SAT/ACT Is there a sitting where more "average" kids take the test?

Parent Cafe
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<p>Just wondering .</p>

<p>Since each test's sitting is curved separately, it would seem to me that sittings that have more "brainy" kids (and less "average" kids ) would be curved more harshly.</p>

<p>Conversely, if there are months whose sittings are more likely to have a greater number of "average" kids, the curve may be more generous.</p>

<p>Any thoughts??</p>

<p>Does anyone know which months have the most "brainy types" and which months have more of the general population taking the test?</p>

<p>My gut feel is that more "average kids" take the test in Oct or Nov....</p>

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<p>The curve is created before the test is administered. It really doesn't matter when you take it.</p>

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<p>Gospy::: "The curve is created before the test is administered. It really doesn't matter when you take it."</p>

<p>Really??? Is that true??? Where can I find that info?</p>

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<p>I also have heard several times before that the curve is set before the test is given. Can't remember the source(s), but I think that's what the experimental part is for, to set the curve for when that section is actually used in a SAT.</p>

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<p>This never would have occurred to me, but a friend told me that the April SAT produces a lower curve because the special ed kids tend to take it in April. Why April? I don't know. True? I have no idea. Do I care? Not really, my kid is taking SAT in May. I only mention it because I think that is what the OP is talking about, and it was told to me that way, as a reason to take the test in April to benefit from the lower curve.</p>

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<p>There was a rumor going around when I took them that the January tests were easier or had higher scores or something. I have nothing at all to substantiate this, but...</p>

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<p>From the College Board explaination of how the SAT is scored:</p>

<p>"Your raw score is then converted to a scaled score (reported on a 200-to-800 scale) by a statistical process called equating. Equating ensures that the different forms of the test or the level of ability of the students you are tested with do not affect your score. Equating makes it possible to make comparisons among test takers who take different editions of the test across different administrations."</p>

<p><a href="http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/scores/understanding/howscored.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/scores/understanding/howscored.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>NJres:</p>

<p>That is interesting since the April SAT had incredibly hard math. When s came home (A math student) and said the math was harder this time, we went to CC thread on the test and most/all said the same thing.</p>

9

<p>WOW, there are rumors that Oct, Nov, Jan and Apr tests maybe easier/have an easier curve! I'd vote for Jan as my D took it then and did well! Or maybe it was all of those evenings and weekends spent studying the Official Guide to the SAT....</p>

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<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/counselors/tests/sat/scores/faq_scoring.html%5B/url%5D%5B/quote%5D"&gt;http://www.collegeboard.com/prof/counselors/tests/sat/scores/faq_scoring.html

[/quote]
</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>

<p>PS Do not feel bad for having heard this myth before. Even the $30,000 SAT lady fell for it:
[quote]
On page 117 of The Truth About Getting In, Cohen says: </p>

<p>I believe the best test dates are March and May of the junior year, and October of your senior year. March seems to be the best test date overall because more people take the SAT I on that day than any other. Since your score and percentile ranking are determined in relation to all the other students taking the test that day, it is to your advantage to take it when more students are testing. Usually only the most prepared students, the ones who have their acts together early and are thinking of applying early to one of the more selective colleges, take the January test, so that tends to be a more difficult test date.

[/quote]
</p>

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<p>IRC, the reason College Board will sometimes recycle questions from old tests is to gauge the strength of the current tester pool, which I think is part of the equating process. So a group with low raw scores that performs better on the recycled Q's than past groups is likely to get a good curve, while a group with the same low scores and a lower-than-average performance on recycled Q's will not be curved as greatly. So, at least in theory, it shouldn't matter.</p>

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<p>There was an author (Cohen?) who claimed that the January admistration was 'easier' since the seniors taking it were taking it a last time to boost their scores for adcoms (the idea being that there scores were low in the first place). However, I don't buy into that theory.</p>

<p>Moreover, the SAT is really not 'curved' in the sense that we think of it. An 800 requires that every math problem to be completed correctly, regardless of who and how many take the test. (However, if CB finds that a test question is massively confusing, they will throw it out for everyone.) Based on the experimental sections, they test each and every question prior to going live. Therefore, they know with near certainty how a strong (or weaker) student will perform on that specific question. It then becomes somewhat easy to ensure that each test administration contains an similar number of easy, medium and difficult questions.</p>

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<p>On some SAT tests, students must answer every question correctly to score an 800. However, CB's equating system means that, on other tests, students may answer one or more questions incorrectly and still score an 800.</p>

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<p>ellen:</p>

<p>correct, and that is why I focused on math -- at least reading the cc for the past year regarding the new SAT, an 800 M required all 80 correct. (This is a change from the prior, recentered version, which allowed a student to miss a couple of math problems and still score an 800.)</p>

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<p>(However, if CB finds that a test question is massively confusing, they will throw it out for everyone.)</p>

<p>I imagine that must happen sometimes, but I wonder how often it does??? </p>

<p>Also, I thought there are times when a person can miss 1 on a portion and still get an 800.</p>

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<p>Soo.....</p>

<p>Does ACT also curve before the test? Does anyone know?</p>

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<p>Xiggi, the Debunker of Myth. Good job,Xig.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
Also, I thought there are times when a person can miss 1 on a portion and still get an 800.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>For the Old SAT I, you could sometimes miss a question on math and still be curved to an 800. They trimmed down the number of question per section when they added the Writing, so now there's less graduation and less of margin of error for a perfect score. So I think you pretty much have to perform perfectly to get a 800 on SAT I math, but the other sections and SAT II's are still somewhat forgiving.</p>

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<p>What about the ACT? Are those also curved before the test is given?</p>

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<p>Xiggi, thanks for your insight. I didn't pay much attention to my friend when he told it to me because it sounded like urban legend, but I guess I did my part in perpetuating the legend by repeating it at all.</p>