Is it suddenly harder to get high score in SAT or were people always lying?

[Anonymous]

Our oldest is a junior so only recently started taking SAT/ACT. Before we had or own first hand experience, we used to hear everyone got 1560-1590 in their SAT. After the first couple tries, all the so called smart kids at our school only got 1420-1480. Is the scoring tougher now or were people always exaggerating?

[Anonymous]

Following

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our oldest is a junior so only recently started taking SAT/ACT. Before we had or own first hand experience, we used to hear everyone got 1560-1590 in their SAT. After the first couple tries, all the so called smart kids at our school only got 1420-1480. Is the scoring tougher now or were people always exaggerating?

Neither. Some people simply do better than these so-called smart kids.

[Anonymous]

I had one kid taking the SAT in 2022 (when it was on paper) and one who took the digital year. Lots of kids at their private getting over 1500 both years

[Anonymous]

It’s harder to score at the very high end since the test changed most recently

[Anonymous]

When did they take these? I know of several kids who took the SAT last year scoring in the 1540-1580 range (including mine). So not sure if you mean a very recent change or not.

[Anonymous]

There is a myth of everyone and their mother gets a 1530 on the SAT.

Someone did an analysis of all 1530+ SAT scorers and where they attend college. There are way more admission slots to the top 25 colleges than there are 1530+ SAT scorers in the universe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our oldest is a junior so only recently started taking SAT/ACT. Before we had or own first hand experience, we used to hear everyone got 1560-1590 in their SAT. After the first couple tries, all the so called smart kids at our school only got 1420-1480. Is the scoring tougher now or were people always exaggerating?

My kid (who is indeed known as a “smart kid at their school”) scored 1480 the first time, 1480 the second time, and 1570 the third time. Right in line with your observation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s harder to score at the very high end since the test changed most recently

That's what I am seeing.
Lots of 1550+ prior to recent changes this year. Now kids who were getting those scores (or higher) on practice tests are getting 1450.....
everyone (including tutors) is scratching their heads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our oldest is a junior so only recently started taking SAT/ACT. Before we had or own first hand experience, we used to hear everyone got 1560-1590 in their SAT. After the first couple tries, all the so called smart kids at our school only got 1420-1480. Is the scoring tougher now or were people always exaggerating?

My kid (who is indeed known as a “smart kid at their school”) scored 1480 the first time, 1480 the second time, and 1570 the third time. Right in line with your observation.

New format or old format? Dates of test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s harder to score at the very high end since the test changed most recently

A lot on reddit about this. The average is shifting down about 50 points

[Anonymous]

The iPhone/E generation is coming out strong…different from the 05 birth year when kids didn’t grow up with iPhones or iPads in their hands since K. My 05 dud t have a phone until almost 9th grade. He is/was a voracious reader…hence the perfect in vocab SAT; and act English & reading.

The math went down for younger Covid kids too. 05 was already through geometry before everything shutdown.

Def see a difference even in my own house. Younger one had to really prep to pull score up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our oldest is a junior so only recently started taking SAT/ACT. Before we had or own first hand experience, we used to hear everyone got 1560-1590 in their SAT. After the first couple tries, all the so called smart kids at our school only got 1420-1480. Is the scoring tougher now or were people always exaggerating?

My kid (who is indeed known as a “smart kid at their school”) scored 1480 the first time, 1480 the second time, and 1570 the third time. Right in line with your observation.

New format or old format? Dates of test.

March 2025 (school day)
March 2025 (weekend)
June 2025 (weekend)

All digital, obviously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The iPhone/E generation is coming out strong…different from the 05 birth year when kids didn’t grow up with iPhones or iPads in their hands since K. My 05 dud t have a phone until almost 9th grade. He is/was a voracious reader…hence the perfect in vocab SAT; and act English & reading.

The math went down for younger Covid kids too. 05 was already through geometry before everything shutdown.

Def see a difference even in my own house. Younger one had to really prep to pull score up.

Younger siblings tend to have lower IQ than firstborns. It’s probably not about the SAT.

[Anonymous]

It takes time for tutors and prep services to perfect their methods around new formats. You don't want to be among the first to take these tests after there have been big changes.