Press Releases

SAT® Verbal and Math Scores Up Significantly
as a Record-breaking Number of Students Take the Test

08/26/03

Washington, D.C. -- The College Board today reports significant gains in both SAT math and verbal average scores, with each rising three points from last year. This marks the highest level for math scores in more than 35 years, while verbal scores matched the level last reached in 1987. At the same time, more students took the SAT than ever before, which indicates a growing need and desire for higher education. The 1.4 million SAT takers in the class of 2003 earned average scores of 519 for math and 507 for verbal.

Verbal scores for male SAT takers leapt 5 points this year to 512, and males gained 3 points on math to bring the average to 537. Female SAT takers scored 503 on both math and verbal this year, representing one-year gains of 3 points and 1 point, respectively.

This year saw the largest increase in the number of SAT takers in more than 15 years. Thirty-eight percent of SAT takers are first-generation college-bound students. The proportion of minority students taking the SAT is at an all-time high of 36 percent, up 1 percentage point from last year and 6 points from 10 years ago.

"Higher SAT scores, a record number of test-takers, and more diversity add up to a brighter picture for American education. While we certainly need to make more progress, the fact remains that we are clearly headed in the right direction," said College Board President Gaston Caperton.

Math Scores Continue Upward Swing

The average score on the math section has increased 19 points for females during the past decade and 13 points for males. Overall math scores are up 16 points compared to 1993. The increases for math scores are reflective of an increased percentage of SAT takers enrolled in advanced math and science course work, such as chemistry, physics, precalculus, and calculus. The percentage of students taking precalculus, for example, has increased by 12 percentage points over the past decade. First-generation college students who took calculus in high school had an average SAT verbal score of 526 and a math score of 570, 19 and 51 points above the national average, respectively.

Overall Verbal Scores Increase During Past Decade

Overall verbal scores have increased 7 points since 1993. In 2003, however, the gap between male and female verbal scores expanded to 9 points from last year's gap of 5 points. Verbal scores for males may have been helped by the fact that 79 percent report they have taken four or more years of English, a percentage that has remained consistent since 2000. Meanwhile, the percentage of females taking four or more years of English has dropped from 85 percent in 2000 to 81 percent this year.

The overall verbal scores were aided by a strong showing from Asian American SAT takers, whose mean verbal scores were, for the first time, higher than the national mean. Additionally, Mexican American and African American SAT takers improved their average scores by two points and one point, respectively, from a year ago. In fact, virtually all ethnic and racial groups showed stronger performance on their verbal scores compared to a year ago.

"A strong, early focus on the college success skills of reading, writing, and mathematics continues to be the best path for reaching excellence on the SAT. Verbal scores still trail math scores, so we must continue our efforts to focus on verbal skills," Caperton said. "Rigorous preparation in this area is crucial for students' success in college and beyond."

New SAT Stresses Importance of Verbal Skills

To highlight the importance of verbal skills, the new SAT, which students from the class of 2006 will first take in March 2005, will add more reading passages and will stress writing. It will include a standardized writing test that a growing number of colleges are already requiring for admission.

Earlier this year, to address concerns about writing, the National Commission on Writing in America's Schools and Colleges, sponsored by the College Board, called for a doubling of the amount of time all students spend writing, at home and in school.

A Snapshot of SAT Takers

• 753,718 (54 percent) SAT takers are female and 652,606 (46 percent) are male.
• Forty-two percent of 2003 college-bound seniors reported grade averages of A+, A, or A-. Ten years ago, the figure was just 32 percent. This year's average grade point average was 3.29, compared with an average GPA of 3.14 in 1993.
• Thirty-six percent of SAT takers in the class of 2003 were minorities. The number of Mexican American SAT takers increased by 56 percent between 1993 and 2003. SAT takers in the Other Hispanic category increased by 50 percent during the same period.
• Average SAT scores continue to vary by school location. The average scores of suburban students are 527 verbal/539 math, compared with students in large cities and rural areas, whose scores are 494 verbal/506 math and 497 verbal/501 math, respectively.