I took the ACT last month and the proctor said that if she hears any beep from a watch, your test will invalid. So I had to give her my digital watch which she placed in a box. There was an old fashioned wall clock but I hate looking up and reading analog since it wastes more time(I know first world problems).
Not sure if this still applies to the SAT. My digital watch beeps every hour and I can’t control it. I guess my only choice is to get an analog watch(but that makes a tick every second lol???).
bump SAT this saturday…
Best choice is to buy a silent watch or get used to the wall clock.
I’ve never heard of a digital watch which you couldn’t turn off the beep. Look up your manual.
Okay, but in the small off chance that it malfunctions and beeps even just once will they take away my test and invalidate my SAT score?
I had a similar problem where my watch would make an alarm sound at 12:00 that I couldn’t stop but I told my proctor ahead of time and she said just turn it off right when it rings. This happened in both October and November with different proctors but I can’t all proctors are lenient.
Is your watch from
Walmart?
rolex
Take the back of the watch off, place a piece of a scotch or electric tape on the underside, put it back. No more beeps.
I would recommend using this modified watch in a stopwatch mode on each section (practice a bit before the test).
I forgot to mention that if your watch is water resistant, hacking it in the described fashion may compromise the seal (if you are not careful with positioning the gasket precisely).
Modifying your watch will also obviously void the warranty.
Somebody on this forum suggested a low-tech approach with an analog watch: before you start each new test section, set the watch exactly at 12 o’clock, but keep the crown pulled out. When a proctor says “you can begin work”, push the crown in. Not as accurate as a stopwatch, but close enough.
Btw - don’t hesitate correcting the proctor if s/he cuts your time short. Ask to talk to a test center supervisor if proctors don’t cooperate or give you a hard time: you have the right to be tested under the fair conditions, and it’s proctors’ responsibility to ensure that those conditions are met.
Leave your watch home and use the wall clock.
Don’t assume that the proctor is incapable. Don’t assume that you’ll have to “correct the proctor.”
Don’t obsess over time-- worry about the questions on the test. Let some other kid in the room obsess about timing.
Obsessing over anything is at best counter productive and at worst crippling. Also, assuming inevitability of facing a hostile environment may be quite demoralizing.
But - to be able to pace yourself correctly and prepared for possible hindrances is a must when taking a test, especially one as high stakes as SAT (or ACT).
In my many years of taking the tests myself and my students’ sharing their experiences with me I have become aware of all kinds of scenarios in the testing room. Most of the proctors are professional, follow and enforce the rules in a friendly manner; most of the times rooms are quiet and comfortable with working wall clocks easily visible.
There might be situations, nevertheless, which are inconvenient or even disruptive, and a well conditioned test taker should know how to react to and mitigate them.
It does happen that the wall clock is not operational or missing altogether; a proctor does not write start/end times on the board and/or forgets to give appropriate time warnings (that’s when having a personal watch proves indispensable); and even worse - mis-times a section altogether. I have heard of proctors chatting on their phones, crunching chips, sneezing and coughing non-stop, and so on. Once again, it’s a student’s right to be taking a test under the proper conditions, and if that does not happen, then s/he needs to be ready to adjust to them or address the problems heads on.
Here’s how the [silencing of a Casio digital watch](Silencing Casio A178WA-1A | That's all to it: a piece of ele… | Flickr) is done. All in all, took about ten minutes; could be even faster: after quite a bit of struggle with the tiny screws when trying to put them back just with my clumsy digits, finally went and got the tweezers. Problem solved.
Dudes, the next time just purchase a cheapo analog watch from Wal Mart and use if for your practice tests to make sure it doesn’t ring or beep or something during the test. It’s best to be familiar with all your equipment prior to the Real Deal.