Just got my SAT scores!

[John Q. Mayhem]

I got a 1410! This is the first time I've taken them, and I'm told that that is very good! I got perfect on my verbals (surprising given the amount of time I spend on the web ), but only slightly more than 3/4ths on the math section. I understand that the highest score for each individual section is kept, which means that when I take them again to try to boost my math score, I won't have to worry about the verbal section! I am happy! Sweetness and light! Yay!

 

[RangerWickett]

Congratulations. What are you planning on going to college for? Taking the SAT ain't free, and 1410 is a pretty respectable score. If you think you can do better, go for it, but if you're not big into flawless mathematics, I'd say you've done a great enough job already.

But again, congrats.

 

[Psionicist]

Ugh, it reminds me of this horrible movie: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0314498/

Congratulations though.

 

[Krieg]

...1410 is a pretty respectable score....

Um it's a little bit better than "respectable" it puts him in the 99th percentile.

Of course it's really a 1310 to all of us who took it before the early 90's.

 

[Mercule]

It beats my 1360 (from 1991, so which side of the break am I on, Krieg?). I'm not exactly a slouch in the testing department, either, so I'd be pretty proud if I were you.

 

[Angcuru]

I got a 1200 or so on mine taken two or three years ago(799 speach/writing, rest was math). But then again, I test horribly, and suck at non-applied math. From what I've seen, however, it really isn't much of an indication of anything, except how much less you're going to have to pay when you attend college.

It's frustrating that our educational system places so much time and importance on these things when they could spend that money on books that don't still show that man has yet to reach the moon, or on refurbishing school restrooms so they aren't health risks. Honestly, all of the brightest people I've ever met have gotten 1100's and below, and go on to be wondrous successes, in contrast to a good number of 1500 achievers I know who can't keep a steady job. I guess the lesson to learn from these failures is that you shouldn't let it go to your head. It's just a number which gets you a bit of cash if it's high enough, nothing more.

Unless you get a perfect score, which means you're damned smart.

 

[Heretic Apostate]

Mine was 1340, from 1987. A 760 in math (top 2%, but I'm definitely an applied-math man, except that I kind of enjoy calculus and number theory; got to retry calculus of complex numbers again some day), but only a 560 in English. Math is definitely my first language.

 

[Krieg]

It beats my 1360 (from 1991, so which side of the break am I on, Krieg?). I'm not exactly a slouch in the testing department, either, so I'd be pretty proud if I were you.

The "recentering" happened in April '95 (I had to look it up), so you're good!


For those who don't know what I am talking about...In 1994 the folks who administered the SATs noticed that average SAT scores had been steadily dropping for a couple of decades (primarily because more kids from "subpar" school districts were taking it). To "fix" the problem they recalibrated the test so that the "average" was again 500. This had the added effect of inflating the scores of individuals who took the test from '95 on when compared to those who took it previously. Verbal scores were more affected since students typically score lower on the verbal portion of the test. Interestingly enough the creators also decided that SAT no longer stood for Scholastic Aptitude Test, instead SAT is just the name of the text and doesn't have any other meaning. ?!

Hmm just looked up the conversion chart...in John Q.'s case a "new" 800 on the verbal is still an 800 on the old test and strangely enough his 610 in math would also still be equal to a 610. So going by the conversion chart his 1410 would still have been a 1410. He's outscored us all so far! lol

http://www.greenes.com/html/convert.htm


FWIW Mine: SAT=1370 ACT=34

 

[aurance]

I got a 1200 or so on mine taken two or three years ago(799 speach/writing, rest was math). But then again, I test horribly, and suck at non-applied math. From what I've seen, however, it really isn't much of an indication of anything, except how much less you're going to have to pay when you attend college.

It's frustrating that our educational system places so much time and importance on these things when they could spend that money on books that don't still show that man has yet to reach the moon, or on refurbishing school restrooms so they aren't health risks. Honestly, all of the brightest people I've ever met have gotten 1100's and below, and go on to be wondrous successes, in contrast to a good number of 1500 achievers I know who can't keep a steady job. I guess the lesson to learn from these failures is that you shouldn't let it go to your head. It's just a number which gets you a bit of cash if it's high enough, nothing more.

Unless you get a perfect score, which means you're damned smart.

Exceptions always tend to be more memorable than the rule, and are prone to exaggeration.

There is, for the most part, a positive correlation between SAT scores and performance in college. Those exceptions you know are outliers. I suspect if the people you mention took the SAT repeatedly, their scores would regress toward the mean, their "true" score, for whatever it is SAT measures.

I'm sure there is some variability, as with any testing, but if SAT really wasn't "much of an indication of anything," it would be a complete waste of time for students and examiners, not to mention a PR fiasco for politicians and education in general. Nobody has anything to gain from repeatedly dishing out an exam which measures nothing.

Lest you mention all the money ETS makes as something that would be gained, the budget of ETS is not nearly on the same order of magnitude of what it would take to overhaul the educational institutions in certain sectors of the U.S., as you imply. That's an entirely separate issue.

It's not a perfect test by any stretch of the word, and there is great room for improvement, but it's not a blind dart throwing contest.

 

[Xath]

Just be happy you're taking it this year before they introduce the writing section.

Taking the SAT's more than once is a good idea, but don't take them a whole lot of times. Two-Three is the optimal number. Even if colleges take your best scores, they still see all of them. I should have taken my own advice, I only took the SATs once, but I did ok. Also, SATII are good to take as well. Take them right when you finish the relevent classes. Don't wait until Junior year.

SATI: Verbal 690, Math 710
SATII: Writing 760, US History 730, MathIIC 670