New SAT standard

<p>Perhaps this has been discussed here before...but...How will colleges and universities use the scores on the new SAT when deciding admittance criteria for the kiddos graduating hs in 2006? The Verbal section is now Critical Reading and has changed considerably (they say). The math section now includes more Algebra 2. There is now a Writing section which I am told will be a 25 minute persuasive essay prompt plus some sections on proofreading etc. The universities presumably had a sense of the types of students with particular scores from the old test. How in the world will they use the scores from the new test without some kind of "track record" regarding how this really reflects students (not that the old SAT was doing a great job of this...but you know what I mean?</p>

<p>umm.....great question for an admissions counselor...lol</p>

<p>Reading your post made me think, Is a 2400 on the new test or specifically an 800 on the math, better than it was before, with a 1600 and 800 on writing?</p>

<p>I've been wondering about this for the LONGEST...</p>

<p>I have heard that some schools will not attach much importance to the new Writing section score. In other words, some schools may simply count the Critical Reading and Math scores only. It's really too bad, as I think that the Writing SAT II scores should be comparable to the new Writing section scores.</p>

<p>godot they are the same thing, so any college that requires the SAT II Writing would count the SAT writing. They are identical tests. The writing SATII will not be given out any longer.</p>

<p>I don't think you understand. Some colleges will NOT count them with the same weight. Therefore, even if a college says that it requires the SAT II Writing exam or the new SAT (which automatically includes the Writing section), it may simply discount the Writing score for admissions purposes. What the schools might do is keep a record of the Writing scores and conduct studies on how students of different score levels perform at their schools. You might call these "validity studies." After 3 or 4 years of solid data, they might decide how much weight, if any, to give the new section. BTW, the two exams are NOT identical. For one thing, the new essay is 25 minutes, as opposed to 20 minutes on the SAT II Writing. Also, the distribution of questions is different -- the new exam has more Improving Sentences questions vs. Identifying Sentence Errors questions. Some colleges may decide that there are enough differences between the old exam and the new one to wait to judge the new Writing section.</p>

<p>CB is retiring the writing section so if a college wants a writing score they have to take it from the new SAT. The "new writing" is not that much different to warrant studies. Just give me a link or links to colleges doing what you say.</p>

<p>I presume that they will use the percentiles as a guide of how good a score is. For instance, if a 2080 turns out to be the 95th percentile, it will probably be viewed in much the same way that a 1390 is viewed now. The best way to "use the scores on the new SAT when deciding admittance criteria for the kiddos graduating hs in 2006" is to compare one student's standing relative to the rest of his or her peers (i.e. - compare percentiles).</p>

<p>my college counselor said that theyd just break down the final scores and see how it shapes up to previous years. EX if you get 2100 and it evens out to 650 M, 650 writing and 800 verbal, theyll look at it much the same as the old SATs 1450, with a SAT2 of 650. The call for a reform in the SATs came from top universities, so they definately are not disregarding it. my counselor also said that for class of 2006, we'll probably have a kinder curve since itll be the first year, so ill keep my fingers crossed.</p>

<p>^^^the kinder curve i doubt</p>

<p>there are plenty of new SAT prep books out there and CB has been doing experimental sections for the new SAT for a long time now. I'd bet that the scores will be consistent for at least the next couple of years.</p>

<p>yeah thats the little fear at the back of my mind. in my reasoning, the curve might even be harder bc everyone seems to be preparing even more this year. eep!</p>

<p>I got a 770 Verbal and 800 Math, but my SAT 2 Writing is like 660. Will it look better with 1570 SAT and 660 Writing or with a 2230 on New SAT. I am the class of 06. I really wish i could use my old SAT score and writing. Im taking the writing for the one and only time in january.</p>

<p>What I don't like is that the Verbal + Math on the SAT ceiling has been lowered. A person who got 1600 in 1994 would be converted to 110 points ABOVE a 1600 TODAY!</p>

<p>That means someone who got 1490 on the SAT in 1994 would have gotten a 1600 today! Lots of people who got 1600 today may have gotten more, but we will never know if they are just average 1600 scorers, or are actually truly exceptional.</p>

<p>
[quote]
average 1600 scorers

[/quote]

I don't think that scoring in the top .066% is anything to scoff at. A 1600 is still - even after recentering - exceedingly rare (939 of 1419007 test takers). I find it humorous that people disparage a 1600 while saying a 1400 is a great score. It doesn't make sense to me.</p>

<p>and, a 1600 in 94 is a 1600 today. It is not possible to have a 1710... <a href="http://www.collegeboard.com/sat/cbsenior/equiv/rt027027.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.collegeboard.com/sat/cbsenior/equiv/rt027027.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>read <a href="http://www.ets.org/research/dload/RR-02-04.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ets.org/research/dload/RR-02-04.pdf&lt;/a> for information on recentering</p>

<p>Of course its not possible. But honestly, no hiring manager is going to treat a 1490 and a 1600 the same (taken in 1994)</p>

<p>1480 on SAT taken in 1994 - 99.976 Percentile</p>

<p>1600 on SAT taken in 2004 - 99.975 Percentile</p>

<p>So a 1480 on the SAT taken in 1994 is slightly more rare than a 1600 taken in 2004.</p>

<p>Interesting isnt it? You see, in the top 1% of the population, there is as much variation as there is between the 1st and 99th percentiles.</p>

<p>It's not that big a difference though. As a 1480 on today's SAT is 99th percentile.</p>

<p><a href="http://members.shaw.ca/delajara/oldSATIQ.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://members.shaw.ca/delajara/oldSATIQ.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>The information is here. </p>

<p>Basically the post 1995 SAT does not measure people with IQ's over 150 very accurately. While the pre 1995 SAT measured IQ up to the high 160's. </p>

<p>And yes, there is a difference in intelligence between someone who is 155 and 145. Its very significant in the opinion of IQ experts. Its the difference between an intelligence person, and a Nobel Prize winner.</p>

<p>well, according to the table on page four of this research <a href="http://www.collegeboard.com/research/pdf/rs05_3962.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.collegeboard.com/research/pdf/rs05_3962.pdf&lt;/a>, a 1600 now is equivalent to a 1520 pre-recentering</p>

<p>Since we're only dealing with ~950 ppl getting a 1600 every year, recentering has only affected the very top of SAT test takers.</p>