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<p>The second part is correct, the first is not.</p>
<p>Here’s my usual curve info: </p>
<p>1) first read [this College Board white paper](<a href=“Higher Education Professionals | College Board”>Higher Education Professionals | College Board) for the technical information about the curve / equating / standardization of the SAT. This paper is the primary reference. </p>
<p>2) next read [thread=760312]this thread[/thread] for a long but example-filled discussion of the curve</p>
<p>3) assuming you skipped (1) and (2), here is the executive summary:</p>
<p>The SAT curve (the chart that maps from your raw score to your scaled
score) adjusts solely for the difficulty of the test: a harder test will
have a nicer curve and an easier test will have a harsher curve. Someone
who gets a 45/54 raw math score on a harder test will receive a better
scaled score than a 45/54 on an easier test.</p>
<p>The curve is <em>not</em> adjusted so as to make the average score 500 or any other particular number. Likewise, the number of people receiving 800s is not fixed or predetermined.</p>
<p>The curve is <em>not</em> determined before the test is administered (although the difficulty of each question independently is known beforehand). Before a complete determination of the whole test difficulty can be made, the quality of the test takers must be determined using questions that have appeared before, via the equating sections. Note that raw test scores may be lower either due to a harder test, or a cohort of less-prepared students; the equating sections allow these effects to be separated.</p>