modulated voice. (“Please read the directions as I read them aloud to you. . . .”)
The supervisor is in charge of all the proctors in his room.
The plain old proctors are the people who hand out the tests and answer
sheets and make sure you don’t cheat. (Sometimes the proctor is the same as the
supervisor.)
Proctors are selected by the test center. Often local teachers are chosen as
proctors—people whose faces are familiar to students. Supervisors are paid in
proportion to the number of students taking the test, and proctors are paid a flat
fee.
Because your proctor may not know all the facts, it is necessary for you to
find out everything you need to know about the SAT before the test date. We
hope this book has answered all of your questions. If it hasn’t, spend some time
poking around at collegeboard.org. Your guidance counselor should also have
SAT resources available for you. If you still have an unanswered question, get a
life.
If you happen to get good proctors, thank them, hug them, and put them in
your pocket to keep as a pet. However, you should be prepared for a bad one and
know how to cope. This will save you from getting screwed.
So be on guard against a bad proctor. To misquote the Beastie Boys, “You’ve
Got to Fight for Your Right to SAT.”
Your liberties, so generously granted to you by the College Board, include the
following:
- You have the right to 80 (or 65, or 35) silent minutes to work on each
section. The minutes begin after the proctor has finished reading all
instructions, not before! - You have the right to a five-minute break at the end of each hour or so.
- You have the right to use the test booklet as scrap paper.
- You have the right to have your seat changed for a legitimate reason. The
proctor, of course, decides whether your reason is “legitimate” or not.
Being placed at a right-handed desk when you are left-handed, having the
sun in your eyes, and sitting with water dripping on your head from a
ceiling leak are all examples of legitimate reasons. Wanting to sit next to
your girlfriend is not. - You have the right to retain what you’ve stored in the memory on your
calculator. - You have the right to breathe.