The average SAT scores of Virginia’s graduating high school seniors remained nearly the same as last year’s average, as recently reported by the College Board, while the average SAT score of the incoming first-year class at the University is up 15 points from last year.
This year, the average total SAT I score in math and reading for a first-year University student is 1322, compared to last year’s average of 1307. The commonwealth’s average score, meanwhile, increased by just a point: from 1022 in 2007 to 1023 in 2008.
According to Dean of Admissions Jack Blackburn, though the University’s 15-point increase was a “pretty good jump” for one year, there has not been any significant upward trend in SAT scores over the past few years.
“If you did a very long study, [it would] probably show that the scores are going up a little bit but nothing dramatic,” Blackburn said. The average SAT score, for example, of the 2006 incoming class was 1325, while the average score for the 2005 incoming class was 1320 and the score for the 2004 class was 1330.
Although the writing portion of the test is not used in this score, Blackburn noted that the admissions office still pays close attention to this portion of the examination when evaluating applicants.
“We’ve always put a lot of stock in the writing score,” Blackburn said. “Some of the other colleges that are critical [about] that part of the test are missing the boat. It is another piece of [information] that lets us make better decisions about applicants.”
Blackburn noted, however, that for the most part, students with high SAT scores tend to perform well when they arrive at the University.
“The students with extremely high scores tend to do very well here, so we do know that’s a pattern,” Blackburn said. “The extremely high scores tell us a lot about a student, so they can help.”
Overall, though, Blackburn said he believes that while the SAT scores are “helpful” in the admissions process, they are certainly not the most significant part of it.
“I would say that they’re not the most important factor in our applications by far,” Blackburn said. “The most important factor is the high school record ... We put our greatest stock in performance.”
Although the University believes a student’s overall record is more important then his SAT score, high-school students are in no hurry to dismiss the test, said Brandon Kosatka, director of student services for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
“I don’t think [students] are doing anything different than in years past,” Kosatka said. “They’re taking it seriously. It’s certainly another variable in the college admissions process, and they’re realizing that in this very competitive process they need to do as well as they can.”
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