Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Score inflation on the new SAT

SAT scores were released on Tuesday, more than two months after the first administration of the revamped exam and years after the media started to speculate about the new test’s difficulty. And it turns out that, after years of stagnation, the scores have gone up—rather significantly.

Maybe students are smarter and more prepared for the new exam than their predecessors. But chances are the upward score drift is a product of the test—not the test takers. As in the past, each section of the SAT is scored from 200 to 800. The average combined score on the old, three-section test was right around 1500; that would indicate that the average score would be about a 1000 on the new, two-section test. But the new average is actually close to 1090. according to data released by the College Board, which administers the SAT.

So has the new test been dumbed down? Or has the revamped exam, which is supposed to be more closely aligned with real school work, created greater opportunities for students to shine?