Early on Oct. 12, students of Stuart Country Day School were in the midst of taking the PSATs when the sound of the fire alarm forced them to evacuate. 

Students were deeply immersed in their work– they only had so much time to complete the section of the test they were working on. The silence was shattered when a blaring siren sounded throughout the school. Students and teachers alike looked around in confusion. Was this a drill – or was a real fire burning somewhere in the school?

Test takers in room U-15 looked around in confusion before deciding that it must be a fluke and continued working. They were forced to evacuate when Dr. Muoio rushed through the door and implored everyone to leave the building. Some students seemed annoyed, others seemed relieved– a good few seemed as though they wished this would cancel their test. 

“I thought it was funny,” commented Grace Xia ’25, a test taker from room U-15. 

Some may argue that fire drills have actually dulled the reaction time and alertness towards real fires– after all, the probability of there being a drill during the PSAT was very low, but the students did not feel the need to leave when they heard the alarm. The alarm is sounded every month, and nothing happens– so why worry? 

Luckily, Dr. Muoio and the other teachers are there to alert students, and warn them of real danger. If there were never drills, the people inside the building would panic– and the situation would become dangerous. So long as there are adults to warn that this is not a drill, students will be prepared. 

The reason for the alarm going off is still unclear, but no fire was burning in the school. Around 20 minutes later, students resumed their testing. 

So what is the protocol when the fire alarm goes off during the PSAT? According to the PSAT Coordinator Manual, in the event of a test-day irregularity, PSAT administrators are required to complete the PSAT/NMSQT Irregularity Report (IR).