Smile! Photo Requirements for the SAT & ACT
Considering the high stakes nature of the SAT & ACT, the number of students who have been caught (or not caught) cheating on their tests over the years hardly comes as a surprise. One of the classic cheats has been to hire a youthful-looking professional to test in one’s place. No wonder the testing organizations have been ramping up their efforts in recent years to ensure that the person taking a test is the person who should be taking it! Of course, heightened security leads to heightened anxiety, particularly when test day already evokes such anxiety. One major source of stress has been the photo submission requirements. Both the College Board and ACT require you to provide a recent photo of yourself in order to complete your test registration. The submitted photo is used for identification and test security purposes. Relieve anxiety on test day by making sure your photo…
The Height of Test Anxiety
We, both culturally and individually, tend to take tests like the SAT and ACT seriously because of the opportunities high scores can unlock. However, most students and families maintain perspective about the exams, while others can only be described as lackadaisical in their approach. All in all, on the national level, we tend to get worked up about the concept of the tests and not so much their ongoing administration. But imagine if we in the United States observed each test day by doing the following: Ban airport landings and departures for 40 minutes to assure quiet during a critical listening portion of the test. Open markets and businesses an hour late so that city traffic would clear up for students on way to the exam sites. Issue emergency numbers so students stuck in traffic can request police escort rides before gates to the test sites close. Delayed or cancel…
Test Day Nightmares: Deer Attack
We should all follow Denis Waitley’s advice heading into a big test: “Expect the best, plan for the worst, and prepare to be surprised.” But some test day surprises surpass the bounds of common sense… like deer attacks. This past Saturday morning, a deer crashed the party during an SAT administration at Lockport High School. School Board President John A. Linderman said the deer struck a door in the music wing, damaging a pane on the door, and then ran off. “Some of the kids saw it,” Linderman said. He said no injuries were reported.The pane of glass on the door was broken. Linderman said that despite the drama, the kids were able to complete their testing. This is the first time I’ve heard about a test disrupted by a deer. Have you heard of other test day wildlife encounters?