The Condition of Education 1996 / Indicator 22: Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores

The Condition of Education 1996, Indicator 22

Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores

The Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) is the test taken most frequently by college-bound students. It is designed to predict success in the freshman year of college, and to track the performance of groups of students who intend to enter college over time. When interpreting these scores, the reader should be aware that the proportion of high school graduates who take the exam changes over time.

Average total SAT scores rose 8 points between 1994 and 1995. Verbal scores rose 4 points for male and 5 points for female test-takers, and mathematics scores rose 2 points for male and 3 points for female test-takers.
The percentage of high school graduates who took the SAT remained at about 42 percent during the 1992-95 period, up from 35 percent in 1984. The proportion of minority SAT test-takers more than doubled between 1976 and 1995, rising from 15 to 31 percent (see supplemental table 22-1).
Overall, average scores for minority test-takers have improved over the past 20 years. Between 1976 and 1995, the average scores of black test-takers rose 24 points on the verbal section and 34 points on the mathematics section, while the average scores of whites fell 3 points on the verbal section and rose 5 points on the mathematics section (see supplemental table 22-2).
Between 1991 and 1995, the percentage of graduating seniors taking the American College Testing (ACT) program increased 5 percentage points, while the percentage taking the SAT remained the same. While scores on the ACT remained about the same over this time period, scores on the SAT rose 14 points (see supplemental tables 22-1 and 22-7).

Chart 1: Percentage of high school graduates who took the SAT and average SAT scores of college-bound seniors, by section and sex: 1972–95; high school graduates

Chart 2: Percentage of high school graduates who took the SAT and average SAT scores of college-bound seniors, by section and sex: 1972–95; verbal

Chart 3: Percentage of high school graduates who took the SAT and average SAT scores of college-bound seniors, by section and sex: 1972–95; mathematics

Average SAT scores of college-bound seniors, by section and sex: 1972-95

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              Verbal                 Mathematics               Combined
      -----------------------  -----------------------  -----------------------
Year  Total     Male   Female  Total     Male   Female  Total     Male   Female
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1972    453      454      452    484      505      461    937      959      913
1973    445      446      443    481      502      460    926      948      903
1974    444      447      442    480      501      459    924      948      901
1975    434      437      431    472      495      449    906      932      880
1976    431      433      430    472      497      446    903      930      876
1977    429      431      427    470      497      445    899      928      872
1978    429      433      425    468      494      444    897      927      869
1979    427      431      423    467      493      443    894      924      866
1980    424      428      420    466      491      443    890      919      863
1981    424      430      418    466      492      443    890      922      861
1982    426      431      421    467      493      443    893      924      864
1983    425      430      420    468      493      445    893      923      865
1984    426      433      420    471      495      449    897      928      869
1985    431      437      425    475      499      452    906      936      877
1986    431      437      426    475      501      451    906      938      877
1987    430      435      425    476      500      453    906      935      878
1988    428      435      422    476      498      455    904      933      877
1989    427      434      421    476      500      454    903      934      875
1990    424      429      419    476      499      455    900      928      874
1991    422      426      418    474      497      453    896      923      871
1992    423      428      419    476      499      456    899      927      875
1993    424      428      420    478      502      457    902      930      877
1994    423      425      421    479      501      460    902      926      881
1995    428      429      426    482      503      463    910      932      889
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Table reads: The average verbal SAT score for college-bound males in 1995 was 429, down from 454 in 1972.

NOTE: The term "college-bound seniors" refers to those students from each high school graduating class who participated in the College Board Admissions Testing Program, and does not include all first-year college students, or all high school seniors, as about one-third of high school graduates participate in the American College Testing (ACT) Program. ACT scores can be found in supplemental table 22-7. See the supplemental note to this indicator for information on interpreting SAT scores.

Table 22-1: SAT test-takers as a percentage of high school graduates, percentage of test-takers who are minorities, SAT mean scores, standard deviations, and percentage scoring 600 or higher: 1972-95

Table 22-2: Average SAT scores of college-bound seniors, by race/ethnicity: 1976-95

Table 22-3: Percentage of college-bound seniors taking the SAT who scored in various ranges on the verbal and mathematics sections of the SAT, by sex: 1995

Table 22-4: Percentage distribution of college-bound seniors and average verbal and mathematics SAT scores, by selected characteristics: 1988, 1991, and 1995

Table 22-5: Average verbal and mathematics SAT scores of college-bound seniors, by class rank expressed in quintiles: 1977-95

Table 22-6: Percentage of students intending to major in selected fields and their average verbal and mathematics SAT scores: 1995

Table 22-7: Percentage of graduating seniors taking the ACT and ACT composite scores, by race/ethnicity and type of program: 1991-95

Supplemental note for Indicator 22