I realize that this isn’t related to preparation, but it was the closest category there was…
So I took the November 2015 SAT. My math score was a 660, with a total of 46 out of 54 questions correct. I had 4 incorrect answers, and 4 omitted. Based on this, I believe my raw score should be a 45. On the regular scoring chart, this would be a 670, but I realize that this particular test could have just been scaled down…
However, someone else I know scored a 750 on the math section of the November 2015 SAT. She had 51 correct answers and 1 incorrect & 2 omitted, resulting in a raw score that would still round up to 51. On the regular scoring chart, this would be a 740… That means that her score was scaled UP… But mine was scaled DOWN…
Is this normal for some people’s scores to be scaled up and others to be scaled down for the same section of the same exact SAT? Or am I making some error, or did the College Board do something wrong?
And if you google image a chart, they’re all the same.
I know all individual exams end up having their own charts, but would’t they still correlate to other charts? It doesn’t make sense that her score would end up being higher in relation to another chart, and mine would end up being lower, right?
@sat225 Below the chart says “This table is for use only with the test in this booklet.”
I could see how this is theoretically possible - for example, if there were 5 or so unusually difficult questions that few people got, which could bump up the upper end of the scoring spectrum. But I doubt many of us know the inner workings of how the scaling works.
…you will be able to look through the charts, comparing test curves side-by-side. You will see that this kind of thing happens occasionally. And I think @MITer94 has the reason right: a given test does not have a uniform, linear difficulty pattern. So if it had say just 3 really nastier-than-usual questions, it might be that -1 = 800, -2=790…but then, if on the whole, the test was a little easier than most, the bottom of the curve might have a harsher-than-standard profile. So depending on where you happen to fall, you may feel that you experienced a harsh or a lenient curve.
I looked at the erik the red’s charts for about a minute or so and found 3 examples of what you are talking about. I bet there are more.