Normally, the senior class is swamped with ACTs, SATs, and the Common App essay. This year, the class of 2021 is facing another unknown variable outside of the math section: test centers.

With the COVID-19 pandemic taking its extended stay, Miami Dade has become a hub for new cases causing the cancellations of most summer test dates. These cancellations have also dribbled into the August and September months, leaving students stranded without a “qualifying” score, or even worse, no score at all. The unpredictable spring drove test-takers into late summer and early fall just to reach their ACT and SAT goals. So, students raced onto College Board and ACT websites for a virtual queue that would lead them onto the site’s test center availability. The catch: for the majority, the test centers were pre-picked and outside of the county.

For senior Carla Handal taking the SAT meant a weekend trip to Naples. In order to meet attendance requirements without any complications on the road, Handal drove up on a normal August Friday.

“Sleeping at a hotel the night before my test was a really weird experience because it was both nerve wrecking and calming,” Handal said, “It felt good to sleep at a hotel because I felt like I was on vacation, but at the same time it felt weird because I wasn’t at home before the morning of an important test.”

Waking up on test day outside of home can come as a shock, possibly even affect one’s score.

Victoria “Kika” Stolarczyk has also succumbed to the test center roulette. Stolarczyk is worried the virus could potentially cancel her September ACT in Broward County. Because of this, she plans on relocating to a test center in Naples which seems to be a popular location among her peers.

“It’s been really difficult to take the ACT during the pandemic,” Stolarczyk said, “The ones here keep getting canceled.”

Stolarczyk and her classmates are experiencing continued stress before even bubbling their answer sheets.

Over a quarter of the senior class shared what their standardized test experience has been like. The school’s seniors have gone as far north as Gainesville to test their odds at a high score. Despite the new test optional route, a whopping 80% of the responses show that the students plan to report their ACT and SAT scores. The majority of the class has attempted the ACT instead of the SAT. Despite their choice, the senior class is facing a prolonged season of standardized tests.

With a turn of events, the entirety of the class of 2021 has kept their academics, extracurriculars, and applications together after a turbulent start to senior year.