Lesser Known Accommodations for College Entrance Exams

May Blog:

Will your child be taking the SAT or ACT soon? Does she need accommodations?  If so, has she applied for them?  What did she request? 

The most common accommodation requested on either the SAT or ACT is fifty percent extended time.  Students think they need this foremost, in order to finish the test or to reduce the anxiety of thinking they will not finish.  If a student has a reading disability, requiring more time to do the actual reading, then this may be a reasonable accommodation. 

If the student suffers from anxiety or has trouble focusing, there may be other accommodations that would be more helpful.  On the SAT, if a student receives 50% extended time, the average subtest will take 45 minutes, adding 15 minutes to the usual 30 minutes.  According to the College Board, “students with approval for extended time must sit for the entire test. Students cannot continue to a new section if they complete a section before the time ends, and they cannot leave early.”  With 50% extended time, a student would have to sit for 5 hours and 25 minutes, with short breaks between each subtest.  Instead of extended time, a student who has trouble sitting for long periods of time or experiences anxiety may consider requesting an extra break time.  This would allow the student to walk around, eat a snack, do some breathing exercises, and feel more refreshed for the next subtest.  This still extends the day, but not the sitting time, which can often lead to restlessness, a longer time to be unfocused, and/or more anxiety. 

A student with attention problems may also want to request a small group setting to reduce distractions in the testing room.  Students who have trouble focusing due to too many words on a page, may request a larger font test booklet, either 14-point or 20-point font.  If tracking between the test booklet and scantron sheet is a problem, the student may want to request to write in the test booklet or use a large-block answer sheet that does not require bubbling in answers. 

To reduce the amount of time to take the entire test, especially if extended time is granted, a student may request to take the test over multiple days.  This means that the student would take the test at his home base school, instead of a test center.  The school would be required to assign a proctor for the test days and could choose the best time of day for the individual student.  Very few students are granted 100% extended time, but if the documentation supports it, this accommodation would also be used at the home base school and should accompany multiple test days. 

Besides a physical disability, use of the computer for the SAT or ACT must show documentation of a severe language-based learning disability, which includes deficits in reading, processing, and writing.  Generally students who use computers for school-based tests or class work due to poor attention and organization, will request large block test booklets, writing in the test booklet, and/or large block answer sheets. 

All accommodations requested for SAT and ACT, must be documented in a psycho-educational report which states the disability and the impact it has on learning.  This documentation should be submitted to the College Board or ACT well in advance of the test date, usually a minimum of seven weeks.  Check the College Board and ACT websites for exact criteria regarding accommodation requests.  If your school cannot help you with this process, contact Ruth Brodsky at Ruth Brodsky Consulting.  Ruth has had much experience submitting this documentation on the behalf of high school students, and will be able to advise you on the best and easiest ways to tackle this task.