SAT concordance table - compare old and new SAT scores

@Cavitee whoa. 1400 is awfully low for a 34 ACT. Do you mind saying which school said that?

On the current concordance chart, I believe the lowest 34 is a 1520. Hard to believe it’s now a 1400.

Class of 2022 BU applicants - not accepted, just applied - average ACT 30, average SAT 1350, over 64k apps https://www.bu.edu/today/2018/six-quick-stats-about-who-applied-to-the-class-of-2022/

UGA EA http://www.uga.edu/about_uga/profile/the-class-of-2022-begins/ (interestingly, EA apps are reviewed on stats and rigor alone, while RD is more holistic)

ACT average 32, mid-50 30-32
SAT average 1390, mid-50 1320-1470
AP/IB/DE average 9, mid-50 9-11

Williams came out with its ED stats for class of 2022. Gave averages for the accepted class.

ACT 33
Old SAT 731 reading 727 math
New SAT 724 EW 720 math

New SAT averages were 7 points lower than Old SAT averages.

@homerdog I think those are for Class of 2021 ?

@evergreen5 So, that BU SAT average is 21 points higher than last year. We don’t really know if that means the kids who applied have stronger test scores overall or if the new SAT scores are higher than old SAT scores that hover around that 1350. Interesting to compare that to the Williams averages where the totals might be more like 1450 and the new SAT scores were lower.

Wasn’t there some talk that the new SAT scores are a little inflated compared to old SAT further down in the percentiles but that was not the case in the higher percentiles?

Boy, I can’t wait to see this new concordance chart. Would ACT really ever agree to let ACT scores look so deflated compared to SAT scores? What if the percentile for a 1500 really is the percentile for a 34? I can’t believe ACT would agree to that!

I was surprised as well so I asked twice and it was confirmed. Based on the results I’ve seen from a variety of sources, I would say a 33 corresponds to a 1450 is a pretty fair statement

@evergreen5 Eh. Sorry. You are correct. They did break them out though!

@homerdog 1500 corresponds to 35 in this 2022 profile http://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2018/01/uva-accepts-27-8-percent-of-early-action-applicants-for-class-of-2022

Sorry I meant 1520 to 35

@Cavitee Wow.

Do we think, though, that looking at results of the middle 50% and then comparing the 75th percentile for each test makes sense? Each student is different and it’s possible that more kids just do better on the ACT so the ACT scores are higher?

It doesn’t necessarily mean that the percentiles of each test match up. For example, if a 35 is a 99+ percentile, does that mean that a 1520 is a 99+ percentile on the SAT? Maybe a 35 IS a 99+ percentile but a 1520 is only a 99th percentile on the SAT. Just because these two numbers are UVA’s 75th percentile doesn’t make them even, right?

Dartmouth ED for 2022. Average ACT 33. Average SAT 1460. Does not break out old and new SAT.
The current concordance table has a 1460 as a 32.

Can’t we predict what percentage of kids actually used the old SAT for class of 2022? This high school class of 2018 must mostly be new SAT. The last time the old one was administered was Jan of 2016 which would have been the middle of their sophomore year, so almost all of these kids took a new SAT.

I think you have to throw out the concordance tables and look at it on a school by school basis. In the UVa admission process, I think it’s fair to say that they view a 35 as more like a 1520 and a 1390 more like a 32.
They are now in their second cycle of seeing the New SAT almost exclusively and that’s how they value each test. With my daughter applying next year and taking the SAT exclusively, I’ve looked at each school’s mid 50% to see where the SAT carries more weight

Interesting thread!

I have a kid who scored a 1480 (32, just misses a 33) and a “low” 34 ACT composite (33.5 that rounds up). The current chart would equate this to a 1520.

I had been thinking he’ll just submit his one ACT score to colleges, but I guess I’ll keep an eye on the chart and see if it makes sense to submit both. He doesn’t plan to retake either test.

@Cavitee Yes, I suppose that’s the way to use the newest info. For our students, where do their scores fall for the schools on their lists? Hard to make reasonable reach/match/safety lists until we know new SAT 25th and 75th percentiles of admitted students. Kind of fun watching them come out.

S19 only took one test - the August SAT as a junior. Has a 1540. I’m so glad he’s one and done and I don’t think his score will be held against him even at his big reaches. On the current concordance table, it was the highest 34 but I’m pretty sure it matches up to a 35 with the new info we’ve all been seeing so far for the ED rounds this year.

@homerdog D18 took the old SAT in 2015 and scored a 2310. She is probably the only person that she nows in the class of 2018 that took and submitted her old SAT. She also took the new SAT and scored 1580. She thinks the new test is easier than the old test.

Realistically, a 1580 is probably darn close to a perfect 2400 on the old test. However, the CB concordance places it at 2350. That seems too low - if @arsenalozil’s D18 took the old test in 2015, she was a high school freshman. One or two years of additional school and advanced work (not to mention maturity) means she might well have aced that old test had she retaken around the time that she took the new version. Of course, it’s very hard to make any inferences at the very high end of the curve since missing one or two wrong answers can drop you a bit (and it’s very easy to miss one or two). However, this does seem to suggest that the current concordance underestimates, even up at the tippy-top.

Based on the colleges I looked at, @homerdog, the median slip was actually greater at the higher percentiles. Meaning, at the 25th percentile, the old scores would have predicted a score this year of, say, 1300, but this year’s (meaning freshman class of 2017-2018) score was 1290, a drop of (10) points. But at the 75th percentile the predicted score of, say, 1520 became 1500, a drop of (20) points.

Does anyone else find this odd? UCLA’s Class of 2021 profile specifically excludes SAT scores. http://www.admission.ucla.edu/Prospect/Adm_fr/Frosh_Prof17.htm