Thanks to a newly reformatted SAT exam, the national class of 2010 saw the sharpest drop in scores in 31 years.
Students entering college this fall have an average SAT score that is seven points lower than that of the previous class. The decrease consisted of a five-point drop on the critical reading section and a two-point drop on the math section.
Penn admissions officials reported an average overall drop of about three to four points.
The Class of 2010 was the first to take the new SAT - first offered in March 2005 - which featured a number of changes. The new exam introduced a writing section, eliminated analogies and included more complex math problems and longer reading passages.
The primary reason for the drop is that fewer students took the exam for a second time, said Caren Scoropanos, a spokeswoman for the College Board, which administers the SAT.
She said students retaking the SAT usually boost their scores by about 30 points. Since 5 percent fewer retook the exam last year, the average score fell.
One possible explanation for the decrease in retesting is that the new SAT is more expensive - now costing $41.50, up from $28.50 - but no research has been done on the effect of the price hike, Scoropanos said.
The College Board, however, has done research demonstrating that the new test's extended length - 45 minutes longer than the old test - did not adversely affect test takers' performance, Scoropanos said, even though students may have been weary after the long exam.
Dean of Admissions Lee Stetson said it is not fair to compare scores on the newly reformatted exam to scores on the old SAT.
He called the high-school class of 2006 a "new benchmark" and a "departure point" when it comes to the way that the Admissions Office looks at SAT scores. It will take admissions officials two or three years to become adjusted to the new test, he added.
Despite their lower SAT scores, the Class of 2010 is still outstanding, Stetson said. Many aspects of their profiles are stronger than those seen in previous years of applicants. Classroom performance in particular has been improving over the past five years, he said.
Stetson would not speculate as to whether average SAT scores of high-school seniors applying to Penn this fall would be higher.
Experts, including college admissions consultants, say the drop - which is less than the value of a single test question - is minor and normal for the first class taking a changed exam.
Michele Hernandez, president and founder of Hernandez College Consulting, said that although her clients were anxious about taking a new exam - since "no one likes being the guinea pig" - they did not seem to notice lowered scores.
Hernandez said the drop was more of a statistical issue rather than something affecting individual students.
Since "on any given day, you can do 10 points better or 10 points worse," the seven-point drop is insignificant, she said.
