Ok, so I'm super stressed about the SAT and it seems like there's an avalanche of jargon coming my way ('raw score', 'equating', etc.) that I just can't wrap my head around. Can someone enlighten me on what these terms mean and why I should care about them?
You're not alone in feeling overwhelmed by all the SAT terminology. Let's break down some of the common terms:
1. Raw Score: This is the most basic score you'll receive on the SAT. It's simply the number of questions you answered correctly. There's no deduction for incorrect answers or skipped questions, so it's always beneficial to give each question your best guess.
2. Equating: Equating is a process used by the College Board to ensure consistency in scoring from test to test. This process ensures that a score on one test date is equivalent to the same score on another test date, even if one test is slightly harder or easier than the other.
3. Scaled Score: This is where equating comes into play. Your raw score is converted into a scaled score ranging from 200 to 800 for both the Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing sections using a process called equating. These scores are then added together for your total SAT score, which ranges from 400 to 1600.
4. Percentile: Your percentile rank shows the percentage of test takers who scored lower than you. For example, if your SAT percentile is 70, you did better than 70% of the test takers.
5. Superscore: Some colleges use "superscoring," which is when they consider your highest section scores across all the dates you took the SAT. For example, if you took the SAT twice and got a higher Math score the first time and a higher Reading and Writing score the second time, they'd combine these to get your superscore.
As a test-taker, understanding these terms can help you make sense of your scores and make strategic decisions about test-taking. As an example, understanding superscoring can help you decide how many times you want to retake the SAT. Understanding equating helps alleviate concerns about the particular difficulty of the test you take, as equating aims to control for these differences.
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