I’m in an area that has been very strict on COVID guidelines…I know quite a few people who had tests cancelled on them at the last moment, but the vast majority of them were able to take the SAT at a laster date, either locally or by traveling <1 hour (not all are submitting it, though, which is a whole different story that’s not relevant to this thread). The only ones who didn’t have the chance were those who waited until the last possible test date before EA apps were due, had their tests suddenly cancelled, and then decided not to take the test at all and just go test-optional instead.
Son had 3 test cancelled and one moved 2 hours away so we gave up and applied test optional
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Of course, everything can be affected by covid. I guess standardized testing is one thing colleges perceive of as not being so important to an application overall.
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We seemed to be blocked from registering at the international schools near us. Decided not to travel for 3 hours lastMarch, didn’t make it to the US in summer, booked for October about 30 minutes away, only to have it cancelled 5 days after the registration closing date. No Help from begging those in charge at the private schools….”our school policy blah, blah blah….”
Could not travel further, but was able to send my D to the US as the test fell during her school holiday. She was exhausted and thought it didn’t go so well, but in reality she got a score worth sharing which the practice tests did suggest. We thought it was worth trying, and she is just a person who likes a challenge, so she wanted to take the test at least once to say she did it.
It almost didn’t happen and it was a very expensive test in the end 
My son’s ACT testing site was changed three times. He ended up not attempting the ACT after all the hassle. He did get to take one SAT in summer 2021; got a decent if not exceptional score and decided to not bother with anymore testing.
S2 had many chances and choices to take the ACT and SAT in MN near or in the Twin Cities. One was in a small town 1 hr away in the summer, but otherwise there were at least 6-7 tests within 1/2 hr. in the past year or so that I am aware of. All went off without a hitch…well, except for the results.
My twins registered for three tests last spring in Northern California. All of them were cancelled, often at the last minute. Their high school finally offered an in-school test in April, but it was a limited seat lottery and only one of the twin got a spot. By the time we thought to look for a test again this fall, all of the locations within a 100-mile radius were full. And so one twin applied with test scores; the other went test optional.
The option to apply without scores significantly reduced stress in what is still a stressful time. I do think it was “really necessary this year.”
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In New England, it has been very possible to take the tests ever since September, 2020.
In CA, tests were routinely and often unpredictably cancelled through the spring and summer. The sites that did stay open were really impacted and it was impossible to get seats even when tests weren’t cancelled. Although I think that anyone who really, really wanted to take the test could have taken it somewhere in CA by this fall, few kids got to take the SAT or ACT 2 or 3 times, as was common pre-COVID. So yes, I do think test optional was really necessary, even though at this point most seniors could have probably taken a test somewhere.
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There are certainly students who were unable to test. Especially internationally.
Given that the decision likely needed to be made in the winter of 2020-21, moving into the pandemic’s largest peak, I’m not going to second guess the decision.
(As I use with students: if you give me 4:1 odds on a coin flip, I get $20 if heads and you get $5 if tails, the coin coming up tails doesn’t mean I made a wrong decision.)
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No problems with testing here in the South. Both ACT and SAT.
Testing in PA was normal like pre- covid
Testing in my area of PA was not normal like pre-covid
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We’re in western PA
In my area of New England, my daughter had test dates cancelled 3 times… June 2020, August 2020, and fall 2020 (I forget the month). She had taken a 6-week test prep course in spring 2020 (sophomore year) with the idea that she could get the testing done by fall or spring junior year. It wasn’t until spring 2021—a year after her 6-week test prep course—that she was finally able to test at a sitting offered in school. The timing of that test was not well publicized and also not ideal. She was very busy with several AP classes and her spring sport, so she didn’t get a chance to re-prep for the test. Consequently, her score wasn’t nearly as strong as it had been in practice tests after the 6-week course. She could have taken it again late summer or fall of her senior year, but at that stage she really needed to focus on her art portfolio and college applications vs test prep.
i think this is such a regional question. in the midwest cornfields, there’s not as many people, not as many colleges. we had school in person all last year, and tests were not cancelled around here starting fall of 2020; (there were cancellations 2020 summer). The benefit to this all: our state flagship offers full-tuition now to high GPAs/class rank; in the past it was a combo GPA/class rank/Test Scores. We can name many kids who are getting this benefit; and it will continue this way, according to an admin officer i talked to. Our flagship can’t be overly picky on letting students in as well because there’s not lots of kids in the state, and it is here to serve the kids who want to go to college. It’s all so regional!
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My son planned to do the ACT test in Aug 2020. It did get cancelled 2 times but we were able to find a spot an hour away. We booked a hotel and he took the exam in Oct 2020 which was administered at a Sheraton hotel. We are in Southern California.
No testing problems in Massachusettes, my cousins in Connecticut also had no problems with testing.
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Testing availability in south Florida is the same as pre-COVID. No issues.
d22 test was cancelled more than 5 times. Finally, we had to travel 2.5hrs.