[Sca-cooks] standard tests

[grizly at mindspring.com]

sca-cooks at ansteorra.org wrote:
<<< SNIP>>>
I scored about the same on my SAT's in both English and Math - in the
mid-700's on each, back in the 1960's - i hear the tests are easier
now.  <<<SNIP>>>

You'll probably find that this is a test with a standardized mean.  Whatever the mean (I believe that is right . . . been some years) score of the standardizing group will be stamped 800.  The rest of the scores will deviate from that mean in a genrally bell shaped curve.  One is compared to a relatively recent standardizing group, so it doesn't so much matter how "difficult" the test is so musch as how well the standardizing group performs on the test.  They use much bigger groups and better item analysis methodology now than 20 or more years ago as they have grown to understand their tests better, so the mean score is probably more representative of the general population than one high school in Northern Connecticut would be, and items used are more in line with the normal distribution.

None of that is to say it has become any more accurately predictive of success in further education.  Go figure.  About the same correlation over the decades.  you can get the actual statistical analysis and methodology from the American testing Service (I believe that is the name) on the SAT since it's inception.  Just find a testing center nearby, and ask how to request it.  Scary info.

pacem et bonum,

niccolo difrancesco