Is the SAT Score Curve a Fact?

I've been hearing rumors about the SAT being curved. Is that true? And if so, does the curve change every time or is it set based on a certain metric? I'm just trying to understand my scores better. Thanks in advance for your help!

Yes, the SAT does indeed have a curve but it's not quite the same as the curve you might experience in a school course. When it comes to standardized tests like the SAT, the curve, or more accurately referred to as "equating", is used to ensure fairness across different test administrations. It's designed to account for slight variations in difficulty from one test to the next.

The College Board uses a process called equating to make sure that a score for a test taken on one date is equivalent to a score from another date. So, a particular raw score on one edition of a test will not necessarily be equivalent to the same raw score on another edition of the test. That's why two students who answer different numbers of questions correctly can receive the same score.

With that said, it's crucial to understand that there's no universally fixed curve for all SAT tests. The curve changes for each test depending on its perceived difficulty. But these changes are generally not drastic, and focusing on the curve itself would be less productive than focusing on your preparation for the test.

The key takeaway here is that your SAT score is designed to reflect your abilities no matter which test date you choose, not who you're competing against. It's best to concentrate on studying the material and mastering the types of questions you'll be asked, rather than trying to work with or against the curve. A strong understanding of the content is your absolute best bet for performing well on the SAT.