Lost Tests Puts Oakland Students' College Plans In Jeopardy

OAKLAND (CBS 5) - Getting into college just got more stressful for 101 East Bay high school students after entrance exam scores got lost in the mail.

The students, who took the ACT test at Oakland Technical High School on December 11th, aren't sure if they will get much sympathy from admissions officers after their scores disappeared.

"I was depending on this one to get me into college," said high school senior Donna Nguyen.

Two weeks ago, all of the students were told their test scores were lost. An ACT spokesman confirmed to CBS 5 the answer documents were damaged in the mail and some of the contents lost.

Students can retake the test in February, and their registration fees are being refunded. But the students have to contact the colleges to let them know about the mishap.

KCBS' Doug Sovern Reports:

Some of the students affected want to attend Cal State East Bay, and this may have no impact on their admissions. But other students are pretty sure they aren't going to get into a particular college because of the lost scores.

ACT said it is rare that tests get lost or damaged and this "happened outside of our control." An official also said the company does not contact colleges and universities because "it is difficult to know which colleges and were impacted."

Many larger universities deal with such a large volume of applicants that it may be difficult to work with the impacted students. Admissions officers said the students should work quickly to make their situation clear to the various universities.

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