Recently, many students who took the SAT this August 2019 ended up finding out that the curve for the exam was significantly more punishing than many other SAT domestic exams in the past. Shown below is the score breakdown for the first 10 questions wrong that students would receive for the August 2019 SAT exam:
August 2019 - SAT Domestic Exam Score Curve
It is appropriate to state that the curve was severe for many reasons. To start, all sections (Reading, Writing, Math) automatically have points deducted from the total score of the exam from the moment that the student made one mistake (Perfect Scores for each section - Reading: 400, Writing: 400, Math: 800). This is usually not the case for many exams and for comparison we placed the August 2018 score breakdown below.
August 2018 - SAT Domestic Exam Score Curve
Both charts were compiled based on data online from reported score reports. While it is normal that each exam has a different curve dependent on testing difficulty and comparison of student performance among those who took the SAT in the United States, it is evident that the August 2019 SAT exam was significantly more punitive for mistakes in mathematics. One mistake in the August 2019 Math section incurred a 30 point deduction, while one mistake the August 2018 Math section still allowed students the chance to get a perfect score. It is mentioned that the August 2018 Math section was harder in comparison to the August 2019’s, but there are also other outside factors that influenced the general curve for the August 2019 exam.
1. Ban on SAT Exams in China
In 2016, CollegeBoard disqualified all 45 testing centers in mainland China due to constant issues with rampant cheating and test leaks. After the crackdown, the only testing centers that can currently administer tests within China are located in Hong Kong. However, due to the recent political unrest in the region, it is likely that many Chinese parents were reluctant to allow their children to travel to take the test there. Lacking options, many Chinese students who hope to attend United States universities are now pushed to travel out to take the SAT, bringing around a phenomena where travel agencies are capitalizing on these students: sending them to many locations such as Macau, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. With the years to come, it is anticipated that the United States will become a more popular spot to take the SAT for international students.
2. International Curve on the SAT
It is important to note that it is not purely due to the ban on SAT exams in China that brought around many international students to take the SAT in the United States. The more important factor that brought around international students to increasingly take the SAT in the United States is due to the differing curves that exist between the international and domestic SAT exams. In order to prevent cheating, CollegeBoard has implemented separate tests for international and domestic SAT exam takers, making the testing curves dependent on the region that students are taking the exam. With the May 2019 International SAT exam’s curve, it is evident that the curve for this test is worse than even the August 2019 SAT Domestic Exam Curve:
May 2019 - SAT International Exam Score Curve
Due to these reasons, it is expected that for the years to come there will be a continued increase of international students, especially from China and South Korea, that will be taking the exam in the United States especially in August in order to have a more favorable curve on the domestic SAT in comparison to the international version. While factors such as the difficulty of the exam are important factors that could have had an impact on the curve for the August 2019 exam, it is evident that international students will further influence the curve that exists on the domestic exams. CollegeBoard will need to address the potential issues with their metrics for the curve on the SAT exam in order to ensure that evaluation of student performance is more accurate.
In the increasingly competitive nature of college applications in the United States, it has become more and more evident that there is a need for students to plan and be informed around the trends occurring in all aspects, from SAT exams to the college application process. This is where we, at Royal Education, can help. In Royal Education, we keep constantly updated and informed on the current trends that exist in education, grounding our work in research and facts in order to guide students to the best of our abilities. We hope that this article informative around the trends in the SAT. If you have any questions about our services or want us to write about a particular topic, feel free to reach out to us in the following social media outlets:
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