Research and Test Development
The SAT Suite is grounded in extensive collaboration with a range of stakeholders, including K–12 educators, curriculum experts, higher education faculty, psychometricians, and assessment developers.
A multistage approach to assessment design supports the appropriate use of test scores across the education continuum. When used thoughtfully, scores from the SAT Suite of Assessments (including the PSAT 8/9, PSAT 10, PSAT/NMSQT, and SAT) can inform the processes of:
- evaluating and monitoring students' college and career readiness.
- monitoring student progress through a vertically scaled suite of assessments.
- connecting students to postsecondary educational opportunities and career possibilities.
- helping underrepresented students be seen by colleges.
- making college admission, advising, and college course placement decisions.
- contributing to scholarship selection and other awards.
Test Content Development
The SAT Suite test content development is based on a robust body of research, including the following:
- Curriculum Survey
A national survey of faculty identifying the academic skills and knowledge essential for success in first-year college courses and those emphasized by secondary educators - Alignment Studies
Internal as well as independent, third-party studies confirming that the SAT Suite aligns with college and career readiness expectations in reading, writing, and math - Cognitive Labs
A series of small-scale studies, including studies with students with dyslexia, students with ADHD, and English learners, confirming that test questions on the SAT Suite elicit the higher-order, cognitively complex thinking skills needed for college and career readiness - Robust, Multistage Validation
An intensive and extensive validation process, including internal and external review at multiple stages, that ensures that SAT Suite test questions measure what they are intended to measure, are content sound and fair to all students, and elicit the types of cognitively complex thinking necessary for introductory college-level courses
This research is supported by:
- Content and Fairness Reviews
Conducting reviews by internal and external subject matter experts to ensure that test questions are content sound, fair, and reflective of the types of skills and knowledge needed for college readiness - Statistical Analysis
Undertaking large-scale pretesting with representative samples of SAT Suite test takers to ensure that test questions measure students' skills and knowledge accurately, fairly, and meaningfully - External Validation
Analyzing relationships of SAT Suite scores with other measures of the outcomes the tests are intended to predict to ensure that these various measures converge, yielding complementary results
Resources
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Assessment Framework for the Digital SAT Suite
See the full test specifications, including details about content domains, scoring, adaptive testing methodology, and the strong research foundation on which the suite is built.
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Digital SAT Research Summary
Over the past several years, content experts, psychometricians, and researchers have been hard at work developing, refining, and studying the digital SAT. This paper shares key learnings from research studies that have informed the design and development of the digital SAT and our understanding of how well the assessment is working for its intended uses.
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Digital SAT Pilot Predictive Validity Study—A Comprehensive Analysis of First-Year College Outcomes
This study analyzed relationships between digital SAT scores and early college outcomes, including first-year GPA, particular course grades, and course credits earned. Results show that digital SAT scores are as predictive of college performance as paper and pencil SAT scores and they continue to meaningfully improve our ability to predict college performance above HSGPA alone. Results hold for student subgroups examined and were particularly strong for students majoring in STEM fields.
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Digital SAT Pilot Predictive Validity Study—A First Look
This study represents the first opportunity to examine digital SAT score relationships with college performance. Results show that digital SAT scores are as predictive of college performance as paper and pencil SAT scores, and they continue to meaningfully improve the prediction of college performance above high school GPA alone.
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Digital SAT Score Relationships with Other Educational Measures
This study provides initial evidence that digital SAT scores can be used in the same way as current SAT scores. The strength of the relationship between students' digital SAT scores with their HSGPAs, PSAT/NMSQT Total scores, and Average AP Exam scores parallel the strength of the relationships between the current SAT and these measures. We expect digital SAT relationships with student outcomes, such as first-year GPA, to parallel those found with the current SAT.
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College Board National Curriculum Survey Report 2019
Review the 2019 curriculum survey report which collects data on the skills and knowledge needed for college readiness and success, and the teaching emphasis placed on these skills in middle school and high school classrooms.
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Validity of SAT for Predicting First-Semester, Domain-Specific Grades
In this study, the College Board examines the relationships between SAT section scores, test scores, cross-test scores, and subscores with domain-specific course grades earned in college. Learn more about the results of this study.
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Validity of the SAT for Predicting First-Year Grades and Retention to the Second Year
The full report from the first national SAT validity study.
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Examining the Stability of SAT Predictive Relationships Across Cohorts and Over Time
Find out how this study seeks to understand how well the national SAT Validity Study results, based on the entering class of 2017, generalize to other cohorts, and how well the SAT predicts longer term outcomes beyond first-year grade point average and second-year retention.
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An Updated Look at SAT Score Relationships with College Degree Completion
The purpose of this study is to understand how well SAT scores predict the completion of a bachelor’s degree within four years. Find key takeaways and the results from this study.