The ACT began notifying students yesterday that many international test sites across Southeast Asia will be closed this Saturday.

According to the ACT, the exam was leaked ahead of time, raising concerns about cheating. Because the ACT learned about the leak too close to the test date, the exams could not be replaced and thus the administration of the September 2017 exam has been cancelled in affected areas.

This cancellation is a major step for the ACT. After the SAT and ACT both came under intense scrutiny in early 2016 when a Reuters report revealed the level of test cheating happening—particularly in Asia—the ACT was forced to cancel the ACT across an entire country for the first time in June 2016. At that time, the ACT cancelled the exam due to reports that some of the test material set to appear on the June exam had been leaked ahead of time. The test was only cancelled in South Korea and Hong Kong. This new cancellation this week, however, appears to be the largest cancellation of the ACT in the exam’s history.

What should you do if you are scheduled to take the exam in Asia this Saturday?

  • Check your email. The ACT is contacting all affected students by email. If you haven’t received notice yet, continue to monitor your inbox. More cancellations may be coming.
  • Contact the ACT. If you haven’t heard from the ACT, contact the ACT directly to verify you are not affected. Emails get sent to the wrong place or get lost in spam filters. It’s always good to double check.
  • Contact your counselor or target colleges. Many students take this September test as seniors to use for Early Decision/Action applications. In most cases, moving to the October test date should be fine to make these deadlines. But it’s always best to check with the experts who know you, your applications, and your schools.
  • Reschedule for October. The ACT will be in contact with all students over the next few days to help them change their registrations to a future date at no extra charge. We suggest students try to take the October exam, given that it is the earliest available date for a retake.

Given that it is still early in this process, we at ArborBridge will continue to monitor the story and update this post with any additional information we learn.