[老生常谈] 你真的了解 SAT 分数的意义吗？

The percentiles that various SAT scores for college-bound seniors correspond to are summarized in the following chart:^[17][18]

Percentile	Score, 1600 Scale (official, 2006)	Score, 2400 Scale (official, 2006)
99.93/99.98*	1600	2400
99+ **	≥1540	≥2280
99	≥1480	≥2200
98	≥1450	≥2140
97	≥1420	≥2100
93	≥1340	≥1990
88	≥1280	≥1900
81	≥1220	≥1800
72	≥1150	≥1700
61	≥1090	≥1600
48	≥1010	≥1500
36	≥950	≥1400
24	≥870	≥1300
15	≥810	≥1200
8	≥730	≥1090
4	≥650	≥990
2	≥590	≥890
* The percentile of the perfect score was 99.98 on the 2400 scale and 99.93 on the 1600 scale.
** 99+ means better than 99.5 percent of test takers.

The older SAT (before 1995) had a very high ceiling. In any given year, only seven of the million test-takers scored above 1580. A score above 1580 was equivalent to the 99.9995 percentile.^[19]

SAT-ACT score comparisons

Map of states according to high school graduates' (2006) preference of exam. States in orange had more students taking the SAT than the ACT.

Although there is no official conversion chart between the SAT and its biggest rival, the ACT, the College Board released an unofficial chart based on results from 103,525 test takers who took both tests between October 1994 and December 1996;^[20] however, both tests have changed since then. Several colleges have also issued their own charts. The following is based on the University of California's conversion chart.^[21]

SAT (Prior to Writing Test Addition)	SAT (With Writing Test Addition)	ACT Composite Score
1600	2400	36
1560–1590	2340–2390	35
1520–1550	2280–2330	34
1480–1510	2220–2270	33
1440–1470	2160–2210	32
1400–1430	2100–2150	31
1360–1390	2040–2090	30
1320–1350	1980–2030	29
1280–1310	1920–1970	28
1240–1270	1860–1910	27
1200–1230	1800–1850	26
1160–1190	1740–1790	25
1120–1150	1680–1730	24
1080–1110	1620–1670	23
1040–1070	1560–1610	22
1000–1030	1500–1550	21
960–990	1440–1490	20
920–950	1380–1430	19
880–910	1320–1370	18
840–870	1260–1310	17
800–830	1200–1250	16
760–790	1140–1190	15
720–750	1080–1130	14
680–710	1020–1070	13
640–670	960–1010	12
600–630	900–950	11

Correlations with IQ

Frey and Detterman (2003) analyzed the correlation of SAT scores with intelligence test scores.^[22] They found SAT scores to be highly correlated with general mental ability, or g (r=.82 in their sample, .86 when corrected for non-linearity). The correlation between SAT scores and scores on the Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices was .483 (.72 corrected for restricted range). They concluded that the SAT is primarily a test of g. Beaujean and colleagues (2006) have reached similar conclusions.^[23]