The March 8 SAT Glitch
What Happened?
On March 8th, a global technical glitch in the SAT testing application Bluebook set the app up to automatically submit student test scores at 11:00am local time — regardless of whether they were finished testing.
Thankfully, it didn’t impact all testers. At many test centers, the 2 hour and 24 minute SAT starts around 8:30am and ends just before 11:00am.
But at test centers where the test started closer to 9:00am, or in instances where students were testing with extended timing accommodations, students were still actively testing at 11am when their unfinished results were submitted and their test ended.
What impact did this have on testers?
Some testers were directly impacted by this glitch:
Standard time testers who were still testing at 11:00am would have been working on their final Math section module when the test was cut short. Those who finished the section quickly may have managed to complete the section before it submitted, but many will have missed out on answering several questions. As a result, their math score is going to be lower than it otherwise would have been.
Extended time testers who were still testing at 11:00am would have been working on either their first or second (final) Math section module when the test was cut short. It’s unlikely many would have avoided missing out on answering a fair number of questions. Consequently, their math score may be significantly impacted.
But a number of other students were impacted indirectly.
Because the glitch first impacted test centers in Asia in an earlier time zone, College Board was able to send notice to U.S. testing centers before the glitch took effect. College Board’s instructions were to reboot the Bluebook app.
However, many test administrators only discovered this notice after the test had begun, and when they had students reboot the app, the section timers didn’t pause. As a result, many students logged back on to their test to find they had lost 5-10 minutes they needed to properly complete their test section.
UPDATE: According to College Board, 8,855 students international testers (12.8% of all international testers!) and 1,231 students U.S. testers were affected by the auto-submit error. Additionally, several thousand more students lost testing time if they were instructed to reboot their devices mid-test.
College Board's Response and Recommendations
The response from College Board is evolving as they deal both with the fallout from the glitch and criticism over their initial response.
Shortly after the SAT ended, College Board began sending emails to testers it believed were impacted by the glitch.
These ONLY went out to students whom College Board determined were impacted
In the initial emails, College Board said that they would void all test results for impacted testers. Testers who had already finished answering questions by the time their test was interrupted had to contact College Board to keep their score on record. All impacted students were offered a full refund and free next SAT registration.
In some locations, a makeup tests was offered for March 22nd, but this option was initially only available only for those students who didn’t opt to keep their score. However, as of March 13, College Board updated its policy to allow affected students to preview their scores before deciding whether to cancel them.
Here’s the actual language sent to affected students:
We know you were impacted by a technical issue during the March 8–9 weekend SAT® administration that ended your test before your testing time was complete. We understand this has been an incredibly frustrating situation for you after you worked hard to prepare for the test, and we apologize.
This email is an update to the email you received over the weekend about next steps and includes information about new options for you.
You don’t need to take any action right now, but here’s what happens next.
By the end of this week, we will issue a full refund of your registration fees to your original form of payment, and we will also apply a voucher to your account for a free registration for a future SAT administration.
Also, by the end of this week, you will receive an email with a preview of your score from your test. Previewing this score will allow you to make an informed decision about whether to keep your score or take a makeup exam if it’s available in your area on March 22 (March 23 for Sunday testers).
What about testers whom the College Board didn’t believe were impacted?
Testers whose test concluded before 11am didn’t need to do anything - they would still receive scores as usual.
But testers who lost time — and will likely end up with compromised scores — because of the reboot may be treated like testers who weren’t impacted.
If you believe that your testing experience was undermined but did not receive an email from College Board about this matter, contact them at http://www.sat.org/inquiry or 866-756-7346.
Final Thoughts
This was a frustrating and unfair situation for many students, and College Board’s response hasn’t been perfect. If you were impacted, take the time to fully understand your options—whether that means keeping your score, canceling, or retesting. The right move depends on your personal circumstances, your college goals, and how confident you feel about your performance. Also, pay close attention to College Board’s communications and announcements, as their policies and available options may change.
UPDATE: Yes, There’s Already a Lawsuit
Because of course there is. At least one law firm is looking into a potential class action suit against College Board over the March 8 SAT glitch. If you’re curious (or just want to see how far this goes), you can check it out here.