<p>I'm just reviewing the paperwork for the ACT that my D will be taking tomorrow, and it clearly states on the Admission Ticket that students are NOT to bring snacks or beverages (including water.) Whaaattt?! I thought it was standard operating procedure to bring water and a snack, to be consumed only during breaks, of course. </p>
<p>Has anyone had experience with this, for earlier ACTs? Will she be in trouble if she's caught with a granola bar and a bottle of water?!</p>
<p>Jeez. My kids only took the SATs, but they were allowed (and we encouraged) they eat a snack. How can a kid be expected to go all that time without a snack? I’d suggest your kids treat this as they would going up to airport security: allow security to take it away if they require it, but bring it if not.</p>
<p>You may bring them you just cannot eat in the testing room.</p>
<p>The ACT isn’t that long of a test. She’ll be fine. Sometimes proctors are more leneint than others. One of mine was able to leave a bottled water outside the classroom to drink during the break. ONe of my kids was able to buy a bottled water from the vending machine at one test. So you can always send bottled water if the drinking fountian during break won’t suffice. The SAT is considerably longer. Have your D ask someone who has taken the test at that particular center what they allow and don’t allow might be another way to find out what really happens at that testing location.</p>
<p>SAT longer than ACT? I think the ACT is too long!</p>
<p>Bring the snack and drink. There is a break between sections 2 and 3 I think. I know my son was able to have his snack and drink last time he took it and will bring them again tomorrow.</p>
<p>The ACT with writing starts at 8am and is estimated to end at 1pm. I think any reasonable proctor would permit a drink/snack during the break on a 5 hour test!</p>
<p>Make sure phone is turned off, not just to silent, too and put in pocket. Fresh batteries for calculator. Print and bring ACT admission ticket and picture identification. </p>
<p>My D took the ACT last spring and didn’t have trouble bringing a water bottle and granola bar to eat during the break. All of my own kids and students take the ACT and have never had trouble bringing in a snack to eat during the break.</p>
<p>O-M-G</p>
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<p>I am sure my S took a snack and drink last year. I don’t remember reading snacks weren’t allowed. They do get breaks, she could eat it during break outside the test room. Hope she does well!</p>
<p>When my D took the ACT, she could bring a snack and water, she just couldn’t take them into the testing room. When she took it at her own high school, she stashed them in her locker and had them during a break. When she had to go to a different testing center, she didn’t take anything and was fine without a snack. The building had water fountains.</p>
<p>It’s been a while since I caved on my friend the GC’s plea and proctored the standardized tests. So things may have changed in the last few years.
BIG THING don’t even take your cell phone into the building. So many devices and so many versions of “off”. Leave it in your car. Don’t risk it, don’t bring it.
I think the ban on snacks and water bottles in the room has to do with the potential for cheating - that granola bar wrapper could have algebra formulas (gasp) written inside.
If your kid stashes the OJ and almonds in his backback and eats them outside the testing room during the break, that should be fine as we read the rules.</p>
<p>Momofthree,
I think you are confused about the length of the ACT especially if you are taking the writing. Personally, I think anything over 3 hours is a long test and I dropped my daughter off this morning at 7:45am and there was a notice to return at 1pm (for those sitting for writing). Serious? You don’t think that’s long?</p>
<p>Including breaks and even with writing (which didn’t exist when S1 took it) my kids were done before noon and done before 1 for the SAT. I think the ACT is 3.5 hours (3 without writing) + breaks and the SAT is 4 hours plus the breaks.</p>
<p>momof3 - you are forgetting about the time it takes them to get started in the morning and so forth. While the actual time spent testing might be 3 - 3.5 hours - the admissions ticket clearly states to pick the kid up at 1pm if they are taking the ACT with writing - and that’s after dropping them off before 8am. It’s a 5+ hour event.</p>
<p>I sent our son with cheese sticks in his jacket pockets. He wasn’t supposed to have snacks, but he really does need to eat every few hours or he gets a bit shaky. So he had the cheese during the break.</p>
<p>My daughter and her several of her classmates took the ACT today. No problem with snacks or water during the break. Dropped off D at 7:55 and picked up her up at 1 pm. It would be a long day without a snack. </p>
<p>In fact, there was a kid who the proctor seemed to know who was texting during the test. The kids were really frustrated, because they could hear the tapping of the keys and the proctor saw him and didn’t do anything. They think it was one of the kids’ teachers.</p>
<p>You can report that - you know. Incredible violation.</p>
<p>We are pondering that. She is concerned that they might try to throw the scores out of other people in the room if she reports it, because we have heard when there are scoring irregularities they can hold up everyone’s scores. There were also several kids from her school in her room, so she doesn’t want them to think that they did anything wrong. </p>
<p>Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Can she identify the kid who was texting by name? Can she identify the proctor? If she can give very specific info - I would report it. On the other hand - if she does not know the name of the texting kid and can’t do more than “a boy in the room” - that could be problematic for the entire room.</p>
<p>You also have the option of calling ACT and just describing the situation without identifying the testing location or her identity just to see what they say and how it would be handled.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, it wasn’t at our high school, and it was a kid she had never seen before.</p>
<p>Don’t know the proctors name, either. She didn’t introduce herself. </p>
<p>The person who was checking the kids in was insistent that kids who knew each other not sit anywhere each other. When one of the girls mentioned that to the proctor, she said “Sit there”. The student said, but I know that girl and the lady in line told me to not sit by people I know". She said “I don’t care”. </p>
<p>Herein, lies the problem. She doesn’t want the other boys in the room to get in trouble since they didn’t do anything wrong. She said it happened several times and wasn’t sure if he was getting texts back or just sending them, or looking up something on his phone. Anyway you cut it, it was not only wrong, but disruptive to the other testers. </p>
<p>I will have her contact the ACT anonymously and ask what can be done. </p>
<p>Terrible proctor.</p>