The Huge Opportunity to Score High on the March SAT
By Daryl CapuanoSAT ACT Test PrepThe SAT (and ACT) are scored on a curve. To quickly refresh those who may have forgotten the term: in school, if a teacher curved a test within an absolute equal distribution, she would award 20% As, 20% Bs, 20% Cs, 20% Ds, and 20% Fs. You may remember the more common curving – such as the Bell Curve where 5% might be given As, 25% Bs, 40% Cs, 25% Ds, and 5% Fs. The point is that the grades are comparison grades. I remember an economics class during college where the teacher gave such a crazy hard test that getting 71 points out of 100 was curved to an A.
The fact that the SAT is curved is either overlooked or misunderstood by many parents. More significantly, the curve stems specifically to the test date in question. So, the March SAT’s curve will be set according to those who take the March test. Many Connecticut parents are under the mistaken view that the first test will be a challenge because students won’t be prepared. This is true if their children don’t prepare!
Think about the opportunity you have for your children. Many schools through Southeastern, CT are offering tests in March. If your child prepares vigorously for the SAT, he/she will be able crush the curve. Specifically, many students will take the new SAT with almost no preparation in March. If your child is fully prepared, he/she will do incredibly by comparison.
CEO, The Learning Consultants and Connecticut’s top private education consultant
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