@LeastComplicated The questions deemed Unscorable were #s 45-46 on the reading and #s 5 and 29 on the writing.
@Mwfan1921 Thanks for the advice, I will try to email them in the morning.
@Photonmaker the number I used to call CB was 866-756-7346 which is the SAT number but the guy had no idea how to answer my question and wanted me to pay for a hand graded exam. He didn’t know what unscorable meant. Anyone else who feels so inclined to complain please do call and maybe we all can get a retest. The email is sat@info.collegeboard.org if that’s more your speed.
I been studying all summer for this test and bought materials to study with. And I just like the format for the sat way better than the ACT.
I got like 9 more right on Reading, same on Writing, one more on Math and my overall score dropped 30 points. This was a faulty test, I don’t care about a “curve” at this point, everyone deserves a refund.
So let me get this straight. We have kids studying for hours, days and some all-nighters. All to have some curve in the end? I thought standardized testing was to see how the individual improve or seen how he/she has learned in school. Why is a curve necessary?
Yup, that sums it up. Although no student should have been surprised that there is a curve; it’s common knowledge.
The CB’s explanation: “That is why we use a statistical process called ‘equating.’ Equating makes sure that a score for a test taken on one date is equivalent to a score from another date. So, for example, a single incorrect answer on one administration could equal two or three incorrect answers on a more difficult version. The equating process ensures fairness for all students.”
https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2018/07/12/surprisingly-low-scores-mathematics-sat-stun-and-anger-students
How do you check how many questions you got right or wrong if you took the SAT Math Subject Test?
Interesting.
Has anyone done the research to figure out what the general pattern is? I’m guessing over the past few years that there is some pattern of when more kids take the test or when certain type kids take the test, which would indicate the curve is easier or harsher. Could be this is just normal June cyclical pattern or could signal a shift in the test.
I don’t know - haven’t done any research and am thinking as I type (dangerous) - anybody know if there are general patterns?
But the title of the thread may not attract many readers to click since it’s not very descriptive.
To the OP, you said:
He got three wrong on the math and scored a 720. On the March test he got 4 wrong and scored a 780.
EBRW he also got a 720 with 6 wrong on reading and only 1 wrong on writing. On the December test he also got 6 wrong on the reading and more (maybe 4 or 5) wrong on writing, and his score was 750.
Soooo why did he re-take the SAT when he had a 1530?
That’s part of the problem. Seeking perfect scores. So many kids are re-taking the tests that it drives up the scores.
And that’s a risk when a student has a score that high; it can go down, not up, on the retake.
IMO, part of the root cause of this whole problem is all the Superscoring and re-taking that goes on with the SAT nowadays.
To clarify, does “Unscoreable” mean the question was faulty for everyone (based on CB statistical analysis of the question) and it is “Unscoreable” for everyone, meaning that question is basically “thrown out” and does not help or hurt anyone?
Is that correct?
“improvement” have never been a goal. There are plenty of ‘one-and-dones’.
The curve is to sort kids against each other, and over time periods. The object is not a bunch of 700’s, but a bunch of 500’s, forming a nice bell curve.
(Of course, the test was much harder in the dark ages, and the mean has been adjusted upwards!)
"After Campbell Taylor scored a 1470 on the SAT in March, the rising senior knew he was just 20 points shy of the score he needed to qualify for a top scholarship at Mississippi State University — his first-choice for college.
So the 17-year-old resolved to take the test again in June and spent the intervening months buried in SAT preparation books and working with tutors. Taylor awoke at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday and checked his latest score online. The results were disappointing: He received a 1400.
He missed one more question overall in June than in March but his score, he said, dropped precipitously. And in the math portion of the exam, he actually missed fewer questions but scored lower: Taylor said he got a 770 in March after missing five math questions but received a 720 in June after missing just three math questions." …
Wow! My son took the June SAT (third time). It was his best performance questions-wise, but worst result score-wise.
He got three wrong on the math and scored a 720. On the March test he got 4 wrong and scored a 780.
EBRW he also got a 720 with 6 wrong on reading and only 1 wrong on writing. On the December test he also got 6 wrong on the reading and more (maybe 4 or 5) wrong on writing, and his score was 750.
Anyone else notice a harsh curve?
^^So let me get this straight: Campbell needs a higher score to qualify for more $$… Campbell misses more questions on the June sitting. Score goes down. Well, duh! You miss more questions and the score ain’t likely going up. The ‘easier’ test had nothing to do with it.
Why is this even a story worthy of the WaPo? (Maybe he should ask for a refund from his private tutors!)
Sunny: Superscoring has been around for a long time. Have you seen any statistics that students are engaging in more retakes?
OK, I know it’s wikipedia, but what they’re saying matches what I remember https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAT#1995_recentering_(raising_mean_score_back_to_500)
The SAT has been “recentering” scores since 1995.
This is not a new phenomenon.
And way before then. A 1400-1600 was much more difficult back when dinos roamed the earth. (But they us oldsters were one-and-done. No one I knew ever thought to take it a second time. Heck, back then we’d double up: SAT in the am and Subject Tests (nee Achievement Tests) in the pm. One day; all done.
Yep. I took it once, and only once, in 1975.
And no one I knew took any sort of a prep course. You walked in, read the directions, and took the test.
My D took the May SAT. She missed 8 in reading, 6 in writing. Score 700. Missed 2 in math. score 790. I
^ @bluebayou yep - all day at the testing center; two achievements in the afternoon after a morning of SAT. In those days most if not all private colleges required subject tests (I know mine did and it wasn’t even that competitive at the time). If you retook the SAT, they’d send all your scores - no Score Choice in those days. Superscoring was unheard of. No score verification either - or tutors.
My son made a 1500 and was really disappointed. I just assumed he didn’t do as well on the test until I read this thread. After reading the thread and some news articles about this, I had him pull up his score and see how many he missed. He missed 2 in math and 4 in reading/writing for two 750 scores.
He felt a little better that he hadn’t missed that many questions. He was just taking this for a confirming score for NMF, so I think he should be fine and should just move on. But I understand why he is disappointed.