in one of these five Nightmare Test Situations?

Well, we’re here to help.  Strange as it may sound, the world will not end because you missed the SAT, or your calculator batteries died.  Here’s a handy guide to surviving a real-life nightmare–and making it out the other side.

Missed the SAT

So the worst has fallen upon you.  Your alarm clock actually didn’t go off.  Or you drove to the wrong testing center.  Or a thousand other things.

Assuming that this wasn’t your absolute last chance to take the SAT…you’re actually not exactly up a creek without a paddle.  You totally have a paddle.

Yes, the $52.50 you paid to take the test in the first place is gone.  Totally gone.  Kaput.

But you don’t have to pay it again.

Instead, you can use your CollegeBoard account–or call them up–and change your registration date to a point in the future.

Unfortunately, you do have to pay a $28 change fee.

Obviously, the best way to avoid this is to set, like, at least three alarms–but if you’re reading this because you missed the SAT, no judgment.  You’ll be just fine.  Now go, register!

Scores Invalidated

So this one is very rare, and it’s also out of your hands.  But because the term sounds so scary–I mean, seriously, couldn’t they just say cancelled?–it’s worth talking about.

As long as you’re not doing anything wrong, the only reason you could have your scores invalidated would be because of a “testing irregularity.”

Collegeboard describes these hallowed “testing irregularities” as, and I quote:

• administrative errors (e.g., improper timing or seating, defective materials or equipment)
• improper access to test content
• and other disruptions of test administrations (e.g., natural disasters and other emergencies).

Whoa, natural disasters?  So if you’re taking a test in an earthquake-prone area, I suppose that’s something to watch out for.

But even if your scores get cancelled, the SAT graders won’t leave you out in the dust.

As Collegeboard says:

“When it is appropriate to do so, ETS [The College Board and Educational Testing Service] gives affected test-takers the opportunity to take the test again as soon as possible, without charge.”

So, pretty much, the exact same situation as if you slept through the SAT–minus the $28 change fee.

Get Caught Cheating

I know this post has been pretty light-hearted till now, but honestly, let’s sit down for some real talk.

Please, please, do not cheat on the SAT.

For that matter, please don’t cheat anywhere.  What does cheating possibly have to gain you?  If you get caught, the penalties are so, so steep.  Buckle down.  Do your work.  Don’t be lazy.

That being said, if you’ve already cheated, and already gotten caught, I’m sure you’ve heard enough people telling you exactly what you did wrong.  So instead, I’ll focus on helping you move forward.

Retake the test.

…yep.  You read that right.  If you get caught cheating, they don’t come down on you too hard–probably because it’s incredibly difficult to successfully cheat on the SAT in the first place.  They don’t notify colleges.  You don’t go to jail.

Hit the books, cough up another $52.50, and take the test again for real.  And try to relax.  Soon this will all be a dim memory.

Calculator Batteries Die

Wait, what?  You can handle missing the test entirely, sure–but what if your calculator batteries die?? That’s almost as terrible as forgetting a snack!  How could you possibly get through this?

I’m guessing you didn’t bring any backup batteries, either.  But never fear!

It might take a little bit longer, but, believe it or not, you can do every single math problem on the SAT without a calculator.

There is no problem you absolutely have to have a calculator to solve.

Forgot a Snack

Sorry.  There’s no fix for this one.  Expect the earth to open up beneath you in about seventeen minutes.

Conclusion

Main takeaways:

1. Relax.
2. Be prepared to pay a fee if there’s a problem on your end. (i.e., if you miss the test or cheat.)
3. Roll with the punches!

Basically, as you’ve seen above, there’s no SAT situation too nightmarish to survive.  As long as you do a little bit of planning, you can make it through everything!

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Dressler Parsons

Dressler Parsons spent most of her childhood in an adobe house her father built in rural Arizona. Right now, she's taking so many business and art classes at Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University, and plans to graduate in Fall 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Intermedia. And, handily enough, her SAT scores and grades qualified her for ASU's Presidential Scholarship (worth $24,000), as well as the AIMS tuition waiver. She is passionate about showing people their potential for a bright, beautiful future. In her free time, she cooks edible things and knits inedible ones.

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