Leaked SAT papers helped Asians: Report

The first overseas sitting of the new test takes place in May. A report by Reuters says SAT, the standardized test used by thousands of US colleges  to help select applicants uses recycled questions, which are used as prep material by students in Asian countries such as China. 

The College Board, the not-forprofit organization that owns the SAT, has acknowledged widespread problems with test security in Asia in recent years. Since October 2014, the New Yorkbased organization has delayed issuing scores in Asia six times and cancelled an exam sitting in two locations there, steps the College Board takes when it has evidence that test material has been exposed to the public. 

The news agency identified eight occasions since late 2013 in which test material was circulating online and College Board officials confirmed that some portions were later administered overseas. The College Board took no steps to restrict testing in China, the SAT’s largest market by far, even as it tightened security in smaller countries where exams had leaked. 

Some 125,000 mainland Chinese undergraduates now attend US universities. The new exam leaves in place a fundamental weakness plaguing the old one, the recycling of test material. The practice will continue with the new SAT, the College Board told Reuters. 

Recycling enables cram schools to figure out the answers and package that material for their clients to study. At times, cram schools have obtained actual SAT tests. Recycling also saves money. Developing a single version of the SAT can take up to 30 months and costs about $1 million, according to people familiar with the process. 

One way to stop cram schools from exploiting recycled material would be to administer questions once, globally, and then never use them again. However, College Board officials said offering a new SAT each time a test is given is unrealistic. Recycling also saves money. Developing a single version of the SAT can take up to 30 months and costs about $1 million. 

One way to stop cram schools from exploiting recycled material would be to administer questions once, globally, and then never use them again. College Board officials said offering a new SAT each time a test is given is unrealistic. “This is not a matter of just running another one off the assembly line,” they said.