Today December 5, I got dismissed from the SATs. This was my fourth time taking it and I knew what I was doing. I had already gotten a 2,050 which was good enough for me but I wanted to test myself so I signed up again. I was in section 4 which was critical reading and I didn’t have anymore space to write my notes in, so I wrote on the back of the admissions paper, the proctor took the paper away and dismissed me immediately. When I took my sat classes my teacher always said that I should write the main points of each paragraph somewhere. In every single sat I wrote it on the back of the admission ticket when I didnt have any more space left. Today as I was writing it, the proctor took everything away and infant of everyone (500 people) dismissed me. I was humiliated infant of everyone, he didn’t give me an explanation he just said that this wasnt allowed. They never said I couldn’t do it, and I dont see whats wrong. So I am planning on calling college board to complain or maybe sue them. What should I say or do?
Do you mean you were writing on a paper that you brought into the test? That’s a problem, because how are they to know if it was written before the test or during the test. Maybe I’m misunderstanding this.
Why was there an infant in the SAT test center? Proctor should have kicked that baby out of there, if you ask me.
Seriously, though, you can complain to the CB but it will get you nowhere. The CB is not, not, not known for being responsive to its customers’ concerns.
Oh just read another post and the person did write on the admission ticket too http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-act-tests-test-preparation/1837857-december-5-sat-test.html#latest
not infant, infant sorry. I wrote on the admissions ticket and it was related to the passage. Also they check your admissions ticket before you enter
in front**
I was on section four and it was a critical reading section. I was writing the main points of each paragraph so I wouldn’t lose focus on the passage. As I was writing on the admission paper, the proctor saw me writing on it and dismissed me right away. I was humiliated in front of everyone. The proctor didn’t even let me explain, so I called college board and complained.
this is what happened
I am having difficulty understanding what actually happened, but it is my understanding that you cannot take notes of anything during the test on anything that could leave the room with you. In doing the essay, you can write notes in the essay booklet but not on any piece of paper that you could possibly take out of the room. It is not just a issue of your having possibly brought the notes to the test but also that you are not supposed to reveal anything from the test to others after you leave and having notes with you when you leave raises that problem. That does not mean the proctor could not have used some judgment and done something less onerous, like allow to erase the notes before leaving, but the fact he instead chose the extreme option of dismissal does not necessarily mean you can claim he did wrong.
In any event, there is not much you can do. You did not finish the test and thus it will be canceled regardless of any complaint about the proctor or even if the proctor did wrong. You might be considering suing, but for what? To take the test again? CB will likely allow you to do that in Jan anyway. As a cancelled test, nothing will be reported by College Board about the test or your dismissal to any college.
So basically as I was writing down on the admission’s paper the proctor took the admission’s paper away and dismissed me immediately. I was humiliated and treated badly. There were two minutes left on the section, he could have waited for the break and dismissed me at that time. He told me and I quote “Grab your things and go, you’ve been dismissed and your scores will get cancelled”
Don;t work yourself up about being humiliated, it is not useful since you cannot get the test graded at this point (and I doubt a room full of high schoolers who may or may not know you would be anything remotely like libel … and you did break some arcane but real rule of CB).
If anyone asks you can explain what happened, but don’t go over the top. Life is not always totally fair … and it will work out in the end. What you can ask is that CB find a place for you to take the test in Jan.
If you even bother, the 4th test is unlikely to be much different than test 1-3.
He could have waited, but he felt you violated the rules and did what he’s supposed to: dismiss you. Humiliating? Perhaps. But it’s not like you were singled out for undeserved punishment. If this was your 4th time at the SAT, you should have known that anything resembling notes would have raised serious questions.
Treat this as a lesson learned, and move on. Life’s too short to stress over mistakes made. You will be fine.
“Humiliated” will not fly with the CB; CB simply will not care about your feelings. Your report does not in the least suggest that the proctor was out of line or abusive. You violated the rule, and your ignorance of that rule is not an excuse.
I’m sorry to be blunt and present an answer that you probably won’t welcome, but I’m being honest and trying to help you move on.
You can be one of those people who make a stink every time their feelings get hurt. Or you can be an adult and get on with your life.
I think you’ll find the second path leads to more opportunities.
If you’re having emotional difficulties, therapy might be in order. I don’t mean that in a bad way. I’ve benefited from therapy myself.
I don’t see why everyone is on your case. I’d be outraged too.
However:
The proctor was pretty strict but you should’ve explained to him and acted like a dumbass while simultaneously saying “sorry sir, i didn’t know. won’t happen again,” then he would have sympathy for you. either way, TCB won’t do anything and the bottom line is there nothing that can be done. The test was cancelled and you can begin to study your butt off for Jan you know.
@marvin100 LOL on the first part
But yeah, CB customer service is pretty crappy. I called like 4 times to get a name change on my profile but everytime they’d fabricate some farfetched excuse to why they can’t.
@senior98 Doesn’t the proctor ask you to put the admissions ticket under your desk before the actual test begins? (During the part where they ask you to fill out your personal info). I took the SAT Subject Tests yesterday and I had to put the admissions ticket under my desk before it began.
The proctor followed College Board policy: " If you fail to comply with these Test Security and Fairness policies, you may be dismissed from the test center, and your scores may be withheld or canceled. If you are dismissed from the test center prior to completing the test because of failure to comply with these Test Security and Fairness policies, your test fees will not be refunded. " https://sat.collegeboard.org/register/test-security-and-fairness
You did not: "What students must leave at home…Scratch paper; notes can be made on portions of the exam booklets or, for Chinese Language and Culture and Japanese Language and Culture, on scratch paper provided by the proctor
from https://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/ap/test-day/bring
The fact that you were dismissed in front of others was a direct result of your choice to violate the rules.