Declining ACT and SAT Scores: Understanding the Causes and Implications

Standardized tests like the ACT and SAT play a crucial role in determining a student's academic readiness for college. These scores are used for college admissions, scholarship awards, and identifying academic strengths and weaknesses. However, recent data reveals a concerning trend: a decline in average ACT and SAT scores. This article explores the reasons behind this decline and its implications for students and educators.

The Trend: ACT and SAT Score Declines

Recent data indicates a downward trend in both ACT and SAT scores:

ACT: In 2024, the average ACT composite score was 19.4, a slight decrease from 19.5 in 2023. Average composite ACT scores decreased from 22.51 to 21.90 from 2018 to 2021.
SAT: The average SAT total score in 2024 was 1024, down from 1028 for the class of 2023 and 1050 for the class of 2022. The College Board announced that for the third consecutive year, the average total SAT score declined, to 1024 (out of 1600) for the class of 2024 from 1028 the previous year.

This decline raises important questions about the factors contributing to this trend and its potential impact on students' educational pathways.

Discrepancies Between Grades and Test Scores

Researchers have observed a growing mismatch between students' high school grades and their scores on standardized tests like the SAT and ACT. Major decisions that affect the trajectory of students’ lives hinge on their high school grades: in-class support they might or might not receive, college admission offers, and potentially financial aid. But how much weight should educators and college admissions officers actually give to the course grades that show up on students’ transcripts?

According to ACT research, average composite ACT scores decreased from 22.51 to 21.90 from 2018 to 2021, while the average high school GPAs of test-takers rose from 3.48 to 3.59 during the same period. (The maximum ACT score is 36.)

Read also: Decoding Yale Admissions

Discrepancies also exist when comparing student grades and scores from a wide variety of tests explicitly aligned to K-12 coursework, from state standardized exams to Advanced Placement tests. Students’ grades aren’t always higher than their exam scores. Sometimes they’re lower, said Joe Feldman, CEO of Crescendo Education Group, which works with schools and districts on grading practices.

These findings reinforce a body of research that’s consistently shown grades to be inconsistent and unreliable measures of student performance. Grading methodology varies from teacher to teacher, and grades themselves tend to include a mix of non-academic factors, such as student behavior, class participation, and extra credit. Plus, grade inflation has picked up since the start of the pandemic.

Factors Contributing to the Decline

The reasons for the decline in ACT and SAT scores are multifaceted and tied to various challenges:

Impact of the Pandemic

Schooling disruptions, whether tied to pandemic closures or even long-standing challenges such as teacher turnover and vacancies, continue to affect students’ ability to learn the skills needed to get high scores on the SAT, which more higher education institutions are now relying on in admissions decisions. (A number of colleges have dropped test-optional policies.)

Learning Loss: The COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread school closures and a shift to remote learning, resulting in learning loss for many students. This disruption in education has likely contributed to the decline in standardized test scores.
Virtual Learning Challenges: Kaitlyn Hughes, a tutor with IvyWise, noted that students with phenomenal grades are lacking in their fundamental understanding, especially in math skills. She tutored a student with all A’s who was struggling to raise her SAT math score because she completed her geometry course virtually, early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Grade Inflation: Grade inflation has picked up since the start of the pandemic. The ACT study found that using high school GPAs and ACT composite scores together improved predictions of first-year GPAs over using either measure alone. The College Board also calls for SAT scores to be a part of, not the sole factor in, admissions decisions.

Inconsistent Grading Practices

The findings reinforce a body of research that’s consistently shown grades to be inconsistent and unreliable measures of student performance. Grading methodology varies from teacher to teacher, and grades themselves tend to include a mix of non-academic factors, such as student behavior, class participation, and extra credit.

Read also: SAT Requirements for LSU

Joe Feldman urges educators to rethink grading. This is especially necessary to address grade depression, when students understand course content, as demonstrated by their test scores, but teachers aren’t giving them proper credit through their grades, Feldman said. The solution involves training on grading for aspiring teachers in schools of education, Feldman said. Districts need to offer such training as well.

Test-Optional Policies

A number of colleges have dropped test-optional policies. In noting that several colleges have recently reinstated standardized test requirements for admissions, the College Board said SAT scores are better predictors of college students’ performance than high school GPAs.

Student Preparedness

The less you study for your retake, the more susceptible you’ll be to bad luck, struggling with timing, or having a hard time with test questions. Even though you've taken the ACT once before, that doesn't mean you don't have to practice much before your retake. Practice will reduce the score variation caused by harder/easier test questions or good/bad luck on test day. Think of it this way: any challenge you encounter in practice is one you will be prepared for on test day. Use strict timing whenever you study, and aim to consistently hit your target score on each section. Also, be ruthless about analyzing your mistakes - don’t just note your wrong answers, figure out why you got them wrong and how to make sure you won’t ever make the same mistake again.

Implications of Declining Scores

The decline in ACT and SAT scores has several important implications for students, educators, and colleges:

College Admissions: Colleges and universities are questioning how to weigh grades against these test scores due to serious discrepancies. The ACT and the College Board advise college admissions officers to consider both grades and test scores when making admissions decisions rather than basing decisions on a single factor.
Student Assessment: In light of these findings, we must reevaluate the predictive power of high school grades and use a more holistic approach for predicting student success, so students have an accurate assessment of how they’re likely to perform in their first year of college.
Academic Support: Falling test scores and academic challenges are no match for how brilliant students are. With Peterson’s Test Prep, students can get both SAT and ACT test prep along with free on-demand, online access to our expert tutoring service to help them in subjects they’re struggling in.

Retaking the ACT: What to Expect

The ACT has provided some data about how likely score decreases are when you retake the test. So the odds are your ACT score will go up, but that is far from a guarantee. In fact, the odds are roughly 55/45 between your score going up or your score staying the same or decreasing. So if you retake the ACT, it’s almost as likely your score will stay the same or decrease rather than increase.

Read also: Decoding Princeton Admissions

Reasons for Score Decrease

The reasons your ACT score could decrease will depend on how much it decreases by. There is, after all, a big difference between going from a 28 to a 27 than a 28 to a 23. Although you’re probably eager to discover the reason your score went down on your retake, it may be that you got lucky the first time you took the ACT. Maybe the first test went especially well for you - you did better with timing than normal, picked up extra points with guesses, had a great test center, and felt pretty comfortable with all of the reading passages and questions. However, it's also quite possible to run into worse luck on your retake. Even slight score changes could cause your overall composite score to decrease. As an example, check out the following two hypothetical ACT scores. It’s not unheard of at all to see drops like 27 to 24 Math or 29 to 25 Reading. By losing just 4 or 5 raw points on each section, you could see a decrease like that. And you could easily lose that many raw points if you lose track of timing, or run into a tough Reading passage you don’t gel with, or Math questions you find more challenging. Also, did you study enough?

Small Score Decrease (1-2 Points)

Even slight score changes could cause your overall composite score to decrease.

Moderate Score Decrease (3-4 Points)

It's possible you didn't study at all (or only studied a little) before your ACT retake, thinking you could wing it. Or maybe you were particularly sick or unfocused on your second test day, or your test center had serious problems.

Large Score Decrease (5+ Points)

A very serious issue is occurring if your score drops by this much. First of all, examine your composite and section scores to see where the drops were. This will help you figure out where the problem occurred. This student experienced big point drops in every section, leading to a much lower final composite score. Due to the drops in all sections, something must have happened with overall test strategy, for instance struggling with pacing or using a bad guessing strategy. It's also possible the test center was particularly bad, or the student was feeling quick sick. This student had a super large drop on one section (Math 30 to Math 15) and smaller, statistically likely drops on other sections. This means that, obviously, something went way wrong on math - maybe on this section the student started bubbling their answers one line off, resulting in a slew of wrong answers. But in this case, since the other sections weren’t affected, it’s less likely the problem was due to the test center, a bad overall test-taking strategy, or illness. Finally, if you experience a 5-point composite drop or larger, you should consider the possibility your test was mis-scored.

Strategies to Improve Your Score

Given that your ACT composite score could easily decrease or remain the same if you retake the test, how can you make sure your score goes up? When studying for your retake, spend plenty of time studying for the section (or sections) you got the lowest scores on the first time. For example, if your Math score was a 24 and all your other sections were between 28 and 30, you would definitely want to make sure to improve your Math score to improve your overall composite. Not sure where to start? Even if you fix your weak spots, it’s not unlikely that your highest section could go down if you don't study for it. Even if you manage to raise the score on your weakest section, if your other section scores decrease - by even just a point or two! - your composite could decrease or stay the same. Even though this student brought up Math, their lowest section, from 24 to 27, the slight score decreases on other sections caused their composite score to fall. Being prepared for the test as a whole is the best way to shield yourself from ACT composite decreases. So how can you prepare for the ACT as a whole? Use complete practice tests, time yourself strictly, and understand how the test is scored.

Key Strategies for ACT Improvement:

Focus on Weak Areas: Spend ample time studying the sections where you scored the lowest on your first attempt.
Comprehensive Preparation: Prepare for the entire test, not just your weakest areas, to prevent score decreases in other sections.
Practice and Analysis: Use complete practice tests with strict timing. Analyze your mistakes to understand why you made them and how to avoid them in the future.
Optimize Test Environment: Ensure you are using the best test center and are well-prepared on test day.
Allow Sufficient Study Time: Give yourself enough time to practice and improve before retaking the ACT.

Adapting to the Changing Landscape

As we wait for collaboration between educators, students, and policymakers to ensure academic preparedness, we recommend that students take charge of their future by ensuring they can get the best score possible by prepping for their future tests. ACT and SAT are making changes to make both tests more approachable for students, online testing being one of the many changes. SAT launched digital PSAT and SAT exams online last year intending to make the test shorter and more approachable.

Even though ACT and SAT scores decline, students still want to get into the college of their choice. Showcase other strengths in AP tests, through extracurriculars, college essays, and GPA.

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