Internet trouble led to sudden cancellation of SAT exam in Oakland

A total of 1400 students were affected by the sudden cancellation of the SAT test in Oakland. Now, the students are waiting for the next schedule to appear in the exam.

 

As per reports, a scheduled SAT testing was suddenly cancelled in Oakland on Saturday due to Wi-Fi issues. The exam was being conducted at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Oakland.

The College Board that conducts the standardized test confirmed through a statement that a Wi-Fi problem caused the cancellation and about 1,400 students were affected.

College Board stated, "We know this was an incredibly difficult situation for students who worked hard to prepare for the test. We deeply apologize to all affected students. They will receive a full refund, and we are working to ensure they are able to retest," as reported by NBC Bay area.

The affected 1,400 students in Oakland are now waiting for a rescheduled date — and a full refund. The cancellation happened in a region where a surprising lack of available SAT testing sites has forced students to commute long distances from home cities.

“We deeply apologize to all affected students,” Holly Stepp, a representative for the College Board said, as reported by Govt Tech.

"Similar problems haven’t played out at testing sites in other states since the digital rollout, and California is a unique case," said Stepp.

She said in an email, “Student demand has exceeded capacity for SAT weekend administrations in California’s Bay Area because of a shortage of high schools and other institutions willing to serve as SAT Weekend test centres."

"After a last-minute cancellation at an SAT testing site in Oakland sent about 1,400 students scrambling over the weekend, one student is petitioning her high school to host the exam," reads a message on X.

"Effective #WiFi in our schools is a modern SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUE. Students, parents express frustrations after over 1,000 unable to take SAT exam in East Bay," said another news.

About SAT Exam in India

The exam is administered by the College Board and it includes a multiple-choice question format. The scores are valid for students interested in pursuing undergraduate courses, particularly to study in the US or study in Canada. The test is to evaluate the verbal, written and mathematical skills of the candidates. Till last year, it was a pencil-paper test, but now it has become the SAT Digital Exam.

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