Skip Navigation
Digest of Education Statistics
1998 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest

Table 132. -  Scholastic Assessment Test\1\ score averages for college-bound high school seniors, by sex: 1966-67 to 1997-98
________________________________________________________________________________________
          |   Scholastic Assessment Test I      |Scholastic Aptitude Test (old scale)
          |       (recentered scale)\2\         |
          |_____________________________________|_______________________________________
  School  |   Verbal score   |Mathematical score|    Verbal score    |Mathematical score
   year   |__________________|__________________|____________________|__________________
          |Total|Male |Female|Total|Male |Female|Total | Male |Female|Total|Male |Female
__________|_____|_____|______|_____|_____|______|______|______|______|_____|_____|______
    1     |  2  |  3  |  4   |  5  |  6  |  7   |  8   |  9   |  10  | 11  | 12  |  13
__________|_____|_____|______|_____|_____|______|______|______|______|_____|_____|______
1966-67 ..| --- | --- |  --- | --- | --- |  --- |  466 |  463 |  468 | 492 | 514 |  467
1967-68 ..| --- | --- |  --- | --- | --- |  --- |  466 |  464 |  466 | 492 | 512 |  470
1968-69 ..| --- | --- |  --- | --- | --- |  --- |  463 |  459 |  466 | 493 | 513 |  470
1969-70 ..| --- | --- |  --- | --- | --- |  --- |  460 |  459 |  461 | 488 | 509 |  465
1970-71 ..| --- | --- |  --- | --- | --- |  --- |  455 |  454 |  457 | 488 | 507 |  466
          |     |     |      |     |     |      |      |      |      |     |     |
1971-72 ..| 530 | 531 |  529 | 509 | 527 |  489 |  453 |  454 |  452 | 484 | 505 |  461
1972-73 ..| 523 | 523 |  521 | 506 | 525 |  489 |  445 |  446 |  443 | 481 | 502 |  460
1973-74 ..| 521 | 524 |  520 | 505 | 524 |  488 |  444 |  447 |  442 | 480 | 501 |  459
1974-75 ..| 512 | 515 |  509 | 498 | 518 |  479 |  434 |  437 |  431 | 472 | 495 |  449
1975-76 ..| 509 | 511 |  508 | 497 | 520 |  475 |  431 |  433 |  430 | 472 | 497 |  446
          |     |     |      |     |     |      |      |      |      |     |     |
1976-77 ..| 507 | 509 |  505 | 496 | 520 |  474 |  429 |  431 |  427 | 470 | 497 |  445
1977-78 ..| 507 | 511 |  503 | 494 | 517 |  474 |  429 |  433 |  425 | 468 | 494 |  444
1978-79 ..| 505 | 509 |  501 | 493 | 516 |  473 |  427 |  431 |  423 | 467 | 493 |  443
1979-80 ..| 502 | 506 |  498 | 492 | 515 |  473 |  424 |  428 |  420 | 466 | 491 |  443
1980-81 ..| 502 | 508 |  496 | 492 | 516 |  473 |  424 |  430 |  418 | 466 | 492 |  443
          |     |     |      |     |     |      |      |      |      |     |     |
1981-82 ..| 504 | 509 |  499 | 493 | 516 |  473 |  426 |  431 |  421 | 467 | 493 |  443
1982-83 ..| 503 | 508 |  498 | 494 | 516 |  474 |  425 |  430 |  420 | 468 | 493 |  445
1983-84 ..| 504 | 511 |  498 | 497 | 518 |  478 |  426 |  433 |  420 | 471 | 495 |  449
1984-85 ..| 509 | 514 |  503 | 500 | 522 |  480 |  431 |  437 |  425 | 475 | 499 |  452
1985-86 ..| 509 | 515 |  504 | 500 | 523 |  479 |  431 |  437 |  426 | 475 | 501 |  451
          |     |     |      |     |     |      |      |      |      |     |     |
1986-87 ..| 507 | 512 |  502 | 501 | 523 |  481 |  430 |  435 |  425 | 476 | 500 |  453
1987-88 ..| 505 | 512 |  499 | 501 | 521 |  483 |  428 |  435 |  422 | 476 | 498 |  455
1988-89 ..| 504 | 510 |  498 | 502 | 523 |  482 |  427 |  434 |  421 | 476 | 500 |  454
1989-90 ..| 500 | 505 |  496 | 501 | 521 |  483 |  424 |  429 |  419 | 476 | 499 |  455
1990-91 ..| 499 | 503 |  495 | 500 | 520 |  482 |  422 |  426 |  418 | 474 | 497 |  453
          |     |     |      |     |     |      |      |      |      |     |     |
1991-92 ..| 500 | 504 |  496 | 501 | 521 |  484 |  423 |  428 |  419 | 476 | 499 |  456
1992-93 ..| 500 | 504 |  497 | 503 | 524 |  484 |  424 |  428 |  420 | 478 | 502 |  457
1993-94 ..| 499 | 501 |  497 | 504 | 523 |  487 |  423 |  425 |  421 | 479 | 501 |  460
1994-95 ..| 504 | 505 |  502 | 506 | 525 |  490 |  428 |  429 |  426 | 482 | 503 |  463
1995-96 ..| 505 | 507 |  503 | 508 | 527 |  492 |  --- |  --- |  --- | --- | --- |  ---
1996-97 ..| 505 | 507 |  503 | 511 | 530 |  494 |  --- |  --- |  --- | --- | --- |  ---
1997-98 ..| 505 | 509 |  502 | 512 | 531 |  496 |  --- |  --- |  --- | --- | --- |  ---
__________|_____|_____|______|_____|_____|______|______|______|______|_____|_____|______

\1\Formerly known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test.
\2\Data for 1972 to 1986 were converted to the recentered scale by using a formula applied to the original mean and standard deviation. For 1987 to 1995, individual student scores were converted to the recentered scale and recomputed. For 1996 and 1997, most students received scores on the recentered scale score. Any score on the original scale was converted to the recentered scale prior to recomputing the mean.
---Data not available.

NOTE.--Possible scores on each part of the SAT range from 200 to 800. Data for the years 1966-67 through 1970-71 are estimates derived from the test scores of all participants.

SOURCE: College Entrance Examination Board, National Report on College-Bound Seniors, various years. (Copyright @1997 by the College Entrance Examination Board. All rights reserved.) (This table was prepared September 1998.)


1998 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest