Iowa students continue to perform well on the SAT, the college entrance exam administered by the College Board. With three percent of 2009 graduating seniors taking the exam, the SAT is less predominant in Iowa than the ACT test. Iowa students who take the SAT perform well, however, with the highest composite scores in the nation for reading, math and writing.

Iowa students posted SAT mean scores of:

• 610 in critical reading, compared to a national mean score of 501;
• 615 in math, compared to a national mean score of 515;
• 588 in writing, compared to a national mean score of 493.

The 10-year change shows a 16-point increase in reading and 17-point increase in math. Decade information is not available for the writing test, which has been administered since 2006.

Of the 2009 graduating class in Iowa, 1,105 students took the SAT. Complete results are available on the College Board's website at www.collegeboard.com.