The reason I remember the SAT and GRE tests is that the environment was totally not conducive to being able to concentrate - on my GRE, there was a phone ringing in the next room - non-stop - that couldn't be taken off the hook because the door was locked and none of the test proctors had the key. So I wouldn't discount the possibility that something in the environment on test day impacted the score.
polarbear
According to one study SAT scores are higher at test centers with fewer students. A summary "New Research: Taking the SAT in a Crowded Room Means Lower Scores" is at
http://www.nurtureshock.com/NEffect.pdf , and here is the paper abstract:
http://pss.sagepub.com/content/20/7/871.abstractThe N-Effect
More Competitors, Less Competition
Stephen M. Garcia and Avishalom Tor
Psychological Science July 2009 vol. 20 no. 7 871-877
Abstract
This article introduces the N-effect—the discovery that increasing the number of competitors (N) can decrease competitive motivation. Studies 1a and 1b found evidence that average test scores (e.g., SAT scores) fall as the average number of test takers at test-taking venues increases. Study 2 found that individuals trying to finish an easy quiz among the top 20% in terms of speed finished significantly faster if they believed they were competing in a pool of 10 rather than 100 other people. Study 3 showed that the N-effect is strong among individuals high in social-comparison orientation and weak among those low in social-comparison orientation. Study 4 directly linked the N-effect to social comparison, ruling out ratio bias as an explanation of our results and finding that social comparison becomes less important as N increases. Finally, Study 5 found that the N-effect is mediated by social comparison. Limitations, future directions, and implications are discussed.
