Curve higher on October SAT = Lower score

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
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<p>I heard that since the October SAT usually has a higher curve, you're more likely to receive a lower score than you would with the same raw score during another SAT administration (say, in December). My friend who took the test in January missed 2 on the math section and got a 760. Another missed 2 on the math section, but took it in October, and got a 720.</p>

<p>I guess the curve is higher in October since people usually take summer SAT courses to prepare for this test. Sigh.... such is life.......</p>

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<p>umm no...tests are prepared way in advance...curves and all</p>

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<p>get your facts straight please.</p>

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<p>oh okay phew!</p>

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<p>2 wrong=720?? u gotta be kidding me</p>

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<p>to do that, you'd have to leave much of the test blank...</p>

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<p>yeah, even with a really harsh curve you'd have to miss more than two for a 720.</p>

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<p>WOW OP scared the hell out of me for a sec.......</p>

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<p>Hmmm.. but won't the curve still be higher since people tend to do well on the June SAT?</p>

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<p>why does the curve matter? does 20-30 points really make a difference to you?</p>

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<p>20-30 points per section is a HUGE difference.
I missed my goal of 2000 by 30 points total last year, and that was a really big difference.</p>

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<p>does anyone know how the curve actually works? I thought its like the highest score is the max, but im assuming theres always someone who aces it</p>

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<p>20-30 points doesn't make a big diff. but when its 20-30 points per section, which is totally 60-90 marks....that makes a bit of a difference</p>

<p>Btw: the curve would affect your score by more than 20-30points per section</p>

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<p>Please pass this on to all posters that ask the question about easier SAT test dates, originally posted by Xiggi:</p>

<p>This question arises two or three times a year, and it does have a pretty simple answer. </p>

<p>Are there any easier test dates? NO
When is the curve set? Before the test.
Does the quality of one particular group of testers on a test date influence the curve? No</p>

<p>For complete discussions on this issue -and links to the the official reasons- complete a search with the word "equating." However, here is an excerpt from TCB's site:</p>

<p>Quote:
How is the SAT Reasoning Test scored?
Scoring the SAT Reasoning Test is a two-step process. First, a raw score is calculated: one point is added for each multiple-choice question answered correctly. Omitted questions receive no points. For multiple-choice questions answered incorrectly, 1/4 point is subtracted. No points are subtracted for incorrect answers to the SAT math questions requiring student-produced responses. </p>

<p>Questions in the SAT equating section do not count toward the score. Then, the total points answered wrong are subtracted from the number answered correctly. If the resulting score is a fraction, it is rounded to the nearest whole number—1/2 or more is rounded up; less than 1/2 is rounded down.</p>

<p>Next, the raw score is converted to the College Board 200-to-800 scaled score by a statistical process called equating. Equating adjusts for slight differences in difficulty between test editions, and ensures that a student's score of, say, 450 on one edition of a test reflects the same ability as a score of 450 on another edition of the test and that a student's score does not depend on how well others did on the same edition of the test.
<a href="http://www.collegeboard.com/prof/cou...q_scoring.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.collegeboard.com/prof/cou...q_scoring.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>In so many words, one tester could sit with 12 monkeys or 12 Nobel laureates and be subject to the same curve.</p>

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<p>well in the june sat i got a mistake and didnt attempt 2 and got a 720 which i believe is a bit harsh...</p>

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<p>on june... i made 3 mistakes and i got 730... huh ^^^^</p>