For researchers

Opportunities and Limitations with SweSAT Data

The SweSAT database contains large amounts of data, including results and information about test participants since the first test in the spring of 1977. This makes it possible to investigate many different types of research questions, but the design and development of the test also entail some limitations that are important to consider when formulating your research question. Since 1977, the test has undergone a series of changes. Some subtests have been removed while others have been added, complicating the possibility of making comparisons over time using SweSAT data. The test can be divided into five distinct "periods" with varying numbers of subtests, and tasks within the subtest, briefly summarized in the following table:

Changes in the SweSAT between 1977–2011

READ = reading comprehension, ERC = English reading comprehension, STECH = study techniques, GI = general information, WORD = vocabulary, SEC = sentence completion, QC = quantitative comparisons, XYZ = mathematical problem solving, DS = data sufficiency, DTM = diagrams, tables and maps

An important characteristic of a test used for admission to higher education is that the test results must be comparable over time. Since it is an impossible task to create tests with exactly the same level of difficulty repeatedly, comparability, and thus fairness, is achieved by norming the results through a statistical equating procedure. Since the autumn test of 2011, the results of the test's two parts – the quantitative and the verbal part – are also normed. However, the individual subtests are not normed, which means that comparisons of subtest results over time can be misleading as the difficulty level of the tasks may vary.

Another important aspect is that the pandemic imposed restrictions that had consequences for test participants and test administration during the years 2020-2022. This affects the possibility of using data from this period together with data from earlier or later tests.

Through the links below, you can find information about the data available in the database, how to request data, and examples of previous research and reports on the SweSAT.