SAT results leaked, national testing security further scrutinized

Another scandal puts a black eye on the college admissions process. We learned a biology SAT test was leaked before students took the exam. This is leading some to believe these standardized tests aren’t reliable when it comes to colleges.

Experts who say there is a lot of money to be made for advanced access to exams that could get your child into school. And following the big national college admissions scandal, some parents and students say the rules need to change now.

”’It’s just like homework,” said Brooke Dennison, who is attending FGCU in the fall. “You look it up online. It’s always just out there.”

But this time, these were answers to questions from the SAT.

“Exactly the same from a test booklet I had recently received 15 hours before there was any testing in the United States” said bob Schaeffer with the National Center for Fair and Open Testing.

Schaeffer said a private tip caller from Asia let him know a copy of last weekend’s SAT biology subject test was floating around hours before students took the test. He also found the questions on Reddit.

“It denies kids, honest kids, a level playing field,” Schaeffer said. “It’s another example of the kinds of inadequate test security that there is. We’ve seen it in these so-called varsity blues college admission scandals”

With administrators, celebrities and a lot of money still under investigation in the college admissions scandal earlier this year, parents like Maria Martinez are skeptical about college-entry exams.

“There needs to be a revamping of the system is what needs to be done,” Martinez said. “They really have to take it seriously and look into that and not allow it to happen.”

Students like Dennison said the cheating is getting out of control.

“There’s other people who have been working four years trying to get into certain schools,” Dennison said, “And then other people take their spots just because they have money over other people.”

One of the questions Schaffer wants to the College Board to answer is how can they trust scores that have been manipulated?

College Board released a statement to us that said they take test security reports seriously. They say for every test administration they go to great lengths to make sure that all reported test scores are accurate and valid.