Taking SAT - middle school student

[purpleowl]

If your middle school student has taken the SAT recently, what documentation did you need on test day? I just registered my 7th grader, but I'm finding conflicting info online and I don't want to run into problems by not having whatever is required.

DD does have a passport.

[Dmmetler]

I always brought a photo ID for the kid, a Photo ID for me, just in case, and the signed form from the Talent Search site if we were using them.  For the SAT/ACT, they checked the kid's ID and matched to the list, and the only hang up was that usually all talent search kids were last (luckily, the proctor for the first SAT knew that and directed my then 10 yr old to the right place, so we knew to look for it for other younger than typical administrations) 

[purpleowl]

We are not going through a talent search - Duke TIP is no longer operating thanks to covid, and I tried to sign her up for numats but the registration wasn't working for me. So I just registered her for the SAT directly now that she's 13.

I found some sites saying that middle school kids need either a talent search ID or an authorization to test form, but I can't find a form like that. And I can't find that info on CB's website. I found an old thread here where someone linked to CB's page on younger students...but the link doesn't work any more, and I can't find a comparable page.

Edited January 26, 2022 by purpleowl

[chocolate-chip chooky]

My daughter did the SAT at age 13 in 2019.

Like you, I was really concerned about the logistics on test day regarding ID. 

I tried contacting the SAT people directly, but never got a helpful response. I just got obviously automated replies to emails, and couldn't get through on the phone.

I contacted the test centre directly and got in touch with the person who would be supervising the exam.

I then emailed directly with him, and explained my ID concerns. He was really helpful. I emailed him copies of my daughter's homeschool ID card and birth certificate, and he assured me that this would be fine. I then had that email conversation printed out for when we were there on test day, along with the hard copies of her homeschool ID and birth certificate.

I also made sure we got to the test centre well ahead of time on test day, so that we could meet the supervisor and introduce ourselves prior to the official stuff starting.

It all worked out just fine, but I completely understand your concerns. I was really worried right up until test day.

Good luck!

[daijobu]

You are wise to check on this.  My dd took the SAT in middle school through a talent search.  They wouldn't let me into the building so I dropped her off and drove home.  Turns out they weren't going to let her test because.--I forget now--reasons?  Fortunately there was a small crew of middle school students there to test and it escalated and was finally resolved that the students could actually test there.  I was furious!  SAT talent search has been around since at least the 1980s, and these ppl were unaware? 

Anyway, my advice is if your student does not currently have a cell phone, get them a burner phone for the day so they can contact you if there are any issues.  Don't leave the parking lot.  Coach your student, and print out stuff that shows that yes, middle school students can take the SAT.  Ask other parents where they've successfully tested their middle school students.  

Insult to injury:  that school's HVAC was turned off during the weekend, so it was bitterly cold inside.  The other students were aware and brough coats and hot tea.  We did not return to that school, and had a much better experience elsewhere.  

[purpleowl]

Thanks all. I will see if I can get in touch with the person who runs that center to confirm what they want her to have. We don't have homeschool ID, but I do have documentation that she is registered as a home ed student with the county. 

She does have a phone, so she should be able to get in touch with us if there's an issue that day. I actually found an open seat at the university's testing center, which I like better than having her do it at one of the high schools. It's in the same building where DH used to work. 

She understands that this is zero-stakes testing for her at this point, but at the same time, I don't want her to get thrown into an anxiety spiral that morning because of unanticipated issues. So I want to do whatever I can to make it go smoothly!

[Lucy the Valiant]

Passport works fine for older teens, if that helps at all. (I understand your concerns.)

[purpleowl]

1 minute ago, Lucy the Valiant said:

Passport works fine for older teens, if that helps at all. (I understand your concerns.)

Thanks! The weird thing is that since she's younger, the site didn't even give me the option to upload a photo of her. So part of me is concerned that even with the passport, she will get a check-in person who's like "you never uploaded your photo so you can't take the test."

[purpleowl]

By the way, I fully own that I am borrowing trouble. 😂 I would just rather worry about it now while I can do something than on test day when I can't.

[chocolate-chip chooky]

3 hours ago, purpleowl said:

By the way, I fully own that I am borrowing trouble. 😂 I would just rather worry about it now while I can do something than on test day when I can't.

I wouldn't call it borrowing trouble. It's thinking ahead and being prepared. I think you're being mighty sensible 👍

I don't know how many test centre options you have, but maybe finding the smallest one could be helpful, so that it is more likely that you can have some communication with the supervisor beforehand. 

Not a lot of people take the SAT here, and our test centre was small. The supervisor had never come across a young test-taker before, so I was really glad that I had contacted him about it all beforehand. 

Another young-person hurdle we had to overcome was after the test. Apparently, test scores are automatically deleted by College Board for young test-takers, unless you specifically ask for it to be kept on the permanent record. Well, we didn't want it deleted. In fact, we needed it for my daughter's early university enrolment. I emailed and called and emailed and called, and never got any help on how to have it kept. I found it *very* stressful.

So, I took screenshots of everything on CB website, and downloaded everything I could while it was all there. Luckily that was all enough for our uni authorities here.

[chocolate-chip chooky]

3 hours ago, purpleowl said:

Thanks! The weird thing is that since she's younger, the site didn't even give me the option to upload a photo of her. So part of me is concerned that even with the passport, she will get a check-in person who's like "you never uploaded your photo so you can't take the test."

Yes, same. I think it's if they are under 14? This is another thing I discussed with our supervisor ahead of time.

[Lilaclady]

My dd took the SAT and it was no problem. Like you, she didn’t upload a picture but she had state ID with her and they just checked her ID and let her in. The center she was registered did have a separate room for the middle schoolers so that helped. 

[purpleowl]

Update in case it's helpful for anyone else: I just dropped DD off and we had no issues. She was fine with just the admission ticket and her passport. 

It turns out that the proctor in her assigned room is actually someone we're acquainted with (a mom of a kid in one of DD's activities), which made me feel more comfortable leaving her there, lol.

[Dmmetler]

BTW, under 13 can now register directly with the college board by phone again.  I saw that announced on another board, and thought it might be relevant to some here.