If seniors include their Scholastic Aptitude Test scores on their resumes when they apply for jobs this fall, they should "recenter" the scores to add points, Career Services Director Skip Sturman said.
The SAT was recentered in 1994 to make the average score on each section 500. Average scores on each section had fallen slightly below that level.
Students who in 1994 scored a verbal score of 600 should add 70 points to calculate their recentered score. A math score of 600 would remain 600 with recentering.
A verbal 700 in 1994 would be recentered to 760, while a 700 math score would be reduced to 690.
"Resumes present a story employers can read for evidence of skills," said Sturman. "In most cases, that would mean using the recentered scores, since these scores are, on average, higher than the original score."
According to Sturman, most employers do not require SAT scores in the resumes of perspective candidates. Those that do are "more the exception than the rule."
SAT scores are helpful on a resume if, for example, an applicant for a math or quantitative job has not taken a course in that area, Sturman said. Even if SAT scores are considered by an employer, they are seldom a focal point.
