<ul>
<li>I am applying to various boarding schools as a Post Grad candidate</li>
<li>The testing requirement for Post Grad is: PSAT, SAT or ACT at all of these schools</li>
<li>The application deadline for the majority of the schools is early January (10th/15th)</li>
</ul>
<p>I did not take the PSAT (as I am home-schooled) and was planning on taking the SAT on the 7th December test date, as the results would be available in time for the application deadline. </p>
<p>However, I dislocated my right shoulder yesterday and I am in a sling. I have been told that I am not allowed to write (I am right-handed) for 2-6 weeks following my operation, which is tomorrow. </p>
<p>We have spoken to the College Board and they have said that it is not possible to arrange to have someone write the test for me at such short notice. In any event, I would find it extremely hard to have someone writing for me, as I have been practicing doing it myself.</p>
<p>I would not mind taking the ACT instead of the SAT, but I am worried that the December 13th test results (+writing) are not available until the end of January - which is past the deadline. Additionally, I am not even sure that it is possible for me to test on this date as it is two days past the late fee registration. And there is no guarantee that my shoulder will have sufficiently healed for me to write on the 13th. There are also Math concepts on the ACT that I have not yet covered, but I would hope that two weeks would be sufficient time to learn these. </p>
<p>I am assuming that the January 25th SAT test date is far too late (especially for the very selective schools like Choate), so I am at a loss of what to do. Test results are not only required but are especially important for a home-schooled student. </p>
<p>Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>That’s tricky. It may be worth it to call the schools about the January date. They may be willing to accept it, though they won’t get the scores until Feb. </p>
<p>The other option is to go ahead and take the Dec SAT, defying your doctor’s recommendation. My biggest concern with that is that you may not do as well as you could. It seems like the essay part would be the worse part for you physically. Maybe you could just write “my arm is in a sling and I’m not supposed to write.” It would kill your writing score but schools would still see your multiple choice score. Be sure to tell them. They’d probably understand. This is what I’d advise my kid to do. I’d also register you for the Jan test, letting the schools know that for the Dec test you can’t do the essay, but they can get it later if they really want it. They may not even care about the essay.</p>
<p>Thank you for the advice. I will be phoning the schools, and I’m sure that at least one of them will accept the Feb score - I’m just worried that it will hurt my application and that I could possibly only be considered alongside the late applicants, significantly decreasing my chance of admission as the best case scenario would be a wait-list behind the regular applicant pool. It is also unlikely that I would receive a decision at the same time as everyone else (April), making it hard to come up with an alternative plan for next year if I don’t get admitted anywhere. That is why I posted on this forum: to see if anyone had any additional suggestions.</p>
<p>Regarding just going ahead and taking the Dec SAT, unfortunately this would not be possible as it is much too painful to write (I tried it earlier and my shoulder kept popping). I would be extremely nervous about my shoulder not healing after the operation too. Even if I did manage to do the multiple choice questions I would be worried about the terrible writing score - not necessarily for the boarding schools but for colleges in the future that do not allow score choice and may not be as understanding (e.g. Yale).</p>
<p>This is so frustrating!</p>
<p>If everything else is in on time, they may still give you full consideration. Ideally, you take the Jan test and it doesn’t effect your application. If you have already interviewed, email your interviewer, outlining your situation (much as you have here), and ask them to advise you. I suggest emailing in this case because it can simply be printed and added to your file so that other people who read your application will understand why the scores are missing. I think the schools will be understanding and won’t hold it against you. Test scores are not something that they mull over. If you have taken timed practise tests and can give them an idea of what to expect, you can mention it. Something like, “I expect my score to fall within the 650 - 750 range for each section” or something like that. Then, when they do get your scores, it’s just a simple matter of them saying, “yeah, we still like this kid”. </p>
<p>Are there any other standardized tests that you have taken as a part of your homeschooling? AP exams or achievement tests? You’re right that they tend to be more important for the HS applicant.</p>
<p>I’m sorry this happened. It’s so unlucky.</p>
<p>Unfortunately I have not yet taken any AP exams or achievement tests, which is one of the reasons I am applying to boarding school instead of to colleges this year. The worst part is that I am a naturally good test taker and have been scoring above a 700 on all three sections in practice tests. It seems a shame that I won’t have the official scores to show this until afterward. </p>
<p>Thank you again for all the suggestions (particularly emailing - I hadn’t thought of that).</p>