No, this is not a post about test optional policies or the all-important relative advantages and risks of submitting scores in your college application. SAT non-submittal also describes a very real albeit exceedingly rare incident to look out for on test day.
Once time is up on an official SAT or PSAT, test answers are automatically submitted and test takers will see the Congratulations screen with confetti:
However, if students are not connected or they close their laptop, their answers won’t be submitted automatically. Luckily, their answers will be saved on their device and can still be submitted, as long as the appropriate steps are taken. If the student sees the dreaded Answer Submission Incomplete screen or an internet connection error message when their testing time ends, they should communicate with their proctors and try the following steps from the SAT Suite of Assessments Technical Troubleshooting Guide in order:
1. Check their internet connection.
2. Quit and reopen Bluebook.
3. If that doesn’t work, restart their device and reopen Bluebook.
4. Click Submit Answers on the Bluebook homepage.
5. If they still can’t submit answers, connect to a different network and try again.
Students who see an Answer Submission Pending screen should also communicate with their proctors. Often the steps to proper submission of test answers will be as follows:
1. Keep your testing device.
2. Follow dismissal procedures.
3. Connect to the internet on your testing device later, perhaps at home, and try again.
If all else fails, test site coordinators can set up a retest for students who can’t submit their answers even when connected to the internet.
College Board’s Bluebook app is robust enough to facilitate a complete adaptive SAT or PSAT testing experience even if a test taker’s device loses an internet connection. If gremlins get into your wifi on test day, don’t panic! Calmly communicate with your proctor and follow instructions to make sure you get full credit for your hard work.
Mike Bergin