FYI the SAT released it’s “SAT Suite of Assessments” for 2023. Each state has a report with the median and standard distribution of scores, histograms, breakdowns by race, intended major, parent education etc. This can be helpful in trying to put a score “in context” as certain states have higher scores than others.
One potentially interesting nugget, the GPA reported for PSAT takers, bottom of page 10. 48% of 11th graders were reporting A- or A or A+. This is “students who took the PSAT/NMSQT and/or PSAT 10 during the 2022-23 school year.” I wonder how accurately that reflects GPAs of current high school seniors applying now to college. Might also be interesting to compare to recent past years. This table is also available on page 12 of the individual state reports. It also includes average scores for each GPA letter grade.
I like to look at the report for our state, and various others, at the list of schools where the most students sent scores.
The report for California at https://reports.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/2023-california-sat-suite-of-assessments-annual-report.pdf on page 10 indicates that many 2023 SAT score senders seem to have not gotten the message that UCs and CSUs are not considering SAT (or ACT) scores. Six of the top eight SAT score sending targets are UCs or CSUs (the other two are USC and Stanford).
Might that be because “They may be used as an alternative method of fulfilling minimum requirements for eligibility or for course placement after you enroll”? Does the eligibility angle come into play prior to admission?
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No surprise that, in the overall report at https://reports.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/2023-total-group-sat-suite-of-assessments-annual-report.pdf , there is a strong correlation between highest level of parental education (see page 4) and SAT scores. There is also a strong correlation between the “median family income of students’ home census tracts” (see footnote 5 on page 5) and SAT scores.
| Group | Mean SAT Score |
|---|---|
| No HS Diploma | 910 |
| HS Diploma | 966 |
| Associates Degree | 1004 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 1107 |
| Graduate Degree | 1181 |
| Lowest Quintile ($0-53,263) | 891 |
| 2nd Lowest Quintile ($53,264-69,902) | 942 |
| Middle Quintile ($69,093-86,073) | 984 |
| 2nd Highest Quintile ($86,074-113,340) | 1039 |
| Highest Quintile (>=$113,341) | 1148 |
Not before admission. An SAT RW score of 680 or above is one of several ways to satisfy the UC entry level writing requirement. But there are numerous other ways to satisfy it: Entry Level Writing Requirement | University of California
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I am not sure that these scores were necessarily sent to the UCs before admission. It just says “Institutions That Received the Most SAT Score Reports from California.” Perhaps this includes all score reports sent?
ELWR is one reason for sending a SAT score (my son sent his score to fulfill ELWR). The SAT Writing and Language subscore can also be used to fulfill the English language proficiency requirement (for students who didn’t have English as the language of instruction in high school).
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I found this very interesting. Especially looking at the role of the parents- if their education was higher, their children’s scores were higher. Do you think this is genetics or active/better focused parenting?
Could be either or (probably at least some of) both, but it can be difficult to separate the effects of each.
“48% of 11th graders were reporting A- or A or A+.”
I can only speak to our experience. At my kids’ HS, ~100 kids took the PSAT last year (and fewer the year prior). Each grade has ~800 students. Therefore, it doesn’t surprise me that the type of kids who sign up and spend a Saturday morning taking an optional test that is only relevant for those trying to make NMS or have a SAT practice experience, are the top of the class with mostly A grades.
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I think many would say it is because they are privileged, have money.
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Interesting to me was seeing what people here often claim… high scores for Asians and lower scores for underrepresented minorities. Also score correlation with income is staggering.
Kids taking the test should not forget that just 7% are getting a 1400. Colleges that are test optional are showing a warped view of their average. That can be discouraging I am sure.
Considering that recent immigration from Asia selects for high education immigrants who become parents with graduate degrees to their American kids, it is not surprising that the kids do well in school and on the SAT.
In contrast, educational suppression of Black people for generations still leaves a negative legacy today.
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