This year, the testing center has received an influx of students, leading to some long wait times, students being turned away from taking their exams, and students being cut off during their allotted time.

“Sometimes they [the testing center] cut off the time that you’re supposed to get if you don’t get in right after school,” Rahil Sheth (11) said.

This time cut off could be a contributing factor to the influx of student’s rushing at the end of the day to take their tests. Although, during the school day, Sheth said, if there isn’t a large number of students in line, they get you in and out pretty quickly.

Eliana Bernat (12) shared a similar experience.

“I wasn’t aware that the testing center has a hard closing time at 4:15, so I got there at 3:30, and since there was a really long line to get into the testing center because so many people were trying to retake their tests, I didn’t get started on my test until 3:35,” Bernat said.

This time restriction can lead to a disadvantage for those retaking their tests.

“The test was 45 minutes, but I only had 40 minutes. On the real [Calc BC] test, everyone was working until the last minutes, so I was frustrated that I didn’t have those five minutes,” Bernat added.

Depending on the time, the testing center could be jam packed or dead quiet. “Fridays after school are pretty crowded,” Sheth said. According to Rianna Weil, the testing center aide, one cause that could be creating this large influx of students needing to come to the testing center could be the number of Covid-19 cases within the school, or even other illnesses that go around such as stomach flu and colds.

Another reason could also be the district-wide policy that allows students to retake significant assessments. “There are only 21 seats, and now all tests and all quizzes are allowed to have retakes, so we’re getting more tests than we typically would,” Weil said. “Sometimes we’re really slow and we don’t have anybody at all… sometimes we do have more tests and it’s an entire class that has to come take or retake a test.”

Although the problem doesn’t seem likely to end any time soon, administration is looking into alternative options to help out.

“Administration is looking for the best solution for the students,” Weil said.