<p>Some people say that it is predetermined, while others say that they normalize the scores based on how the nation does.</p>
<p>I'm just curious because there are a lot of discrepancies, and personally I would rather have them bell curve it because I feel as though I did better than a lot of people...</p>
<p>considering the SAT has predetermined curves, I’d assume the ACT does too for whatever those reasons may be; however, that’s just an assumption.</p>
<p>ACT doesn’t have predetermined curves. I’ve heard this from guidance counselors and SAT/ACT tutors. They can’t have a section where most people fail (because it was harder than expected) and have -3 be a 29, that wouldn’t be fair. All tests are supposed to be the same difficulty so it’s impossible for them to curve based on difficulty until they get the actual results back</p>
<p>They don’t have experimental sections like the SAT has. The fifth section they have in June which is obviously experimental does not seem like a scientific way of standardizing the test.</p>
<p>So the curve is based on other test takers’ performance?</p>
<p>It might be bell curved, or at least similar</p>
<p>All standardized tests (SAT, ACT) produce the same result: a bell curve. They have to, that’s there job. If a particular test is too easy or too hard the scales are adjusted to reproduce the curve.</p>