Why is the College Board banning non-students from taking the new SAT test in March?

I recently saw something online about The College Board banning all non-students from taking the new SAT in March. It caught my attention as we typically have 2 or 3 good articles from Test Prep Companies in each issue of LINK for Counselors and have published some good articles on the expected changes to the new exam. Taking the test helps these companies determine the best ways to help their students achieve their highest possible score. Every student is unique and different and various training methods can be used to help every type of student. It’s very beneficial and almost critical that they are allowed to take the exam in order to best help their students understand the intricacies of the test.

The College Board has traditionally allowed people who aren’t high-school students to take the SAT. So many registrants were surprised to learn that they couldn’t do so until the next administration of the exam, in May. The information I read said they were concerned with possible “cheating” and the security of the test. I’m not sure that argument holds water.

One of our best Test Prep contributors is Evan Wessler with Method Test Prep. His content is always top notch and he is one of our go to writers on SAT/ACT test prep subjects. He was scheduled to take the test and was one of the many who received last minute notification that he won’t be able to take the test in March that he had registered for. He wrote a blog on the subject and makes some good points about what the real motivations might be for this last minute change to the College Board’s long standing policies. Here is the link – Blacklisted

What does this mean for you the Counselor? It’s something to be aware of when you Counsel your students about the new SAT. Many students need the help provided by Test Prep companies to maximize their scores. Just meeting with someone prior to the test and going over problems and discussing the test can alleviate a lot of the nervousness and fears that students have before taking it. Hopefully as we get to the May test this “new” policy will be a thing of the past and we can go back to letting anyone and everyone that wants to take the test take it. It only helps students to have information about the new test written about and discussed by test prep company experts.