<p>Does the SAT and/or the ACT curve test scores?</p>
<p>I believe the SAT is pre-determined with old experimental sections.</p>
<p>ACT yes yes yes</p>
<p>Good to know. Thanks.</p>
<p>Each section on the SAT is curved so that the mean is roughly 500 and standard deviation 100.</p>
<p>^That’s not correct. Scores are not scaled to achieve a target mean or standard deviation.</p>
<p>So how are they scaled?</p>
<p>^In short, a scaling is chosen for an initial reference group of test takers. For the current SAT, the reference group is roughly 1,000,000 seniors in the class of 1990, and their raw scores were scaled to a normal distribution with a mean of 500 and a standard deviation of 110. SAT tests since 1995 have been equated to this scale. (An intro to equating on the SAT can be found [here](<a href=“http://research.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/publications/2012/7/researchnote-2001-14-ensuring-comparable-scores-sat.pdf]here[/url]”>http://research.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/publications/2012/7/researchnote-2001-14-ensuring-comparable-scores-sat.pdf)</a>.) Since then, the mean scores have drifted.</p>
<p>The original reference groups for the SATs were from 1941 (verbal) and 1942 (math). The average scores had drifted down so much (especially in verbal) that the recentering was done in 1995.</p>
<p>Interesting. Perhaps the recentering was a byproduct of the Flynn Effect.</p>
<p>Technicalities</p>