You can guess pretty well what an individual student’s SAT scores will be by projecting from SSATs and other standardized tests.
For the SPS Form of 2016, the SAT 25-75% scores for individual sections were 630-740 reading, 630-770 math, 630-760 writing. I suppose if you add them up, the 25-75% total score would be 1890-2270. Right?
SPS makes the profile hard to find, but if you can find it and you do the math, it’s 1830-2270.
https://sps.myschoolapp.com/ftpimages/36/download/download_1765923.pdf
You can’t add them up though as many kids are lopsided.
Nope
Correct; A student can be 75 in math and 25 in CR.
SPS:
CR 630-740
M 630-770
R 630-760
ACT 27-32
Are you saying that those SAT scores can’t be added? It would seem to give totals in the expected range.
Well, you can understand why my math score was on the low end of that range.
That’s what I’m saying.
Let’s pretend that SPS has a student body of 4 with the following scores:
Student 1: 630/770/700 2100 total
Student 2: 740/630/700 2070 total
Student 3: 690/700/630 2020 total
Student 4: 690/700/760 2150 total
So in this example, the 25th and 75th percentiles for each section are as @DonFefe says:
But 25th percentile for total is 2020 (student 3) not 1890 (630+630+630) and the 75th percentile is 2150 (Student 4) not 2270 (740+770+760)
This must be that calculus thing. I’m crying now.
^Yes, but I expect if you had access to the real data for a school, you would find the distribution would be at least close to Gaussian, both within a subject area and for the composite scores, or if not Gaussian at least close to symmetrical.
A school that has a lot of foreign students may have kids who are at the top end of the scale in math yet turn in less impressive verbal scores. And while these non native speakers may depress the total scores, many matriculate to the most tippy top colleges because they are easily recognized by AOS as “the real deal”. I would not put much weight, if any, on standardized test scores in selecting a school simply because there is more to know than a school profile will show you.
As for ACT and SAT scores, many students try another test if they feel they can’t do well on the first. I’ve known several kids who couldn’t get above 1400 on the SAT but scored 34 or 35 on the ACT. It just was a better fit for them (especially with less emphasis on math.) How a school reports scores (all taken or just the one submitted to colleges ) could distort the numbers.
Most SAT scores correlate strongly with SSAT scores, so the best use of this data might be as an indication of whether your SSAT score is likely to disadvantage your application to these BS.
In the spirit of the Bette and Joan Feud series, to paraphrase from Whatever Happened to Baby Jane: But you don’t, Blanche! You don’t have that info!
As a counterexample, my college’s 75th percentile for admitted students is 800/800/800. I seriously doubt that 25% of my class had 2400’s, although I am sure that a large chunk did. Not me, though. 
So assuming facts not in evidence is a dangerous thing IMO
Anyway, it solely was meant to be illustrative.
@skieurope is such a great kid; it’s too bad he couldn’t get into a very good college… 
Fair enough, but on a national scale, the College Board does set the score conversion, such to force a distribution approximately normal.
While most would not pick a school over 50 point difference, would you pick one over the other if the difference of the SAT avg was 250 points out of 2400? DD already took SAT and her favorite school SAT avg is 250 points less than her score converted to 2400. The avg of the other 2 schools she got in are right at her score. She doesn’t even want to revisit them any longer. Matriculation data from the lower avg sat correlates to their weaker avg scores. She will be a 1 year senior. I am afraid weaker school hurts her chances of a better college. Hard to not go with lesser stats school when it seems like a great fit socially and she’s going so late in the game as far as friendships etc.
@hopetobein As long as the college counseling team is strong, the weaker school doesn’t hurt her chances. From your description she may be one of the stronger students to apply from that school.
The challenge she has (as a new senior at any school) is to quickly adapt to her new environment, develop relationships with faculty who may be asked to write recommendations and get to know her new advising team. The social fit will make it easier for her to do that.
Thank you @HMom16 It is so difficult to not make her go look at Loomis or Kent but she was so happy yesterday that she is pretty much refusing to revisit. Missing school etc as a junior is a bear so I understand that aspect but I am a ‘weigh all my options’ kind of person and she is more of a ‘stop when I think I’m happy’ kind of person. Absolutely her decision in the end, but I always prefer it be an informed decision.