Only missed 2 on math, got a 740? is -30 points per question normal?

<p>On the math section of the SAT I got a 740. When I check my score report it says I missed two problems in the algebra and functions section and that is all. Total, I got 52 out of 54 correct with 0 omissions. Is it normal to lose 30 points per question?</p>

<p>Yes on the math section</p>

<p>Yes, that’s about normal.</p>

<p>Ha you think you have that bad?
I got a standard 8 essay and two wrong on the entire writing, and got a 710.</p>

<p>Two wrong in math should be 740-780. So this may be an easy test that gives a horrible curve.
harasNN, is that from March?</p>

<p>Are either of your wrong answers grid ins? If not, two wrongs is a half point rounded off to three errors?</p>

<p>March curve was -1 760, -2 740, -3 700</p>

<p>@harasNN: I got an 8 essay and 1 wrong…and a 720.</p>

<p>Generally we’ve been seeing a lot more harsh curves for math lately…so yeah, sorry, that’s normal.</p>

<p>@billcsho yurp</p>

<p>@OrchidBloom That’s such bs lmao. GFY collegeboard.</p>

<p>I got one wrong, one blank and got a 750 last year.</p>

<p>Math curve is crap.</p>

<p>Yes, for math that’s normal! Not for any other section though</p>

<p>For example, a point I missed on the essay only dinged me 10 points (but kinda cuz I scored well on the writing MC). The difference btwn language + math section scoring is obvious though</p>

<p>My D took March SAT and recently got score report. CR: 1 wrong was 780.
WR: 0 wrong, 1 omitted and 9 essay was 760. Math: 1 wrong, 4 omitted (the last 4 bc she ran out of time) and got a 690. Yes, the math curve is definitely harsh!</p>

<p>Thanks for the help guys. However, I received a better act score than sat so I’m going to retake the act instead.</p>

<p>

@honeybee63: Please re-check your daughter’s March SAT score report. The scale you describe is entirely inconsistent with what I’ve seen. I had several students who each missed two questions on the CR for that test date, yet they still managed to score 800 on that section.</p>

<p>Wow, that’s much harsher than I originally thought, especially considering that the last two math problems trump even the best at times. A huge gap emerges after getting a couple wrong on a section, but apparently in your case the curve must have been especially harsh.</p>

<p>I’d still say that that’s on the lower side of the curve. I feel that usually -2 should land you around 760. -1 around 780.</p>

<p>The curve really depends on the entire pool of people who take it every year. The year I took the SAT, I got 1 wrong in the math section and walked away with a 780. If testers in general do poorly in the math section one year, a wrong answer won’t hurt your score as much. On the other hand, if testers do well on the math section in general, every wrong answer could bring your score down quite a bit. </p>

<p>That’s why the SAT prep books give you score ranges on practice tests instead of specific scores. The specific score all comes down to how well you did compared to other testers, which can only be determined come test time.</p>

<p>I did the exact same thing. Got one wrong and ended up with a 770 in math… The writing is way worse tho. I got an eight on the essay. And only two wrong in the multiple choice. They gave me a 710.</p>

<p>SAT curves are beginning to become horribly strict. Either there need to be more difficult questions on the test to raise the skill ceiling or simply more questions to create a more generous curve. One missed question should not be worth over 20 points.</p>

<p>I took the SAT in March (I think) and only missed two MC on the whole test. One in Math, and one in writing. The one in math brought me down 40 points, and the one in writing (in conjunction with a 7 essay, no idea what happened) brought me down 90. Completely ridiculous.</p>

<p>Thankfully, the ACT is more difficult for more people, and you can get a “perfect score” with only a 35.5 composite without writing being factored in. For the record, I missed 2-3 questions with an 8 essay on the ACT and was able to get a “perfect score.” Not on the SAT.</p>

<p>I too wish that they would just make the questions a bit harder XD For the record, of the 4 questions that I got wrong on my January SAT, I believe 2 were “easy”, 1 was “medium” and 1 was “hard”. I’m just amazing at making stupid mistakes. And yeah, an easier test/harsher curve would help my writing score too…since my essays suck. As I said on the first page…I only got 1 wrong in Writing, but with an 8 essay…BAM! 720.</p>

<p>Also, gah. The curves have NOTHING to do with how other testers do. You could be taking it with a bunch of prodigies or a bunch of people guessing randomly, and your score would be the exact same (provided that it’s the same test and you get the same number of questions right of course). The curves are predetermined based on what the College Coard calculates the difficulty of the exam to be.</p>