It seems like the College Board is having a major tech problem.
Over the last several days we have attempted to send SAT scores to our state flagship school (which still requires them for the app, unlike many privates which now allow self-reporting until unless you are accepted and plan to attend). Each time it acts like it goes through – takes our credit card info, completes the process, etc. – but there’s no confirmation email and later the website shows no pending score sending in the history. The credit card site on the other hand shows repeated transactions from College Board fist charging then crediting the $12 fee.
I finally called customer service. They say that there are problem with the website due to “system upgrades” and that the only way to reliably send scores is to call them. I asked how long the “system upgrades” have been going on and when they are expected to be complete and she said it’s been going on for “weeks” and that there is no information on when the “update will be completed.” Which really means it’s not an upgrade but some kind of problem that they have been triaging for a long time and don’t have a solution yet.
I don’t envy the students and parents that will have to deal with them when the test is only provided online. Imagine all the problems then if they can’t even handle basic transactions or maintain a functional website now.
That’s bad. They should be emailing all test takers in their system to let them know about this. At the very least, it will give people a chance to get going on submitting things. Or, maybe they don’t want to deal with the phone calls.
Good grief!..is this nonsense STILL going on with the CB website? In 2021, we had ALL sorts of problems with it (I think it was in the Fall 2021) when they shifted to a new internet platform.
The CB call center in the Pacific Time morning was clearly routed to the Philippines. Actually, I found the call center reps to be very friendly and trying to be helpful. The problem was that the CB itself (as opposed to a likely outsourced call center) didn’t ultimately do anything to assist DD when her SAT test date was canceled out of the blue with less than 2 weeks’ notice.
To be fair, CB very rarely cancels test dates (other than closing all for COVID), it’s almost always a test center problem. And test material is almost certainly already on the way less than two weeks from the test date.
CB has many problems, but many who curse at them for a late test center closure are usually pointing fingers in the wrong direction.
??? What exactly is your basis for saying this? We are not “cursing” them, but pointing out the complete unprofessionalism in shutting down a test center in a major metropolitan area and not giving any alternatives.
Since you point the finger at us, let me point the finger at you: why exactly are you an apologist for the CB?
You are the one blaming us who paid for this test, so I am really curious as to what is your point in blaming us?
Richinpitt’s point was that CB doesn’t close sites down, the sites (often local high schools) are the ones making the decision to close down/not run the test. Sometimes the sites do this very close to the day of the test.
There is nothing CB can do when this happens, as they would likely not be able to get another site up and running close to the test date, even if there was one willing to step in.
That is 100% out of CB’s control, and again nothing CB can do once it’s close to the test date.
I am not a fan of CB at all, but people should understand how testing works operationally, and who has the control.
Having worked at a HS which offered tests, I can assure you it would be nearly impossible to add capacity close to the test date. Running these tests is a huge PITA for HS staff which is why some have completely stopped running tests. Further, Many sites cut back on capacity during covid, and have never increased again, partially do to staffing issues.
I am far from the apologist for the CB, but this is not the responsibility of the College Board. They do not control the testing sites, which are high schools for the most part. They were not the ones that shut the sites, nor can they force other schools to expand their sites (which is more logistically challenging than you might think).
Criticize them for the many things they do wrong, but this is not one of them.
So annoyed. Major issues still persist with sending scores on the site. DD got half done last night, the rest will not work, any which way we try, even one at a time. The site glitches and sends you back to the home screen, at different intervals in the process. This is ridiculous.
It is. The issue is getting enough proctors and seat spaces.
But back to the topic. CB has had tech issues periodically for as long as I can remember. My kid was in the batch of kids where it took MONTHS to send the scores out, and some tests were actually lost. It was bad timing as EA applications were due. Fortunately the colleges understood.
College Board broken IT strikes again. Same exact problem, weeks later. It won’t process sending scores online – fails at the final step after already charging card. No customer service support on the weekend so now need to schedule time in the work day to call to verbally process getting scores sent.
For a company with their level of revenue, you would think they wold try harder to make it easier to make revenue. Also, I wonder how many people think they sent their scores and then only figure out after the fact that they never were sent? There’s nothing that says the process failed – if I wasn’t looking for it proactively I would have assumed it processed my order.
