The graduating class of 2012 posted an average score of 496 in reading, a one-point drop from 2011 and a 34-point decline since 1972, the first year the College Board began tracking the scores of "college-bound" seniors.
The average industry APEAL score increased by 3 index points from 2010, to 781 on a 1, 000-point scale, based on more than 90 vehicle attributes including mileage to comfort to roominess and everything in between.