Not admitted due to SAT Photo ID

<p>That’s not fair at all. The passport is good enough. Report or sue! Although I prefer sue! :)</p>

<p>I am sorry to see that this happened. Please post how this turns out. It is sad to see honest students penalized by restrictions designed to reduce cheating. It seems everyone pays for this.</p>

<p>I had some friends who didn’t have a photo but got in. The picture box said “picture required after Jan. 2013 SAT” or something similar</p>

<p>It was my understanding that I.D. wasnot even required.</p>

<p>When you register now for the SAT you must upload a photo. They may be phasing this in. Some students may have registered for today’s test prior to the requirement. The important thing is to let students know the actual date is March 2013 in case they are given a hard time about their picture. They should demand to take the test and file a complaint afterwards. </p>

<p>It’s absolutely inexcusable that photos are obviously being flagged as unacceptable by CollegeBoard prior to the test and yet they can’t contact the student to download another. Yes, instructions are very clear but the goal is to let the students take the tests after being properly identified NOT turn them away because of something that CollegeBoard has the ability to notify you of before you arrive.</p>

<p>blueiguana, although the registration info on CB says you must upload a photo you do NOT have to upload a photo. When I called CB about the problems I was having getting their website to approve a photo, they told me to “just click continue at the bottom of the page and finish the registration”, which is possible, since the photo isn’t required. Because the CB reps couldn’t get it to work either, I had to speak to 5 or 6 different reps, all of whom knew that the photos weren’t required until March 2013. Most of them were nice, and tried to help me. But, a couple of them thought I was a complete idiot for not knowing that the pictures were actually optional at this point.</p>

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<p>Let me also say that even the instructions need to be clearer in the future. The photo we uploaded was not the back of his head or just his nose and eyes and forehead, without the lips and chin or some fuzzy dim picture with a hat on in which he was obscure. It is a crisp clear photo that I would give anyone who did not know my son, to identify him. If CB wanted to get so technical, they should have specified both ear lobes or both eyes or both cheek bones have to be visible etc. Then post examples of photos that were acceptable and unacceptable. One of the acceptable photos they have, the girl (on the right) shows just one ear. So, is that a full face? When the State department wanted us to include an ear in the passport photo, they specified how much of the other side of the face had to be visible with examples of acceptable and unacceptable photographs. All CB had were two unacceptable photos one with a poor exposure and the other with two people with partial faces in the photo. To go from such relaxed instructions on photos to not allowing a child into the test on a photo which they had in their databank for a month, but allowing those with no photos, is unreal to me. The consequence for my son is that he will not be able to ED/ EA to his first choice schools.</p>

<p>An alternative is to simply say, if a photo will not be acceptable to the State Department for a Passport it will not be acceptable to College Board.</p>

<p>Perazziman don’t despair, your son can still write his subject test in November and he could chose to write the November ACT as well. So he’ll still make it in time for what he wants to do with the exception of early decision.</p>

<p>I would send them a message demanding a special testing date.</p>

<p>Perazziman, I am SO sorry. That is terrible. When my son registered for the 10/6 SAT we saw this photo thing. I called and spoke w/ the college Board rep, and she said that it was not absolutely necessary until 2013 (I think she said January), but that she suggested that I do it. So I took a photo and uploaded it. Then I was a little nervous that they might not consider it “perfect”, so I called College Board again and asked them if they could look at the photo (since it was in the computer registration) and tell me if it “qualified”. Here is the bizarre response I got" “We aren’t allowed to make that assessment over the phone, but if you feel comfortable that it fulfills the rules we have posted online, then go with it.” I felt so uneasy and could not understand why they wouldn’t just tell me yes or no (since it was very clear on the computer screen; looked identical to how it looked on the Admission Ticket). They did not give him any grief at the Test Center, but I did think that the whole thing was strange. I am so sorry for you and your son.</p>

<p>Your son can still do his Subject Test in November and ACT as well in November, he’ll still make it in time for RD with the exception of ED of course.</p>

<p>Just got a bs email from College Board (agent) about tickets with photos that do not meet their guidelines are not allowed to take the test. </p>

<p>The tone suggests, an investigation. Possibly trying to verify huge jumps in scores? So, I guess they found their excuse. It is just a hunch, but I would not be surprised if they are trying to figure out how </p>

<p>SAT~1200 in 2008 (Duke TIP) went to PSAT 173 in 2010 to a PSAT 219 in 2011. lol I think that is about a 1000 point move in three years.</p>

<p>All I can say is wait until you see his SAT score in 2012. lol.</p>

<p>Could that be it?</p>

<p>Wow, that really sucks. I was actually laughed at (jokingly) by friends for uploading a photo onto my admissions ticket, and all of the people without photos on their tickets got in fine for my testing center, no hassle, nothing.</p>

<p>No, it shouldn’t be the score jump (though that is an awesome score increase!) I think that if they usually think there’s some sort of discrepancy or cheating, they withhold the score and then start an investigation (if they “found” some sort of “cheating,” whether true or not, best of luck to you). It’s usually dealt with before they actually release the scores to you.</p>

<p>I think it really probably was just College Board reps saying different things about their new photo policy. Which is strange, because it’s not even an official policy yet.</p>

<p>He might have slept through the DukeTip.</p>

<p>However, 173 to 219 is a really big jump. Most people i know in this batch seemed to average only about 20-25 points from 10th to 11th with a good bit of hardwork.</p>

<p>None of this has anything to do with their refusal to allow him to take the SAT test. PSAT is administered by the school and SAT by collegeboard. They are separate tests and not comparable for cheating evaluations.</p>

<p>My daughter said at her school many students were turned away because their drivers license included a middle initial and the SAT registration did not have the initial on it. Its a shame since the Oct test is usually the last test students take.</p>

<p>texaspg, </p>

<p>BTW there is also a corresponding 2010 SAT score, it is ~900 points higher than the 2008 Duke U TIP score. I hope you are right and I am just jumping the gun at this point.</p>

<p>Yeah, he is a bit of a late bloomer, as the PSAT shows. His AP and SAT Subject Test scores are showing similar improvements compared to his freshman and sophomore year grades.</p>

<p>There is a large maturity difference between a 12 year old taking a Duke TIP test and a high school junior not to mention puberty as well. A lot of growing up and brain maturation happens in those three years- especially in boys who go through it later than girls. </p>

<p>I am so sorry about this and hope more honest kids don’t pay the price for the few dishonest ones. Thank you for reporting the middle initial. Students need to be aware of this.</p>

<p>College board should be embarrased. </p>

<p>Can anyone explain to me how having a photo on your ticket helps stop cheating ? If I wanted to cheat uploading the picture to CB is the least of my worries. I either need to have my ID say someone elses name or convince them another persons ID is mine. In that situation being able to upload the picture of my choice would HELP me cheat because it might make the proctor think the ticket was some sort of official ID.</p>

<p>The thing with middle initials is nuts–what, they think you’re impersonating a person with an almost identical name?</p>

<p>I remember when I needed to transfer my driver’s license from NY to Maryland, they made me bring in another document that proved that my middle initial stood for what I said it did. My name is not all that common–something like, maybe, “Norbert J. Fensterbenster.” I asked them if they thought I might be impersonating some other Norbert J. Fensterbenster with a different middle name? It didn’t matter, they had to have proof.</p>