College Board Information on SAT tests

1. from http://www.conterra.com/ehp/scein/scores/satnatl.htm

Members of the Press: If you have questions about these materials or require additional information, please contact the College Board's Office of Public Affairs.

August 22, 1996

College Board Reports Continuing Upward Trend in Average Scores on SAT I

Academic Preparation for College on the Rise

NEW YORK, N.Y.-- The average mathematics score on the SAT I: Reasoning Test (SAT I) reached its highest level in nearly 25 years among this year's class of graduating seniors, Donald M. Stewart, president of the College Board, announced today. Students who take the SAT I represent more than 90 percent of new students who will enter four-year colleges this fall.

Mr. Stewart said the average math score rose 2 points to 508 on the test, while the average verbal score rose 1 point to 505. Compared to last year, the average verbal score of women rose 1 point, to 503, and their math score rose 2 points to 492. For men, the average scores were 507 and 527 on verbal and math, respectively, up 2 points each.

SAT Averages by State for 1987 and 1993-1996

	1987		1993		1994		1995		1996		% Graduates Taking SAT*
States	V	M	V	M	V	M	V	M	V	M
Alabama	553	535	554	545	556	547	565	555	565	558	8%
Alaska	521	504	514	502	510	502	521	513	521	513	47%
Arizona	539	526	520	520	519	519	524	520	525	521	28%
Arkansas	556	540	553	539	552	537	556	542	566	550	6%
California	500	507	491	508	489	506	492	509	495	511	45%
Colorado	542	535	530	530	532	534	538	538	536	538	30%
Connecticut	515	499	506	498	502	497	507	502	507	504	79%
Delaware	517	496	506	491	505	491	505	494	508	495	66%
D.C.	482	462	479	466	479	468	485	471	489	473	50%
Florida	501	497	493	492	490	492	497	496	498	496	48%
Georgia	478	470	475	474	474	474	483	477	484	477	63%
Hawaii	481	502	477	502	477	504	483	507	485	510	54%
Idaho	548	524	541	528	537	529	544	532	543	536	15%
Illinois	539	540	550	558	553	562	563	574	564	575	14%
Indiana	492	487	487	487	488	493	492	494	494	494	57%
Iowa	588	586	593	595	580	586	589	595	590	600	5%
Kansas	572	562	568	564	568	565	576	571	579	571	9%
Kentucky	554	538	551	542	549	543	552	542	549	544	12%
Louisiana	548	530	556	546	556	549	560	552	559	550	9%
Maine	510	493	499	490	497	490	504	497	504	498	68%
Maryland	513	502	507	503	505	503	506	503	507	504	64%
Massachusetts	511	500	503	500	502	500	505	502	507	504	80%
Michigan	534	533	544	546	547	554	559	565	557	565	11%
Minnesota	548	549	564	570	569	576	580	591	582	593	9%
Mississippi	561	540	555	540	559	546	572	557	569	557	4%
Missouri	549	538	556	550	560	554	569	566	570	569	9%
Montana	555	548	535	537	540	542	549	553	546	547	21%
Nebraska	563	562	554	560	557	559	568	570	567	568	9%
Nevada	516	508	509	512	506	508	511	508	508	507	31%
New Hampshire	527	512	518	511	515	510	520	515	520	514	70%
New Jersey	502	493	494	498	494	500	496	503	498	505	69%
New Mexico	559	544	553	544	550	546	559	549	554	548	12%
New York	501	495	492	496	492	497	495	498	497	499	73%
North Carolina	477	468	483	481	482	482	488	482	490	486	59%
North Dakota	583	573	590	594	570	573	587	602	596	599	5%
Ohio	532	521	530	527	533	531	536	535	536	535	24%
Oklahoma	560	539	557	548	557	554	565	553	566	557	8%
Oregon	521	509	518	515	513	515	525	522	523	521	50%
Pennsylvania	505	491	495	487	494	489	496	489	498	492	71%
Rhode Island	509	492	496	490	496	488	502	490	501	491	69%
South Carolina	474	466	473	472	473	473	478	473	480	474	57%
South Dakota	587	577	576	572	558	563	579	576	574	566	5%
Tennessee	563	543	561	549	562	553	571	560	563	552	14%
Texas	493	486	490	498	489	500	495	501	495	500	48%
Utah	577	557	573	565	582	573	585	576	583	575	4%
Vermont	518	500	503	493	504	498	506	499	506	500	70%
Virginia	511	499	502	495	501	495	504	494	507	496	68%
Washington	532	519	511	510	511	512	519	517	519	519	47%
West Virginia	534	519	516	510	516	507	525	509	526	506	17%
Wisconsin	550	551	560	566	562	572	574	585	577	586	8%
Wyoming	557	551	539	528	535	541	551	544	544	544	11%
National	507	501	500	503	499	504	504	506	505	508	41%

Source: College Board 1996.

Average SAT Scores for Ethnic Groups, 1987 and 1996

	Verbal			Math
	1987	1996	Diff	1987	1996	Diff
American Indian	471	483	+12	463	477	+14
Asian American	479	496	+17	541	558	+17
Black	428	434	+ 6	411	422	+11
Mexican American	457	455	- 2	455	459	+ 4
Puerto Rican	436	452	+16	432	445	+13
Other Hispanic	464	465	+ 1	462	466	+ 4
White	524	526	+ 2	514	523	+ 9
Other	480	511	+31	482	512	+30
All Students	507	505	- 2	501	508	+ 7

Source: College Board 1996.

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2. from http://www.conterra.com/ehp/scein/scores/satstate98.htm

SAT Scores by State

1987 through 1998, sorted by 1998 rank

SAT Scores by State from 1987 through 1998.													Recentered				Recentered					Recentered
*	1987	1987	1987	1993	1993	1993	1994	1994	1994	1995	1995	1995	1996	1996	1996	% Graduates	1997	1997	1997	%Grads	1997	1998	1998	1998	1998
STATES	Verbal	Math	Composite	Verbal	Math	Composite	Verbal	Math	Composite	Verbal	Math	Composite	Verbal	Math	Composite	Taking SAT	Verbal	Math	Composite	Taking SAT	Rank	Verbal	Math	Composite	Rank
Iowa	588	586	1174	593	595	1188	580	586	1166	589	595	1184	590	600	1190	5%	589	601	1190	5%	1	593	601	1194	1
North Dakota	583	573	1156	590	594	1184	570	573	1143	587	602	1189	596	599	1195	5%	588	595	1183	5%	2	590	599	1189	2
Minnesota	548	549	1097	564	570	1134	569	576	1145	580	591	1171	582	593	1175	9%	582	592	1174	9%	3	585	598	1183	3
Wisconsin	550	551	1101	560	566	1126	562	572	1134	574	585	1159	577	586	1163	8%	579	590	1169	7%	4	581	594	1175	4
Kansas	572	562	1134	568	564	1132	568	565	1133	576	571	1147	579	571	1150	9%	578	575	1153	9%	5	582	585	1167	5
South Dakota	587	577	1164	576	572	1148	558	563	1121	579	576	1155	574	566	1140	5%	574	570	1144	4%	7	584	581	1165	6
Illinois	539	540	1079	550	558	1108	553	562	1115	563	574	1137	564	575	1139	14%	562	578	1140	14%	8	564	581	1145	7
Missouri	549	538	1087	556	550	1106	560	554	1114	569	566	1135	570	569	1139	9%	567	568	1135	9%	9	570	573	1143	8
Utah	577	557	1134	573	565	1138	582	573	1155	585	576	1161	583	575	1158	4%	576	570	1146	4%	6	572	570	1142	9
Nebraska	563	562	1125	554	560	1114	557	559	1116	568	570	1138	567	568	1135	9%	562	564	1126	9%	11	565	571	1136	10
Oklahoma	560	539	1099	557	548	1105	557	554	1111	565	553	1118	566	557	1123	8%	568	560	1128	8%	10	568	564	1132	11
Michigan	534	533	1067	544	546	1090	547	554	1101	559	565	1124	557	565	1122	11%	557	566	1123	11%	13	558	569	1127	12
Arkansas	556	540	1096	553	539	1092	552	537	1089	556	542	1098	566	550	1116	6%	567	558	1125	6%	12	568	555	1123	13
Tennessee	563	543	1106	561	549	1110	562	553	1115	571	560	1131	563	552	1115	14%	564	556	1120	13%	14	564	557	1121	14
Alabama	553	535	1088	554	545	1099	556	547	1103	565	555	1120	565	558	1123	8%	561	555	1116	8%	16	562	558	1120	15
Louisiana	548	530	1078	556	546	1102	556	549	1105	560	552	1112	559	550	1109	9%	560	553	1113	10%	17	562	558	1120	16
Mississippi	561	540	1101	555	540	1095	559	546	1105	572	557	1129	569	557	1126	4%	567	551	1118	4%	15	562	549	1111	17
New Mexico	559	544	1103	553	544	1097	550	546	1096	559	549	1108	554	548	1102	12%	554	545	1099	12%	18	554	551	1105	18
Kentucky	554	538	1092	551	542	1093	549	543	1092	552	542	1094	549	544	1093	12%	548	546	1094	12%	19	547	550	1097	19
Wyoming	557	551	1108	539	528	1067	535	541	1076	551	544	1095	544	544	1088	11%	543	543	1086	12%	21	548	546	1094	20
Montana	555	548	1103	535	537	1072	540	542	1082	549	553	1102	546	547	1093	21%	545	548	1093	22%	20	543	546	1089	21
Idaho