UW-Madison reacts to SAT scoring error

In the wake of the news that approximately 4,000 students who took the SAT college entrance exam in October of 2005 received incorrectly low scores, the University of Wisconsin–Madison is evaluating the impact the error might have had on current applicants.

On March 7, the College Board, which owns the SAT exam, notified the UW–Madison Office of Admissions of the scoring mistake. The organization provided a roster of students who had sent their test scores to UW–Madison and who were affected by the change. There were 42 students on the list. The largest total combined score increase was 310 points on the three-section, 2400-point test. The smallest increase was 10 points.

Of the 42 impacted students, 19 had been admitted, 8 denied, and 15 had either withdrawn their application or had never applied to Wisconsin. As of Wednesday, March 8, admission counselors were reviewing the application files of the eight denied students to determine if the reporting error and lower test score impacted the admission decision. If so, appropriate action will be taken and the student will be notified of any change in admission status.

In all cases, the Office of Admissions will contact the impacted students to communicate the university’s approach to the situation. In addition, each student’s record will be modified to correct the erroneous SAT score.

Applicants should note that only impacted students will be contacted by the Office of Admissions. Students who took the October 2005 SAT but were not identified by the College Board as having received an erroneous score will not be contacted.