June 2018 SATs - negative curve

[Anonymous]

There has been a lot of outcry about this testing period as the College Board made it “easier” than normal and then curved much harder. For example, a kid that got 2 wrong on math got a 750 when it would have been 780 on prior tests. This has resulted in kids getting lower scores with more right answers. There is a movement to get the tests recited but I doubt it will be successful. https://www.google.com/amp/amp.newsobserver.com/news/local/article214779575.html

Any thoughts as to how colleges will look at these test scores? My daughter actually did better on this test but I’m concerned about the “easy” label it is getting despite the curve.

[Anonymous]

Isn't this how it is always done? Why would it be fair to give some kids a high score on an easy test and other kids a low score on a harder test?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't this how it is always done? Why would it be fair to give some kids a high score on an easy test and other kids a low score on a harder test?

OP here - I agree with the fairness of it and am not complaining. Just wondering if the colleges will look at it differently.

[Anonymous]

A harder test is better for kids who are trying to get super high scores because it lets them distinguish themselves more.

[Anonymous]

I think the outrage is mostly coming from people who didn't realize the SAT is curved at all.

[Anonymous]

This is normal. Both the SAT and ACT are curved. People who don’t understand curving are grumpy because they’re just seeing what their kid would have scored on a test with a different curve, when in fact their kid would have most likely had more wrong answers on a test with a different curve and received the same score.

[Anonymous]

People (especially parents) love to make excuses. It’s a properly curved test.

[Anonymous]

Looks like the mistake is that the test was "too easy". That said, these tests are "equated" - there are numerous tests given each year, with different questions. The only way to keep it fair would be to curve.

And it works both ways - a "harder" test would be curved up slightly to make up for the increased difficulty.

People need to move on and look at other parts of their application.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A harder test is better for kids who are trying to get super high scores because it lets them distinguish themselves more.

+100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

I can't stand how fixated everyone is on the bell or a 90 being an A. Harder tests allow greater differentiation in the tails. It isn't rocket science. A lower mean is better for everyone.

[Anonymous]

This is how standardized tests work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the outrage is mostly coming from people who didn't realize the SAT is curved at all.

This! I had no idea. Why can't the tests be consistently difficult every time it is administered?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the outrage is mostly coming from people who didn't realize the SAT is curved at all.

This! I had no idea. Why can't the tests be consistently difficult every time it is administered?

Because they are designed by humans.

[Anonymous]

The SAT isn't curved, it's equated. That means that the college board designed the test aware that missing only one question would mean -30 pts for some students. Even if everyone answered fewer questions correctly on avg, these kids would have still had unusually low scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the outrage is mostly coming from people who didn't realize the SAT is curved at all.

This! I had no idea. Why can't the tests be consistently difficult every time it is administered?

Because they are designed by humans.

Maybe the College Board should hire different humans to design them.

[Anonymous]

I think people are outraged because the penalty for an incorrect answer is more severe than it has been on any of the released tests and the official practice tests. The test seems to be a bit of an outlier in terms of its level of difficulty (or lack thereof).

Fortunately, there are at least two more testing dates for rising seniors who need a higher score. My rising senior finished his testing in fall of junior year, and I'm glad he didn't sit for this particular test!