My son’s first SAT score was 1160. This was him taking the test just to see what the exam feels like, and because someone kept dragging their chair in front of him during the exam, my son who has attention-disorder symptoms panicked and grabbed his head for almost the entirety of the exam. He couldn’t take the test to his full potential.
After the first exam, my son studied using Khan Academy, bought the College Board SAT book, and took the mock exam College Board offered, consistently scoring in the 1480 to 1530 range. When the preparation was all done, we took the exam six months after the previous test, in which he scored 1160. However, when the SAT result came out, we were shocked because College Board cancelled my son’s score with this email:
“This decision follows a comprehensive investigation by the College Board’s test security team which determined that testing misconduct occurred. These determinations are made only when there’s clear and overwhelming evidence of misconduct such as:
— analysis of answers that conclusively demonstrate collusion,
— having any applications running on your device other than the Bluebook testing application,
— direct observation of the test security violation by testing staff,
— or a combination of these and other pieces of evidence.”
My son’s SAT proctor was his math teacher, who is known for being one of the strictest teachers when it comes to testing. This proctor, who administered my son’s exam, said there was absolutely nothing wrong with my son’s testing and that she can fully vouch for him. My son also went to his school counselor, who is in charge of all SAT exams at the school, and my son heard that a very high score can sometimes lead to cancellation.
So we wrote an appeal email to College Board, including the test materials he studied, the proctor’s attached email, and most importantly a question my son solved during his exam. My son has a very good memory, and he said that if he showed College Board a question he solved during the test, they would believe it was really him who took it.
However, the answer we received from College Board was even more shocking. This was the email they sent to my son a couple of weeks after we sent our appeal:
“After a comprehensive investigation, we have concluded that you violated the test security and fairness policies during the 2025 administration of the SAT. As a consequence, you are prohibited from taking any College Board assessment for 2 years. This suspension includes the SAT, Advanced Placement, and CLEP exams and is effective until 2027.”
We were flabbergasted by this email. We called College Board and asked about the situation. A representative logged into my son’s account and confirmed that there was nothing wrong with his account system-wise. College Board then asked if we wanted to bring the case to the upper board, and we said yes. Then they told us they would email my son’s school for further documentation, such as the scratch paper he used and communication with the proctor during the exam.
This was when we were shocked. A two-year ban will prohibit my son not only from taking future SAT exams, which are crucial for his college admissions, but also from sending his previous AP scores, for which he received a 5 and a 4. How can College Board make such a huge decision without asking my son’s school for scratch paper or contacting the proctor? Why are they only starting this investigation after we chose to fight back?
How can they first cancel the exam and then ban my son’s account for two years without presenting any evidence?
Please let me know anything that may be helpful in this situation. We are trying to hire a lawyer, but because my son is a senior in high school, the legal process will take long and may not finish before his college application deadlines.
I am mad and shocked. What are some ways College Board investigates, and why don’t they state any reasoning or evidence when making such an important decision in someone’s life?