College Board suspends SAT registration outside North America, cites ‘bot’ activity
The next SAT exam is set for August
The College Board has temporarily suspended SAT registration for students outside North America due to extensive “bot” activity, according to a statement on not-for-profit's Twitter page.
“We have uncovered extensive automated SAT registration (bot) activity from outside North America that's crowding out registration for all students,” the note explained. “To ensure fairness, we're temporarily suspending registration for students outside North America. We'll continue to provide updates.”
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The last several months of the coronavirus pandemic have stymied college admissions exams as testing sites. High schools have been temporarily closed to mitigate the spread of the virus, canceling exams. Just on Tuesday, the Board decided to cancel its plans to offer at-home tests citing technological challenges including there was no way to guarantee three hours of uninterrupted video quality internet access across the board for every student.
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At the same time that the Board is fighting these challenges, some 50 colleges have dropped or made standardized testing optional for 2021 and the movement to curb both the SAT and ACT is building. The national, student organization, Student Voice, is calling for higher education institutions "to prioritize equity in the admissions process" and adopt test-optional policies for 2021 freshmen because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The next SAT exam is set for August. Rival ACT plans to move ahead with its June 13 test.
The College Board did not immediately respond to a request for comment from FOX Business.