Exam Policy Changes Leave Turkish Students Struggling
In recent months, major changes in how international exams for college admissions like the SAT and APs are administered in Turkey have caused confusion and concern among students planning to apply to universities abroad, specifically the USA and UK. After the "AP Crisis" that made headlines earlier this year, the controversy has now extended to the SAT.
This problem began with the rules of the new Ministry of Education (MEB) regulating which schools can offer AP courses and host AP exams. Some schools that previously accepted outside students for testing are no longer allowed to do so. Students have tried to find seats at other approved test centers, but most are already full, making the process very difficult for the students.
As families and college counselors were trying to navigate the situation surrounding AP exams, similar complications emerged regarding the SAT. According to an education journalist, Pervin Kaplan, MEB has stated that private schools serving as test centers should only administer exams to their own students. As a result, several testing locations were forced to stop registrations, and some students' planned exam sessions were canceled. This has made it harder for students to find available seats and also decreased the already small number of SAT centers in Turkey.
The current situation has put the majority of students from Turkey in a disadvantaged position. If the conditions allow, some students are thinking of traveling abroad to take these tests. However, not every family can afford the costs and the time. What are students supposed to do now?
Even though this situation is unfair to many students in Turkey, it hasn't directly affected our school yet. Since our AP courses are offered at school and our school is a test center, we can still take the exams on the assigned dates. This is also the case for some of the other schools in the country.
In the already difficult application process, Turkish students will continue to experience stress, expenses, and disadvantages unless MEB modifies its regulations. As of right now, the best advice for students is to plan ahead, keep themselves updated, and, if at all possible, get ready for the option of taking these tests elsewhere.
