SAT Testing

A high schooler cheating during SAT testing or at any other time will seriously jeopardize his/her college admissions chances. Quite simply, don’t even think about doing it!

There are a number of op-eds out today about the SAT testing scandal in the Long Island, NY town of Great Neck. If you’re not familiar with this SAT testing scandal, six Great Neck high schoolers allegedly paid a recent high school grad who would later attend Michigan and Emory, Samuel Eshaghoff, to take the test for them. The six students now face misdemeanor charges and Eshaghoff faces a felony as well as potentially four years in prison.

We can’t help but wonder what on earth these students were possibly thinking! Clearly, they weren’t thinking at all. This unethical act will not only impact the college admissions process for these students, but it will be a long time before their consciences are clear. They’ve disgraced themselves, their families, their school, and the entire Great Neck community.

The Great Neck community typically celebrates multiple Intel semi-finalists each year but it now must endure the shame of an SAT testing scandal. Not to mention property taxes might even be impacted! Was it worth it for these students? Do you think they regret their unethical actions now? You bet they do!

The smartest people learn from the mistakes of others. Learn from the mistakes of these students. According to a “Christian Science Monitor” article on the SAT scandal, ETS (Educational Testing Service) cancels approximately 1,000 SAT exams a year for suspected cheating. Most of the time, the suspected cheating involves copying answers rather than impersonating someone else and taking the test for them. Don’t be one of these students. Cheating is wrong. On the SAT. On high school tests. On college admissions essays. Everywhere. It’s unethical. And it’s only going to come back to haunt you. It’s just a question of how soon.