What do Kryptonite, sunlight, and the ACT all have in common? All of these things represent essential weaknesses. For Superman, Kryptonite is his “Achilles' heel”. For Vampires, it’s sunlight. But for most students at SAS, standardized testing has become the bane of high school existence— an inexorable and dreaded deadline that each and every student will confront for better or worse. Whether it stems from the impossible expectations set forth by parents or the agonizing ordeal of ‘prep classes’, our community has— to put it lightly— developed strong feelings against standardized testing. But out of all the vexations we have, cancellations may be the most frustrating of all. Why? Because, if there’s one thing we hate more than taking these tests, it’s preparing for one only to be denied the fruits of our labor.
As college application season approaches, many students are feeling the increasing pressure of this impending date. On top of the stress of school, for seniors especially, it came as a shock to many on the morning of September 7th that the ACT announced the cancellation of their regularly scheduled September 9th test in Asian regions after “credible evidence that test materials… [had] been compromised”, according to the official notice. This abrupt twist came as a huge inconvenience to prospective test-takers— both seniors and juniors alike, with many resorting to social media to express their incredulity and outrage.
In an interview, Sarina Ku, a Junior at SAS, remarked, “I spent a lot of time during the summer prepping and like honestly i just really wanna get it over so that i can stop worrying about standardized testing throughout the year.” Following the increasingly hectic academic schedules of senior and junior year, it’s only natural that a large portion of upperclassmen look towards getting standardized testing over with as soon as possible, but back-up plans are increasing necessary when faced with the possibility of unexpected bumps in the road. For Sarina, her initial plan was to “take the September and October test” but now she’s been “forced to register for the December one as well.” She continued, “While obviously its not the ACT's fault that the test was cancelled although they could probably do a better job at preventing any cheating but I just think that people who cheat are very inconsiderate. And, the fact that people are putting so much effort in cheating just reveals something pretty shocking about the real purpose of standardized testing or lack thereof.”
But unexpected cancellations are more than simply an ‘inconvenience’. For many seniors, the cancellation represents the denial of a final chance for them to improve their test scores— a potentially damaging blow to the prospects of early decision or early action applicants. For seniors still looking to take the ACT to improve in time for their regular admissions, the next test dates are October 28th and December 9th, although late registration deadlines are October 6th and November 17th respectively, so prospective test takers shouldn’t procrastinate in signing up.
One prospective senior who planned to take the test, Amy Liu, expressed her frustrations with implications of the cancellations, stating “For me personally, this came at such a bad time.” Indeed, seniors often have a have a difficult juggling act, especially as application deadlines approach, and the inauspicious rescheduling of the ACT both prolongs a process that most wish to complete as soon as possible and adds to the momentous work load of senior year. “On top of the Common Application process, writing the personal statement, considering the supplements, etc, it's a lot to handle.”
When prompting the college counselors for their opinion on the matter, they provided some reassuring advice. In an interview with Mr. Moody, he reflected “College admissions officers are understanding, and they’re going to account for the fact that applicants [from the Southeast Asia region] not only have fewer opportunities to take standardizes tests than other students, but also that they missed a crucial test in September”— one of the most unanimously popular dates for high school students globally.
Even more perniciously, recurrent discoveries of academic dishonesty only contribute to Shanghai’s notorious reputation as a haven of standardized subterfuge in regards to standardized testing. The repercussions of such a reputation are detrimental to the collective interests of the community and future generations of students. This isn’t just limited to the ACT. In response to rampant cheating, the College Board— an US organization responsible for the administration of both AP and SAT tests— has already enacted numerous policies to deter and prevent future incidents. They've reduced the number of internationally offered SAT tests annually, by more than half, while simultaneously threatening the revocation of test administration licenses from any centers found to be complicit or involved in such duplicity, including SAS.
To be fair, students aren’t the only bearers of blame. Test preparation centers and organizations are often equality guilty; many possess a vested interest in acquiring leaked tests for their own ulterior motives.
Cancelled tests, cancelled scores, and cancelled dates have been the continued antagonists of the SAS community. On an annual basis— dating back even as recently as last year’s November ACT— the cancellation of one to two test scores or dates, in either the SAT or ACT, has become a normalized expectation that occurs on an almost systematic basis. At the end of the day, the only question that remains is, whether or not cheating has become an inevitable consequence of a culture that fetishizes test taking to an unprecedented extreme.
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| Photo via ACT |
As college application season approaches, many students are feeling the increasing pressure of this impending date. On top of the stress of school, for seniors especially, it came as a shock to many on the morning of September 7th that the ACT announced the cancellation of their regularly scheduled September 9th test in Asian regions after “credible evidence that test materials… [had] been compromised”, according to the official notice. This abrupt twist came as a huge inconvenience to prospective test-takers— both seniors and juniors alike, with many resorting to social media to express their incredulity and outrage.
In an interview, Sarina Ku, a Junior at SAS, remarked, “I spent a lot of time during the summer prepping and like honestly i just really wanna get it over so that i can stop worrying about standardized testing throughout the year.” Following the increasingly hectic academic schedules of senior and junior year, it’s only natural that a large portion of upperclassmen look towards getting standardized testing over with as soon as possible, but back-up plans are increasing necessary when faced with the possibility of unexpected bumps in the road. For Sarina, her initial plan was to “take the September and October test” but now she’s been “forced to register for the December one as well.” She continued, “While obviously its not the ACT's fault that the test was cancelled although they could probably do a better job at preventing any cheating but I just think that people who cheat are very inconsiderate. And, the fact that people are putting so much effort in cheating just reveals something pretty shocking about the real purpose of standardized testing or lack thereof.”
 |
| Photo via ACT |
But unexpected cancellations are more than simply an ‘inconvenience’. For many seniors, the cancellation represents the denial of a final chance for them to improve their test scores— a potentially damaging blow to the prospects of early decision or early action applicants. For seniors still looking to take the ACT to improve in time for their regular admissions, the next test dates are October 28th and December 9th, although late registration deadlines are October 6th and November 17th respectively, so prospective test takers shouldn’t procrastinate in signing up.
One prospective senior who planned to take the test, Amy Liu, expressed her frustrations with implications of the cancellations, stating “For me personally, this came at such a bad time.” Indeed, seniors often have a have a difficult juggling act, especially as application deadlines approach, and the inauspicious rescheduling of the ACT both prolongs a process that most wish to complete as soon as possible and adds to the momentous work load of senior year. “On top of the Common Application process, writing the personal statement, considering the supplements, etc, it's a lot to handle.”
When prompting the college counselors for their opinion on the matter, they provided some reassuring advice. In an interview with Mr. Moody, he reflected “College admissions officers are understanding, and they’re going to account for the fact that applicants [from the Southeast Asia region] not only have fewer opportunities to take standardizes tests than other students, but also that they missed a crucial test in September”— one of the most unanimously popular dates for high school students globally.
Even more perniciously, recurrent discoveries of academic dishonesty only contribute to Shanghai’s notorious reputation as a haven of standardized subterfuge in regards to standardized testing. The repercussions of such a reputation are detrimental to the collective interests of the community and future generations of students. This isn’t just limited to the ACT. In response to rampant cheating, the College Board— an US organization responsible for the administration of both AP and SAT tests— has already enacted numerous policies to deter and prevent future incidents. They've reduced the number of internationally offered SAT tests annually, by more than half, while simultaneously threatening the revocation of test administration licenses from any centers found to be complicit or involved in such duplicity, including SAS.
 |
| Photo via ACT |
Cancelled tests, cancelled scores, and cancelled dates have been the continued antagonists of the SAS community. On an annual basis— dating back even as recently as last year’s November ACT— the cancellation of one to two test scores or dates, in either the SAT or ACT, has become a normalized expectation that occurs on an almost systematic basis. At the end of the day, the only question that remains is, whether or not cheating has become an inevitable consequence of a culture that fetishizes test taking to an unprecedented extreme.
Evan Shen
