<p>Don't go any further--just have him retake. Three reasons:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>It won't do any good. A story from last year--my niece arrived at her test site (8 minutes from her house) 25 minutes early, only to discover she had left her drivers license at home. When she went to call my brother to bring it over, she was told not to bother--she was OK--by an administrator who knew her. An hour into the test, she was pulled out by a proctor and told she couldn't finish the exam because she didn't have appropriate ID. Despite the fact that everyone admitted that she had been allowed in by a test administrator, the ACT wouldn't even give her a free make-up exam. You're going to bang your head against a brick wall for nothing.</p></li>
<li><p>It potentially elevates a small matter (non-score), which won't be reported to colleges, into a much bigger deal. If somebody, like his guidance counselor, believes the ACT people, the stakes go way up. It's simply not worth the risk.</p></li>
<li><p>It's possible that the proctor was correct. I'm sure your son is a very honorable kid, but it's possible that he did something he doesn't even think was wrong, i.e., he was answering a question or questions he had started before time was up, and thinks that was OK. He might also be telling the complete truth--or he might have panicked, done something, and was ashamed to admit it. None of that would make him a bad kid. It would, however, leave you frantically seeking relief when none should be available.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I'd relax (easier to give this advice than take it, I know). If this is the worst thing that happens to him in the admissions process, you're ahead of many.</p>
<p>I'll add the the "let it be" chorus... At this point, what really happened doesn't make much difference. Maybe he was fiddling with the pencil and it looked like he was writing... Maybe he was finishing filling in a bubble... Even if at this point, the proctor said, "I realize now that I made an error, I thought he was writing but he wasn't," the current situation wouldn't be any different.</p>
<p>You might also take a look on colleges that don't require standardized tests for admission. Taking the SAT cold in a few days might result in a score that isn't as good as one with more extensive preparation, and I'd hate to count 100% on that test as the key to successful apps.</p>
<p>Rog, I have to disagree about taking the SAT "cold" being a problem. </p>
<p>First, there are a lot of hours between now and Saturday. And second, lots of kids simply familiarize themselves with the type of questions by taking a Ten Real SAT test , reviewing what they got right and wrong and why, and then having at it. </p>
<p>Would a score improve with more study? My kid's score went down after doing more work on the SAT so from my data point of one, I'd have to say that not all do. ;)</p>
<p>The rest of what Rog and others say is spot on. Drop it for the good of both of you. Take the test.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>If somebody, like his guidance counselor, believes the ACT people, the stakes go way up. It's simply not worth the risk.<<</p>
</blockquote>
<br>
<p>Whoa--I hadn't thought of this, dadtimesthree. I help our counseling office fill out the School Report forms, so I have seen what questions are asked on many of these forms. One question on at least one of these forms asks--Is there anything that you know that reflects upon the academic or personal integrity of the applicant? Best to move on...</p>
<p>As for taking the SAT cold, I would think that much of the ACT prep would suffice for the SAT--I'd buzz through the SAT math questions and a few of the critical reading sections just to get a gist of the format of the questions used.</p>
<p>to the OP ... I hope this all works out fine for your son.</p>
<p>First, let me say I have NO idea what happened in this particular case. In the abstract I totally understand the ACT and SAT policy of not allowing students to finish the test if they think the student did not follow the rules. By stopping the test the worst outcome for them is that a student gets a free retake or maybe a special sitting to retake the test. If the students were allowed to finish the test the number of appeals would go through the roof and I can't imagine how many court cases would appear to try to make the "completed test" count ... their rules protect them against tons of "fights" with parents. I have never been directly involved but I'd be stunned if the guidelines for the proctors are not very very clear (that is not saying all proctors enforce them as tightly as written). These tests are given to millions of kids a year and these companies have faced every feasible situation and challenge ... I would guess they have pretty tight processes to deal with this stuff (whether we would agree with them or not is another discussion).</p>
<p>Total rathole comment ... I once proctored an exam for my wife and we covered every possible situation she could think of ... then the fire alarm went off about 1/2 way through the exam; we hadn't talked about that one!</p>
<p>I would add that proctors have total power for good reason--you wouldn't believe the parents who try to circumvent the rules for their dear darlings. When thwarted, parents have been known to yell at and threaten proctors just as they do to coaches who don't see things their way. At that point both parent and kid are declared persona non grata and can't test there anymore. </p>
<p>So right or wrong, I would echo the others--take this as a learning experience and move on.</p>