SAT misconduct

<p>I saw a number of people get their test taken away for going back in the test as well as for cell phones going off, and it made me curious. When their scores get sent to colleges do the colleges see that it was cancelled because of misconduct or does it just appear that they never took the test? what if one cancels a test, does it show up on the score report? I cant see anyone getting accepted anywhere if they write that they cheated/had misconduct on the sat.</p>

<p>i believe it simply isn't reported. not sure, though.</p>

<p>I speak from experience - No, the colleges don't see that you cheated. In a nutshell, it's treated like a cancellation.</p>

<p>If you want the whole story, what happens is the proctor writes up a misconduct report, the SAT administrator at your school signs it, and the ETS sets your test aside when all the tests come in. They don't grade it with the others, so when everyone else gets their scores, you don't get jack. If you check online, the scoring area is just blank, and it remains blank if you are "convicted."</p>

<p>So ETS sends out a letter a couple weeks afterwards, asking you to write a letter explaining yourself. The letter is optional so only those that didn't really cheat (like me) take advantage of this opportunity. Personally I don't think they even read the letter, they only offer the option so you can feel better about yourself by feeling that you've done something to ameliorate the situation. But really, they get it and they throw it in the trash. (Me? Bitter? Never!)</p>

<p>They tell you, though, that they forward the letter to the board of judges assigned to evaluating your case. The board supposedly reads the report and your letter and decides whether to let you go or cancel your scores.</p>

<p>If they cancel the score, then you get a check back in the mail, refunding your score, and nothing is marked on your record or sent to the colleges.</p>

<p>It's a murderous process that takes months before a verdict is reached. Don't EVER get yourself into the situation, or else you'll become but a shadow of the person you once were... No, I'm exaggerating, but it really did take a lot out of me.</p>

<p>If I may ask, what did you do to make them think you were cheating?</p>

<p>It's stupid, really... If only there was an "undo" function in life, lol.</p>

<p>Before I took the test, I was reviewing a bunch of vocab cards. When the proctor called for everyone to put their materials away, I did, but there was no space in my purse and I wasn't about to put them on the floor for everyone around me to cheat off of, so I just put them, rubber-banded mind you, far inside my desk. Bad choice #1.</p>

<p>As I was taking the test, I came to an analogy that I had no clue how to solve. (I still remember it - it was minutes : meeting :: transcript : trial... I'd never heard "minutes" used like that before.) This is where I made Bad Choice #2 that I will forever berate myself for, because I felt like I did really well on that test.</p>

<p>My SAT-experienced friend (this was my first time taking the test) told me that the proctors would give you scratch paper so you could have extra space and write down problems you were unsure of. Well, I was unsure of this problem, but my proctor hadn't given me any scratch paper so I searched for something to write it on. Writing it on the desk was not an option (I think I should have gotten bonus points for not vandalizing school property! Come on here, people :)) and the only thing in my desk was the vocab cards, so I stuck my hand inside and wrote the problem down. I did not un-rubber band them or look inside the desk or anything of the sort, but proctors like to turn a blind ...ear? to explanations. She didn't see me either, some kid next to me reported me. Please, I could have reported that entire room for going back in the test, because I could see everyone, including that kid, doing it out of the corner of my eye (I sat in the back corner). </p>

<p>I wrote a three page, extremely detailed letter to ETS but they said no. I had my counselor write an appeal, and I wrote yet another letter, but they said no. Sucks. You know what sucks even more? That analogy was experimental.</p>

<p>wow...amazing story</p>

<p>how did you "stick your hand inside and write the problem down", so you took them out from under the bottom of the desk?</p>

<p>"or else you'll become but a shadow of the person you once were"</p>

<p>hahhaha-- you don't get too many laughs on this forum.</p>

<p>and sorry about your "experience"</p>

<p>No no no, it was one of those desks that doubles as a cubby, so you can put your pencils/calc/what not inside. I stuck my hand in and felt around but the only thing I felt was a book (which I later found out was a dictionary - could've been bad if I'd decided to write on that! lol) and the cards. I wrote on them while they were inside, so I couldn't see what I was writing.</p>

<p>I never took anything out of the desk but the proctor accused me of trying to look up the words, which, needless to say, never even crossed my mind. Everyone, especially my counselor, thought I'd get off because none of the words from the test were on the cards, but I guess it's just the concept... Oh, and I forgot to mention that they sent the incriminating evidence to ETS with the misconduct report. </p>

<p>BTW I made a mistake on my first post. I meant to say that you get a check back in the mail, refunding your money, not your score. lol my b</p>

<p>hey snuff, if you are caught cheating, do you have to be notified right then and there by the proctor?? or can they keep it confidential and just secretly report it, so you expect your scores but nothing comes back ?</p>

<p>Do you mean during the test? The proctor told me that they are required to wait until the end of the test to pull you aside and report you. That way, just in case ETS lets you off, you aren't all like "ahh I'm in deep sh**" and screw up the rest of the test.</p>

<p>They have to tell you, though, because you have to sign the misconduct report yourself.</p>

<p>I think the proctor messed up then, cause everyone left...none of the children who got caught had to sign anything. He put their tests aside, but nothing was signed. (I stayed in the room as I needed to talk to my teacher, and we were in her room.)</p>

<p>that some crazy stuff.</p>

<p>did everything work out for you on your second try?</p>

<p>Well maybe you don't have to get signatures if it's mass cheating? I don't know. If you had an irregularity with the whole room, like if a thunderstorm knocked the lights out, then I don't think they'd make everyone sign... who knows. Keep in touch with them and tell me if they receive real scores on Oct 22 or not.</p>

<p>Yeah, collegewannabe, I stuck the rules this weekend. :)</p>

<p>I was wondering, I live in Vietnam and since the test's the same for everyone, does that mean you can legally cheat ? I mean I got to take the test before you guys did, I could somehow bribe the proctor to let me have one of the test books and then send electronically to the US :))</p>

<p>Dang. No room to write in the SAT test booklet itself? I doodled all over mine. :D</p>

<p>Re-writing the question down in the SAT booklet would not have helped me remember the question and look up the answer later on at home, as I would turn in the booklet at the end of the testing period.</p>

<p>I was thinking that too, hoanginc - if there are such huge time differences between the time other countries take it and we take it, then how do they ensure that someone won't go online and post all the answers?</p>

<p>Whoa. If somebody from the USA posted all the answers on CC after the test, and I was in Pakistan, and I took the test 13 hrs later... man, would kickass.</p>

<p>lol, we DO post all the answers.</p>

<p>test are differnt for internationals thers so many versions</p>

<p>Well, it is also illegal to remove questions from the testing room in any way (as you note, this would allow people to give them to other time zones- not that people don't just do it from memory), so it didn't matter WHAT you wrote on- you still would have had your scores cancelled.</p>

<p>Technically it is illegal to post any Collegeboard questions on CC (except questions they will release, like essays). Not they ever enforce this. Well, they did once, but that was because a bunch of people almost recreated the whole AP US History MC section online, and a whole bunch of people got their scores cancelled.</p>