Perfect800: SAT Math

Stats from the 2009 SAT’s

From the Collegeboard report on 2009 SAT’s, with more than 1.5 million students taking the test:

• Average scores on the three sections of the SAT were 501 in critical reading, 493 in writing, and 515 in mathematics.
• Girls outperformed boys by 13 points on the writing section, but 35 points lower than boys in math and 5 points lower in critical reading
• Students from families with an annual income above $200,000 scored, on average, 68 points higher in critical reading than students from families earning less than $20,000 per year.
• Students whose parents did not graduate from high school averaged 420 in critical reading, 139 points lower than students whose parents had a graduate degree, who averaged 559.

What does SAT optional mean?

NY Times makes some interesting points to some of the larger implications of having SAT scores be optional, especially for college applicants vacillating on whether to take the SAT or not. However, we still recommend taking the test, because even if a school does not require your SAT score, many of these test optional schools use the test scores for Merit based scholarships, potentially saving a lot of money down the road.