Oy. Seriusly, this blows. Imagine studying for months, taking your four hour SAT test, then being told your score is being nullified because whomever was watching you didn’t make sure the desks were at least four feet away from each other. This is what happened to nearly 200 students who took the test at Brooklyn Height’s Packer Collegiate Institute this month.
According to the NY Times, there have been an uptick of precautions since a cheating ring was found in Long Island last year–though this involved students taking tests for other students.

The Educational Testing Service, which administers the SAT on behalf of the College Board, confirmed that 199 scores from the exam were canceled after an audit of the testing site, but declined to say why. Mr. Dennis said the school’s E.T.S. liaison was told by the company that some of the students had been too close together; they were supposed to be at least four feet apart.
Tom Ewing, a spokesman for E.T.S., said that the company routinely conducted unannounced audits and that their frequency had not increased significantly. Mr. Ewing acknowledged that it was unusual for every score from a site to be thrown out. “Typically we will get cancellations for a room,” he said. “But issues that affect an entire test are more rare.”

Packer’s website had this posted today: Packer will be providing bus transportation to and from the re-test location at Abraham Lincoln High School this Saturday for all students who were tested here on May 5, whether they attend Packer or not. We will also offer a nutritious breakfast for students en route.
Buses will leave Packer at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 19 and will depart from Abraham Lincoln HS at approximately 12:30 p.m. and return to Packer.
Students who wish to leave Lincoln earlier or stay later will need to find their own transportation home.
To help us plan for adequate bus capacity, please contact Packer’s Upper School Office at upperschool@packer.edu or (718) 250-0225 if you plan to use the bus service.
We apologize to those students affected by this testing mishap, whether they attend Packer or not, and of course are also taking the appropriate measures to ensure that we comply fully with all College Board testing guidelines for future administrations of the examination.

Though the breakfast sounds good, I don’t think that would make me feel any better about retaking the test.