Were the SATs harder a long time ago?

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
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<p>Always wondered this. Is it true that back when calculators were not widely available that the SATs were more difficult and getting a high score was far more difficult than it is now? I remember that the SATs where once used to measure admission into Mensa (anything about a 1400 meant you were in). They are no longer used for admission to Mensa, because SAT scores can be improved upon (I got a 1440 first sitting which then went up after studying) and actual IQ is not supposed to. </p>

<p>Also when did they change it so that it is no longer possible to get scores with multiples of 5. eg. Al Gore got a 1355, 730 math 625 verbal?</p>

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<p>I think that test prep was not a major industry, and that while people certainly scored well, there was less emphasis on standardized tests several decades ago.</p>

<p>A while ago,

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<p>Most of the recentering focused on the verbal scores. My verbal was 670 back then (1978-79), and based on recentering, it would now be 740 (yeah analogies!). My math didn’t change at all (630). My high school didn’t offer any math beyond pre-calc, and then only for seniors. I was good at math, but just didn’t get eoungh of it. I had a perfect score on the Test of Standard Written English, and with the essay component now, I would probably come close to maxing that out.</p>

<p>I have an ancient SAT prep book (Barron’s, I believe – I’d have to dig it out of the basement). It was utterly brutal. My strength was verbal and that book would make me cry.</p>

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<p>The test changed in 1995. Previously, the test wasn’t curved and only a few people (maybe 4) got perfect scores each year. So the test was a bit harder. After the recentering, the average score on the SAT rose and there are now hundreds of perfect scorers each year since the test is curved. </p>

<p>As for Mensa, the cutoff for Mensa prior to recentering was a 1250/1600. This unrecentered score equates to a 130 IQ, the cutoff for Mensa. If you are curious about what your IQ would be accoring to the SAT, here are a couple of links:</p>

<p>Unrecentered SAT to IQ:</p>

<p><a href=“Shaw Communications”>Shaw Communications;

<p>Recentered SAT (SAT I) to IQ:</p>

<p><a href=“Shaw Communications”>Shaw Communications;

<p>For both of these charts, the 15 SD IQ is the one to look at. If you took the new 2400 SAT like me, just take your M + CR score and look for it on the chart.</p>