Which sat has the best curve?

As a high school junior or senior, you should create your test-taking schedule as soon as possible to ensure nothing falls through the cracks. Below is our ideal testing timeline for students in the junior and senior years:

Junior Year

Summer

Study for and take the PSAT. This is particularly crucial for students aiming to earn National Merit semifinalist status, granted to top 1% scorers in each state. Semifinalists can go on to compete for finalist status and earn scholarships of $2,500. As a bonus, preparing for the PSAT helps prepare you to take the SAT later that year.

Fall

Take the SAT for the first time, so you have a second chance to take it again in the spring if desired.

Spring

Take the SAT a second time. Winter break is a great opportunity to study for the test. Along with familiarizing yourself with the exam format, strive to take practice tests online. You can also opt to take an SAT prep class to learn tips for taking the test more successfully. Depending on your schedule of courses and extracurriculars, you may decide to take the SAT in March, April, May, or June. If you’re still not happy with your score, you can even take it again on one of the four spring test dates.

Senior Year

Fall

It can be difficult to take the SAT as a senior because of the number of tasks already on your plate. However, if you aren’t happy with your scores, you may opt to take the test again during the fall semester. If you plan to apply Early Action or Early Decision, be sure to take your test by October, if not even earlier.

Between coursework and extracurricular commitments, today’s high schoolers are busier than ever. Still, that doesn’t mean you can afford to let SAT prep take a backseat to your other responsibilities. If you want to succeed on this crucial exam, aim to spend a minimum of 40 hours studying before the big day. However, it’s worth noting that students who prep for 80 to 120 hours tend to earn higher scores.

Along with reviewing typical SAT material, students should aim to take a minimum of two full-length practice tests. Be sure you use a timer to simulate the testing environment. When scoring your test, mark the answers you missed and go back and review them after the fact. Check out these tips on how to find time to study for the SAT every day.

While students may be tempted to practice for the SAT with friends, the truth is that this can lead to distractions. If you do want to study with others, think about enrolling in an SAT prep course. Some schools have free after-school SAT programs. Additionally, students can opt to enroll in a private prep course, though these may come with high price tags.

Many high school tests are curved, but what about the SAT? Is the SAT curved? Can when or whom you take the exam with affect your final SAT score?

In this article, we'll answer all of your questions about the SAT curve. First, we'll closely examine whether there actually is an SAT curve and discuss how the SAT is scored. We'll then look at potential SAT curve trends and give you tips on how you can use typical SAT scores to your advantage.

Contrary to what you may believe, there is no SAT curve. This means your SAT score will never be affected by how other test takers perform on the test. So even if everyone you took the SAT with were to perform poorly on it, the College Board would not raise everyone's SAT scores to account for the surplus of low test scores.

In other words, you will never receive an SAT score higher than what you actually earned on the test, regardless of whom you took the test with.

But if the SAT isn't curved relative to other test takers, how does its scoring system work? Is an 800 in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) on one SAT from the same as a perfect EBRW score on another? Or is it more difficult to score highly on certain test dates?

First of all, it’s important to understand that every year there are multiple forms of the SAT exam. Which form you receive when you take the test is random. To account for slight differences in difficulty among SAT forms, the College Board uses a system known as equating. This process ensures that SAT scores are consistent across tests and will always indicate the same level of ability no matter when you take the SAT. So a 650 Math score on one SAT will always correspond to a 650 Math score on another SAT—even if one test contains easier Math questions.

In the College Board's words:

"This process ensures that no student receives an advantage or disadvantage from taking a particular form of the test on a particular day ;* a score of 400 on one test form is equivalent to a score of 400 on another test form."

*Emphasis mine.

Through this equating process, or the "SAT curves," the College Board can account for slight variations in difficulty among SATs to give test takers on different test dates the same opportunity to achieve their goal scores.

As a result, there is no single best time to take the SAT. Regardless of how easy or difficult a test may be, all SATs are equated so that getting a certain scaled score will always require the same amount of effort and level of ability.

So how is the SAT scored? And how is it equated? Read on to find out.

Before we get into the SAT equating process, let's do a quick recap of the scoring system. Both the EBRW and Math scores use scales of 200-800 and combine to give you a composite score range of 400-1600. But you likely know there aren't 1,600 total questions on the SAT. So then how are these scaled scores calculated?

On the SAT, you earn one point for every question you answer correctly. (You do not lose any points for incorrect or blank answers.)

All of your correct answers combine to give you a raw score for each section. If you were to correctly answer 45 out of 58 Math questions, your raw Math score would equal 45. This raw score is subsequently converted into a Math section score (i.e., your final scaled score).

But the process is a little more complicated for the Reading and Writing sections. Like the Math section, your Reading and Writing performances are assigned raw scores based on the number of questions you answered correctly. These raw scores are then converted into test scores on a scale of 10-40. Finally, the test scores are added together and multiplied by 10 to give you an EBRW score (on a scale of 200-800—the same as it is for Math).

But here's the caveat: raw scores on one SAT form will not necessarily convert into the same scaled scores on another. Why is there this discrepancy?

Each SAT varies slightly in content and difficulty, and so to account for these variations, the College Board translates raw scores into scaled scores using individual equating formulas for each test. This essentially means you'll never be able to know before you take the SAT how a raw score will convert into a scaled score.

That said, by looking at a score conversion table from an official SAT practice test, we can get a rough idea as to how the equating process works for each SAT. These conversion tables—which differ slightly with each test due to differences in equating formulas—show us how raw scores convert into scaled scores for different sections of the test.

The two tables below are based on the score conversion tables for Practice Test #6 and Practice Test #7 (both of which are copies of real SATs!).

Source: Scoring Your SAT Practice Test #6

Overwhelmed by all of the numbers? Time for kitty therapy.

Source: Scoring Your SAT Practice Test #7

Just by glancing at these charts, you can probably tell there are several minor differences in how the raw scores for Math, Reading, and Writing convert into scaled or test scores.

For Math, a raw score of 40 would net you 620 on Test #6 but only 600 on Test #7! This hints that the Math section on Test #7 is a little easier than that on Test #6. How can we tell? On Test #7, you must answer more questions correctly (and obtain a higher raw score of 42) to get a scaled score of 620.

The trends are similar for Reading. You could get a perfect 40 on Reading on Test #6, even if you were to miss a question (and earn a raw score of 51). On Test #7, however, missing just one question reduces your Reading test score to 39. Once again, we can see a minute difference in difficulty: the Reading section on Test #6 is slightly more difficult than that on Test #7, and has thus been equated so that even if you were to miss a question you will still get a perfect score.

You'll find similar differences among the Writing scores, too. A raw score of 42 will nab you a near-perfect test score of 39 on Test #6 but a noticeably lower 37 on Test #7.

Ultimately, through these tables, we can confirm that raw SAT scores do not consistently convert into the same scaled scores for each test. So while you can't know for sure how many questions you'll need to answer correctly on the SAT in order to get the scaled scores you want, you can use the tables above to give yourself an idea as to how your raw scores may translate into scaled scores on test day.

Because the current SAT hasn't been around for that many years, and the data the College Board puts out is limited, we can't determine yet how much the SAT curves have changed with each testing year. That being said, we can look at some of the official score range tables for previous testing years (for the old, pre-2016 SAT) to get a feel for how the current SAT might experience similar trends.

Score range tables show us how raw scores convert into scaled scores for entire testing years. For this analysis, we'll be looking at a 10-year difference using the 2005-06 and 2015-16 raw score to scaled score range tables for the old SAT.

Source: SAT Raw Score to Scaled Score Ranges 2005-06

Source: SAT Raw Score to Scaled Score Range 2015-16

Let's start with the SAT Math curve. According to the data above, a raw Math score of 50 gave test takers as high as 750 in the 2005-06 testing year but only as high as 730 in the 2015-16 testing year. Similarly, if you look at the highest possible scaled score for each Math range, you'll find that the 2005-06 maximums are consistently (albeit only marginally) higher than those on the 2015-16 table. What this pattern tells us is that, on average, the Math sections on the 2005-06 SATs were slightly harder than those on the 2015-16 SATs. This is evidenced by the fact you typically needed to score more raw points in 2015-16 to get the same scaled Math scores in 2005-06.

But what about the other sections? On Writing, you used to be able to earn up to 49 raw points. In 2005-06, you could score as high as 770 with a raw score of 45 but only as high as 720 with the same raw score in 2015-16. And with the SAT Critical Reading curve, the 2005-06 and 2015-16 ranges are mostly the same, give or take 10 points.

Based on all of this information, then, what can we conclude about the SAT curve? The tables indicate that the number of questions you must answer correctly to get certain scaled scores has stayed roughly the same over the years. Generally speaking, the variations among scaled scores on each section are minimal—usually only 10- or 20-point differences at most. Therefore, these patterns—along with the fact that SAT percentiles hardly change each year—imply that the difficulty of the SAT has stayed relatively consistent over time.

By now you may be wondering how the SAT curve can help you, personally. Below, we give you the do's and don'ts of what to do with this knowledge about the SAT equating system, so that you can give yourself a better shot at getting the SAT scores you need for college.

Now, sit back and grab your popcorn—it's time for the recap!

So is the SAT curved? In short, no, the SAT isn't curved. However, the College Board does use an equating system, which ensures scaled SAT scores always correlate to the same levels of ability, no matter when you take the test.

Although there's no way of knowing for sure just how your raw scores will convert into scaled scores, you can use raw score to scaled score range tables from official SAT practice tests to help you approximate the number of questions you'll need to answer correctly on test day, so you can get the scaled scores you want. Unfortunately, these tables aren't a hundred percent reliable, as each test uses a different equating formula (that only the College Board knows).

Lastly, don't try to use the SAT curve to cheat the SAT. As long as you study hard and use high-quality resources, you'll be on your way to a high SAT score (and hopefully the college of your dreams) in no time!

You understand how the SAT curve works—but what about the scoring system? Read our in-depth guide to how the SAT is scored to learn more about the equating process and how subscores and cross-test scores come into play.

Want to learn more about SAT scores? Find your goal score with our step-by-step guide and learn about the current averages. Once you're finished with those, check out my article on SAT scores for colleges to see what kinds of scores you'll need for popular schools!

If you enjoyed this article, you'll love my analysis of the ACT curve!

In the past, on occasions when the curve has seemed especially punishing or unfair, it’s led to internet outrage and petitions. Look no further than the international test from May 2019, when just a single missed question in each of the Reading and Writing sections translated to a 60-point drop in students’ Verbal scores. We’ll return to this example later.

First, to understand what’s happening, let’s look at how the point value of just 5 questions can vary from one test to the next. (Note: since 2020, the College Board has not consistently released the full scales for its tests, so our most complete, representative picture comes from 2016–2019.) By looking at the average of the data, plus examples of particularly punishing and particularly lenient curves, we see a roughly 30-point variation in Reading scores between tests, with the average point value slightly closer to the lower value:

There’s a similar, 40-point variation in Writing, though the average is slightly closer to the higher value:

In Math, the range is much wider, with a 70-point difference between correctly answering 53 out of 58 questions on one test date versus another.

So we can clearly see the curve. But what is it? Why does it exist?

Although the test’s design is patterned and predictable, the College Board does not reuse the same exact questions and passages every time, so test difficulty will naturally vary. To counteract this, and make certain that the scores from one test date are comparable to those from the next, the College Board shifts the scoring scale every time. So, on a particularly hard Math section like the one from January 2017, students might be tested on a few more esoteric concepts than is usual, but to offset that they can miss 2 questions and still score a “perfect” 800. On a test with questions that skew easier (for instance, March 2019 or October 2016), that same raw score would translate to a 770 or even lower.It may not feel like it to test takers, but this shifting scale is intended to make testing fairer.

Ask any superstitious high school junior, and they’ll tell you in a conspiratorial whisper that October is the hard test, since a large number of test takers are seniors on their third or fourth test attempts; or it’s March that’s super hard, because more students are taking it; or maybe that means March is easier, since more test takers means the average result gets balanced out? Is there a pattern? The short answer: no. There is no way for anyone, apart from the College Board, to predict the curve. That’s because the curve is actually set by the College Board’s predictions of student performance—it is not curved to how well students actually do on test day. To make these predictions and set the test’s scale, the College Board pre-tests new questions internally, and it includes them on the SAT’s experimental section—the unscored 5th section that most students complete after the Math Calculator section.

But if this is all so rigorously pre-tested and thoughtfully designed, why, to a test-taker, does it still seem so cruel and random? Which is another way of asking, why does the worth of a single question vary to such an extreme?

In May 2019, when international students were hit by that particularly crushing curve, they searched for explanations. Some developed the unsettling hypothesis that the SAT discriminated against non-U.S. students. Considering that international students could only take the test four times a year, this hypothesis felt like the College Board rubbing salt into a wound. Add to the mix all of the other rumors, and it’s understandable that the international college admissions community was angry.At ArborBridge, our hypothesis is that in this case, and in similar situations before and since, domestic and international, there was no grand conspiracy. Instead, this is explainable by Hanlon’s Razor—“never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by .” We think the experimental section is to blame.The SAT’s experimental section is an ungraded test section used to try out future questions and set testing curves in advance. Before the exam changed in 2016, every student used to take an experimental section at some point in their test. The hitch was that students never knew which section it was, so they tried just as hard on the experimental as they did on the rest of the test.

When the College Board rewrote the SAT in 2016, it separated the experimental section from the rest of the SAT and made it an add-on. They gave the experimental only to students who didn’t take the Essay section, and they clearly labeled for students which part of the test was experimental. Suddenly, fewer students took an experimental section, and students who got the section didn’t try as hard on it because they were certain it wouldn’t affect their scores.

In the past few years, the College Board has expanded the experimental section to additional test dates and more students, but many of these same underlying problems with methodology still exist. Essentially, the experimental section now garners worse data and is less predictive of student score ranges. Harsh and anomalous curves are the result of bad experimental data.

If you scored much lower than expected on the SAT, you may (understandably) be feeling discouraged. Here’s what you can do:

The recommendations above are general suggestions. If you have specific questions, reach out to our experts here. We’re happy to help in any way we can.

There is no"best curve". Scores are based on your percentile ranking among students who take it at the same time. If the test is easier or harder than usual, your percentie ranking will be the same.