My son took the first digital SAT March 9. He did amazing on the reading and writing, but his math score was his lowest since his first College Board digital practice exam. He felt that the math was harder than any of College Board's practice exams. Anyone else have similar experiences?

He will work hard to improve, but the difference between practice exams and actual exam was notable, in his view (and in his score).

my understanding is the digital SAT had a higher average score compared to the old format by 100 points or so.

Need validation.

SAT Math is very nuanced and, in some ways, its own language. For someone like myself, I can diagnose any question within seconds because I have a trained eye to understand which concepts they are testing based on the characteristics and cues embedded into the question.

With the new Digital SAT math, there are some new techniques that students must learn to master to score well among the upper ranks, and it takes some practice, coaching, and intuitive thinking.

Overall, the practice tests were a bit easier, but ultimately, they covered all the foundational concepts to master this test. To do exceptionally well now, it is vital that students understand these concepts at a deep level and how to simultaneously use all the tools available to them.

My daughter took the March digital too and thought Math ramped up a lot in module 2. The adaptive jump felt harsher than Bluebook. What helped after: mixed sets that force switching strategies, getting quick with the built in graphing calc, and plugging answers on tougher algebra. We also drilled unit rates, percent, and function translations from word problems to speed up. For variety we use an online practice library and the phone app, sometimes I even toss in an eqao practice test to keep her pace sharp. The detailed answers and PDFs make reviewing weak spots simple.

My boys took the SAT this morning for the first time. They both felt it was harder than the practice tests they had taken. We'll get the scores in 2 weeks and see.

Our boys got their results back and they were pretty close to the last practice tests they took. They did feel the digital test was hard. They are taking the SAT again in November - we'll see how that one compares to the October test. Their SAT coach thinks the November test might be easier.

double b said:

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Buck Turgidson said:

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Our boys got their results back and they were pretty close to the last practice tests they took. They did feel the digital test was hard. They are taking the SAT again in November - we'll see how that one compares to the October test. Their SAT coach thinks the November test might be easier.

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I've never heard of a coach describing a test from one month being "easier" than another? How would they possibly have that type of information? As for a test being easier, you want the opposite of that due to the equating process used to score them. Hard tests means there is a thicker curve at the top, which is want you want on test day.

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Amen, Buck.

It has been possible (old school) to miss questions and still get a 800 on these tests. You WANT a hard test. Keep in mind that it is much easier to get a good - great score on the new tests as opposed to the ones that boomers took, even before the digital tests.

Recognizing what the question is testing is the way to max scores, and that is a big reason why a class (or study books) can make a big difference.

Good luck!

(I taught SAT/PSAT classes to school districts in the 80's. And GRE/GMAT/LSAT/MCAT/Millers Analogies... in the 90's at several universities as an independent.)

He said it was easier because this years crop of senior Ivy+ hopefuls will be sitting it out since all of their college applications would have been submitted by then. That means some of your toughest competition, against whom the test will be curved, will be gone. I have no idea if that is right, but my kids are taking the November test either way.

Buck Turgidson said:

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He said it was easier because this years crop of senior Ivy+ hopefuls will be sitting it out since all of their college applications would have been submitted by then. That means some of your toughest competition, against whom the test will be curved, will be gone. I have no idea if that is right, but my kids are taking the November test either way.

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It's possible that you may have a smaller number of them, but for all of the Ivies, it's either ED/REA or Regular Decision (Jan. 1 + deadlines). I'm still helping several last minute Ivy+ bound students for the November/December tests so they may further push up their super scores.

Well we got their scores back from the November test. They went up considerably from the October test. Hard to separate the effect of additional prep time from any variation in difficulty. However, both boys felt that the November test was a little easier.

I have heard the same thing about the March SAT from a different SAT coach. My kids will be retaking the test then to try for the last few points they need to reach their respective score goals. It will be interesting to see how they do then.

That's excellent that your students were rewarded for their hard work. It's not uncommon for students to underperform on their first real SAT. For many, they begin to second-guess all their efforts, which is why I always recommend that families have their student sit for these tests at least 2-3 times.

As for any month being easier, that is a big myth and totally not true. I know you may have spoken to another SAT coach, but I am part of a community of 100s of test prep professionals, and this is one thing we always get a nice chuckle about when we hear of it.

However, I think it is fantastic that you have targeted the March SAT as their next test. Typically, I like to condense test prep into the shortest window possible, which is why it is essential for families to consider their student's readiness, their calendars, and which months of the year are optimal for intensive preparation. It's not uncommon for me to recommend delaying test preparation for a student based on their individual needs, since test prep is such a huge commitment.

For that reason, you want them to gain confidence through steady progress and eventually achieve their goals. From there, they can move on to other productive activities to help bolster their college application resumes.

What we were told was not that November and/or March were easier but that a student could miss, for example, three questions these months and would score higher than if they missed three questions in, say, August.

Then that would mean the test is harder. However, the test is no longer attached to a linear scale now that the test is adaptive. That's how tests were scored in the past.

Scores are now dependent on the following:

- how many you miss
- the level of difficulty, harder questions result in fewer points deducted
- combination of concepts missed. If you miss the easy/medium questions of a concept but then answer the hard one correctly, it can be seen as a guess, and you're not rewarded points.

There is no science to which month is easier or harder. All you can do is prepare as best as possible for it.