SAT scores lower but percentiles higher?

[Anonymous]

Has anyone else noticed this year’s SAT percentiles differ from traditional averages?

My daughter’s March 2023 score compared to the last few years (looking in college prep sites) would have been 76 percentile but this SAT COLLEGE BOARD said her score was 81 percentile. That’s a big difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone else noticed this year’s SAT percentiles differ from traditional averages?

My daughter’s March 2023 score compared to the last few years (looking in college prep sites) would have been 76 percentile but this SAT COLLEGE BOARD said her score was 81 percentile. That’s a big difference.

Probably due to the learning loss from covid coming home to roost.

[Anonymous]

More kids are taking the SAT because of the in school SAT day. There are kids that in the past typically wouldn’t have taken SAT because they just figured they’d go to community college or weren’t even considering college. Now it’s free and during school hours, so they have easy access and figure why not? While some may earn high scores, there are more kids with weaker academics taking it, pushing stronger students higher in percentile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:More kids are taking the SAT because of the in school SAT day. There are kids that in the past typically wouldn’t have taken SAT because they just figured they’d go to community college or weren’t even considering college. Now it’s free and during school hours, so they have easy access and figure why not? While some may earn high scores, there are more kids with weaker academics taking it, pushing stronger students higher in percentile.

It doesn't come remotely close to the score inflation that's gone on these past 3-4 decades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:More kids are taking the SAT because of the in school SAT day. There are kids that in the past typically wouldn’t have taken SAT because they just figured they’d go to community college or weren’t even considering college. Now it’s free and during school hours, so they have easy access and figure why not? While some may earn high scores, there are more kids with weaker academics taking it, pushing stronger students higher in percentile.

Sorry, no...
"About 1.5 million high school students took the SAT at least once in 2021, down 700,000 from 2020, or a 30% decrease. From 2019 to 2020, the number of students taking the SAT remained flat.

The number of students taking the ACT also fell from 2020 to 2021, with 22% fewer students taking the test."
https://usafacts.org/articles/are-fewer-students-taking-the-sat/

[Anonymous]

If you are looking at historical stats, you need to look back all the way to 2018 or older to see pre-covid, covid, and post-covid trends. And even then it's not totally clear because other effects are happening too.