Chariot Learning
  • About
    • FAQ
    • Our Curriculum
    • Areas Chariot Learning Serves
  • Services
    • SAT & ACT Prep
    • SAT/ACT TestFlip
    • Academic Coaching
    • Subject Tutoring
    • Strategic Reading Club
    • Proctored Practice Tests
    • GRE Prep
    • College Essay Coaching
    • Roots2Words
  • Calendar
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Contact
July 17, 2018 by Mike Bergin

What Happened on the June 2018 SAT??

Respected standardized tests are built upon three core pillars, one of which is reliability. We expect stability or consistency of measurement over time, so that similar raw scores will produce similar scaled scores any place or time a test is administered. Test-retest reliability has always been a bedrock attribute of the SAT. Colleges trust in a high level of exam consistency over different administrations so that scores from one test date can be easily and fairly compared to scores from other dates.

What, then, will colleges do with the scores from the June 2018 SAT?

In case you haven’t heard, the June SAT was easier than most other tests. A certain level of variation in difficulty from section to section and test to test occurs all the time on both the SAT and ACT, but seldom to this extent. The June test was so much easier across all sections that the exam was graded on a steep curve.

How steep was it? One of our students got 43 questions right on the Reading section, 32 right on Writing and Language, and 49 right on Math. On an average SAT, say the first official practice test on the College Board website, that student would have earned 650 Evidence-based Reading and Writing and 690 Math. However, the June 2018 report returned just 590 EBRW and 620 M. A 130-point swing is not normal.

The score volatility was especially pronounced at the upper end of the scale. For example, one of our students got 4 math questions wrong on the August 2017 SAT and earned a 770 M. On the June test, he only answered 1 math question wrong and still got a 770. No wonder students across the country are clamoring to #rescoreJuneSAT.

According to the College Board, everything went as planned: “On occasion there are some tests that can be easier or more difficult than usual. That is why we use a statistical process called equating. The equating process ensures fairness for all students.” However, the very fact that College Board has to answer difficult questions about this particular administration indicates that their current system is failing. In fact, the College Board seems to have forgotten how true equating works.

Every SAT and ACT incorporates different levels of difficulty across test sections, but determination of question difficulty is currently flawed. In the past, every official SAT included an equating or experimental section. This section could test any of the standard content areas but was unscored. The equating section worked because each section was the same length as the scored sections, ensuring that students did not know which was unscored. Consequently, the College Board received sufficient high-quality data to rank viable questions on five levels of difficulty and weed out the clunkers. Effective equating produced very reliable tests.

ACT, for some odd reason, traditionally eschews such stringent equating, which explains the disappointing score volatility ACT test takers have grown accustomed to. In adopting so many ACT features for the latest iteration of the SAT, the College Board has chosen a similar path. The precipitous scoring shift on the June 2018 SAT may have raised alarms, but neither test maker–despite their protests to the contrary–incorporates sufficient equating measures to avoid such calamities on future administrations. The #rescoreJuneSAT campaign is not likely to result in a recalibration of scaled scores, but students, parents, and especially colleges should put pressure on both the College Board and ACT to introduce real equating measures for stronger test-retest reliability. Until that occurs, we should expect more scoring debacles like the one in June.

difficulty SAT scoring

Previous articleLooking BackNext article 2018 PSAT Dates
Mike Bergin
Tens of thousands of students a year prep for the SAT & ACT through programs Mike Bergin created or organized. After more than 25 years of intensive experience in the education industry, he's done it all as a teacher, tutor, director, curriculum developer, blogger, podcaster, and best-selling author. Mike founded Chariot Learning in 2009 to deliver on the promise of what truly transformative individualized education can and should be.

1 comment

Pingback: The Chariot Report #43 - The Back to Business Issue ? | The Association for Test Prep, Admissions, and Private Tutoring Professionals

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Helping high schoolers with tests, school, and life is what Chariot Learning is all about. Let us know how we can help you!

Latest Posts

  • What Does ‘Smart’ Mean in the 21st Century
  • How to Read Percentiles
  • Do SAT & ACT Subscores Matter?
  • Evaluating College ROI
  • What to Read This Summer

What is TestFlip?

Learn about the ultimate in self-directed supplemental SAT/ACT prep, powered by Chariot Learning:

  • Be patient when becoming someone you haven
    by chariotlearning 1 week ago
    Be patient when becoming someone you haven't been before.
  • Decide. Commit. Succeed.
    by chariotlearning 11 hours ago
    Decide. Commit. Succeed.
  • Set goals that are *almost* out of reach.
    by chariotlearning 2 weeks ago
    Set goals that are *almost* out of reach.
  • Being intelligent is not a felony but may get you in trouble anyway ;)
    by chariotlearning 2 weeks ago
    Being intelligent is not a felony but may get you in trouble anyway ;)
  • You have no idea what you can "survive" until you have no choice!
    by chariotlearning 2 weeks ago
    You have no idea what you can "survive" until you have no choice!
  • When someone says you can
    by chariotlearning 3 weeks ago
    When someone says you can't do it, do it twice and take pictures!
  • Do not waste time thinking about what you could have done differently. Keep your eyes on the road ahead and
    by chariotlearning 6 days ago
    Do not waste time thinking about what you could have done differently. Keep your eyes on the road ahead and
  • Get up and try again.
    by chariotlearning 4 days ago
    Get up and try again.

Subscribe to Mike’s Podcast

Subscribe to Tests and the Rest

PARENT GROUP AND NEWSLETTER

Are you an Upstate New York parent with questions about college admissions, testing, and scholarships? The Upstate NY College Conversations Facebook group is for you. Join today!

And also sign up for College Road, our free email newsletter delivering expert educational advice, test news, admissions action steps, special offers, and more.

Upcoming Events

  1. SAT/ACT Extended Class – Summer Mornings 2022

    July 6 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
  2. SAT/ACT Online Flipped Class – July 2022

    July 6 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  3. Practice SAT – Brighton (7/8/22)

    July 8 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
  4. Practice ACT – Pittsford Library (7/12/22)

    July 12 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
  5. SAT/ACT Extended Class – Summer Evenings 2022

    July 12 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

View All Events

Testimonials

Working with Chariot Learning was the best preparation choice we could have made. Robert's test scores increased by nearly 50 percentile points. Plus he learned reading and writing skills that he was able to apply immediately in school. Thanks so much!

Bob & Sarah, Brighton parents

Read more testimonials...
© 2022 Chariot Learning, LLC. All rights reserved.