What To Do If Extreme Weather Impacts Your Test Date

While “neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night” will stop a determined mail carrier, Mother Nature can definitely wreak havoc with SAT testing. The recent Winter Storm Jonas that shut down schools up and down the east coast is a perfect example of how weather can interfere with test taking. Here’s a look at what you need to know if you suspect weather may affect your exam.

Know Before You Go

Even if your area isn’t in the crosshairs of a major hurricane or snowstorm, it’s never a bad idea to double-check that your testing location is operating normally on test day–power failures and other similar malfunctions have on occasion also been known to close testing centers. Test center supervisors are supposed to notify local tv and radio stations if a site is going to be closed (similar to when schools close for weather), but your safest bet is to check the College Board’s website directly.  

>Report to Alternate Test Site Only If Instructed To

If your test has been canceled, follow the directions listed next to the cancellation notice. Often, a new test center location and/or date will be included in the “notes” section. If so, print a new ticket with the updated location information and report as instructed. If no such information is listed, don’t attempt to show up at an alternate site and hope to be admitted–you won’t be.  

Be Patient If No Site Is Listed

Sometimes the notes section doesn’t include an alternate site or a rescheduled test date. While the ambiguity can be nerve-wracking, try to be patient. Especially in the wake of a particularly large or devastating storm it may take the College Board time to make all the necessary arrangements for make-up exams. For example, the recent Winter Storm Jonas closed more than 800 testing sites on the east coast, one of the largest test-disruptions ever. With so many sites affected it wasn’t possible to immediately announce make-up plans for each location, but within 24 hours information was available for virtually all affected centers.

Waitlist Tickets

Unfortunately, if you had a Waitlist Ticket for a testing location that has been closed you’re out of luck. When a center is closed all Waitlist requests are immediately canceled. Your best option at this point is to register for the next available testing date as soon as possible.

Use Good Judgement

Even if your test center isn’t closed, use good your own best judgement when traveling to or from an exam. While conditions in the general area may be good enough to justify holding the test, specific areas and streets may still be hazardous. Give yourself plenty of extra time to accomodate delays en route and use your best judgement. No test is worth dying over. (Not even the SAT.)

Waiting for a Makeup Exam

In the case of Winter Storm Jonas, students on the east coast are now biding their time until the February 20, 2016 makeup date. Keep up your existing test-prep routines all the way until the make-up exam date to stay sharp and take advantage of the extra time to continue working on problem areas. If you’re concerned the delay may cut into your ACT prep time, consider focusing on longer passage-based questions and algebra problems to maximize overlap between the two tests.

While having a test canceled due to extreme weather is a relatively rare occurrence, it does happen. Use the information in this article to understand what to do if you think your site may be affected. And if weather does result in a postponed test date, consider having the test specialists at Curvebreakers help you make the most of the delay by working with you to create a customized study plan for the interim.