Surprise! Math SAT scores hit record high

[Almighty Colin]

From a CNN story.

"This year's average math scores are the highest the College Board could document under the current scoring system. The earliest figures date from 1967. The SAT was first given in 1926."

"36 percent of those taking the test were minority students, up 6 percent from a decade ago."

"Female test-takers also have improved notably in math over the last decade, with their average scores increasing 19 points to 503. Male math scores have gone up 13 points over the same period of time to 537. "

[sarah_webinc]

my class was the first class to take the SATs where a calculator was allowed and that some of the math questions were no longer mutliple choice. I am not all that good at math (re: horrible) so I was scared of the non-multiple choice questions but I found them the easiest. They were mostly the logic questions I am good at. I wondered how much that would make it look like I actually was half decent at math but I guess it counts. I ended up with a decent math score and a pretty dang good English score (expected..the way my brain works). I do remember an outcry about the calculator thing though.

[Peaches]

Let me also add that almost every kid in my son's school that planned on going to college (which thankfully, was around 99.9% - I think ONE kid went into the military), took SAT classes. My son always did GREAT in math, but horribly in verbal. I paid a tutor $45 or so an hour to help him increase his scores. Which it did. Otherwise he ran a VERY high chance of not getting into a decent college (yeah, looking back, getting into a "decent" - read: Expensive college might not have been such a good plan..... )

In GA, the state colleges have what's called a Freshman index. They take your SAT scores and your GPA for HS core courses and come up with a number. If you fall below that number, you don't even get your application looked at. IIRC, if you had a B average, you needed at least an 1100 on your SATs.

I took my SATs once - and was so hungover I could barely see the paper. And still got over 1300 on them, lol!

[gregtx]

well peaches.. if you took that SAT prior to 1996. (i think that is the correct year). I believe you now get to add an extra 100 points.. as they have added a curve to the SATs...

averages had dropped over the years due to minorities and socially challenged economic groups.. that they adjusted the SAT's.. so you can now get a perfect 1600 and actually miss questions..

if you apply to college and you took your SATS prior to a certain year. .they allow you to add 100 points.. lol

cheated