SAT Score

Are you planning to take the SAT soon? If so, you may be wondering what your SAT score means and how it is calculated. Understanding the scoring system can help you determine your strengths and weaknesses, set realistic goals, and prepare for the exam more effectively. In this post, we will provide an overview of the SAT score and explain how it is calculated step by step. From Raw Scores to Scaled Scores, we’ll give you all the details you need to know to decipher your SAT score. Whether you’re a high school student, a parent, or an educator, read on to learn everything you need to know about SAT scoring.

SAT Score Overview

The SAT (both paper and digital) is scored on a scale of 400 to 1600, with 200 to 800 points possible for each of the two main sections: Mathematics and Reading & Writing. Scores for each section are based on the number of questions answered correctly, with no penalty for incorrect answers. This means that it is better to guess than to leave a question blank.

The Mathematics and Reading & Writing sections are scored separately on a scale of 200 to 800. The Raw Score for each section is calculated by adding the number of questions answered correctly in each of the modules in the section. The Raw Score is then converted to a Scaled Score using a conversion table that takes into account the difficulty of the questions. To calculate your final SAT score, the scores from the Mathematics and Reading & Writing sections are added.

Step 1: Get your Raw Score

To obtain your Raw Score, add the following:

Your total Reading & Writing section score
Your total score for the Mathematics section.

In both cases, remember that each question counts as one point for the calculation of the Raw Score. We leave you a table with the structure of both sections of the SAT so that you better understand your potential maximum raw score.

Digital SAT Module Breakdown

(Note: In order to give a complete example, we have used the resolution of a full Linear Digital SAT simulation test. Here is the link in case you are interested.

Remember that it has a very similar structure to the digital SAT but it is not exactly the type of exam you will take on the test date. The reason we have used this example is because it is the only official Raw Score to Scaled table published)

Example:

Your score is:

Reading & Writing: Adding both scores you obtain the Reading & Writing Raw Score ⇒ 27 + 24 = 51
- Module 1 = 27 out of 33
- Module 2 = 24 out of 33 (since you got 27 in Module 1 you were assigned Higher Module 2)
Mathematics: By adding both scores, you obtained a Mathematics Raw Score ⇒ 21 + 18 = 39
- Module 1 = 21 out of 27 (since you got 21 in Module 1 you were assigned Higher Module 2)
- Module 2 = 18 out of 27

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Step 2: From Raw Score to Scaled Score

Once you get the 2 Raw Scores (Reading & Writing and Math), they must be converted to Scaled Scores. To do this, the Bluebook algorithm makes different adjustments and values questions differently depending on whether they are in Module 1 or 2 or whether you solved the easier (Low) or more difficult (Superior) Module 2.

There is still no precise information about the adjustment system, but we can give you some conclusions obtained by solving (our team and students) the same Bluebook exam several times:

All questions within the same Module have the same value for the calculation of the Scaled Score.
In the Scaled Score calculation, the value of a question in Module 1 is not the same as in Module 2, even though both Modules have the same number of questions.
The scaled score varies for the same Raw Score depending on whether Module 2 is easy (lower) or difficult (higher). The section’s Scaled Score is higher for the same Raw Score if the hard (higher) module 2 is solved.

Next, let’s take a look at a table published by the College Board to calculate the Scaled Score. Although it is not exactly the same as the new reality of the digital SAT, it is the most up-to-date information provided by the official source. Keep in mind that, although the exam already has a structure with modules, it does not have the same number of questions that you will find on the digital SAT.

Section	Module 1	Module 2
Reading and Writing	27 questions	27 questions
Math	22 questions	22 questions

Raw Score	Reading and Writing Score		Math Test Score
# Of Correct Answers	Lower	Upper	Lower	Upper
0	200	200	200	200
1	200	200	200	200
2	200	200	200	200
3	200	200	200	200
4	200	200	200	200
5	200	200	200	200
6	200	200	200	200
7	200	210	200	220
8	200	220	200	230
9	210	230	220	250
10	230	250	250	280
11	240	260	280	310
12	250	270	290	320
13	260	280	300	330
14	280	300	310	340
15	290	310	320	350
16	320	340	330	360
17	340	360	330	360
18	350	370	340	370
19	360	380	350	380
20	370	390	360	390
21	370	390	370	400
22	380	400	370	400
23	390	410	380	410
24	400	420	390	420
25	410	430	400	430
26	420	440	420	450
27	420	440	430	460
28	430	450	440	470
29	440	460	460	490
30	450	470	470	500
31	460	480	480	510
32	460	480	500	530
33	470	490	510	540
34	480	500	520	550
35	490	510	530	560
36	490	510	550	580
37	500	520	560	590
38	510	530	570	600
39	520	540	580	610
40	530	550	590	620
41	540	560	600	630
42	540	560	620	650
43	550	570	630	660
44	560	580	650	680
45	570	590	670	700
46	580	600	690	720
47	590	610	710	740
48	590	610	730	760
49	600	620	740	770
50	610	630	750	780
51	620	640	760	790
52	630	650	770	800
53	630	650	780	800
54	640	660	790	800
55	650	670
56	660	680
57	670	690
58	680	700
59	690	710
60	700	720
61	710	730
62	720	740
63	730	750
64	750	770
65	770	790
66	790	800

Example Continuation:

Your Reading and Writing Raw Score is 51. By applying the conversion table above, the Reading and Writing Scaled Score is 640 (Remember to apply it to the upper scale).
Your Mathematics Raw Score is 39. By applying the conversion table above, the Mathematics Scaled Score is 610 (Remember to apply it to the upper scale).

Step 3: Add both Scaled Scores

To complete the process and obtain your final SAT score, you need to add both scaled scores.

Last Step of the Example:

640 (Reading and Writing Scaled Score) + 610 (Mathematics Scaled Score) = 1250 points

We hope this article has answered your questions. If you have any questions regarding your SAT preparation, give us a call and we will be happy to explain how EPIC PREP can help you achieve your goals. On the other hand, if you prefer to read on, we’ll leave you a link to our SAT courses.

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A good SAT score

It is important to keep in mind that a good SAT score varies depending on the colleges you apply to. However, a score of 1200 or higher is generally considered a good score, while a score of 1400 or higher is considered an excellent score.

For a better understanding of good and bad scores, we have created two tables for you. The first reveals the average SAT score between 2017 and 2022, and the second provides the SAT score range required by the 23 most popular colleges in the United States.

Average SAT Scores (2017-2022) – Collegeboard data

Year	Average Score: Overall	Average Score: Reading & Writing	Average Score: Math
2017	1060	533	527
2018	1067	536	531
2019	1059	531	528
2020	1051	528	523
2021	1061	533	528
2022	1050	529	521

SAT Score Range by University (source: niche.com)

University	SAT Score Range (2022)
Harvard University	1460-1580
Stanford University	1420-1570
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)	1510-1580
Columbia University	1460-1570
Princeton University	1450-1570
Yale University	1460-1580
New York University (NYU)	1370-1540
University of Texas (UT Austin)	1210-1470
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	1280-1490
California Institute of Technology (Cal Tech)	1530-1580
University of Pennsylvania	1460-1570
Duke University	1470-1570
John Hopkins University	1470-1560
University of Michigan (Ann-Arbor)	1340-1520
University of California – Berkeley	1310-1530
Georgia Institute of Technology	1370-1530
Georgetown University	1370-1530
Boston University	1310-1500
University of Chicago	1500-1570
Northwestern University	1430-1550
Vanderbilt University	1470-1570
University of Florida	1290-1460
The Ohio State University	1210-1430

Understanding SAT Percentiles

When a student receives their percentile, they are shown what percentage of students scored the same or lower than theirs. For example, if a student is in the 90th percentile, it means that 90% of their comparison group scored at or below their score. Percentiles assign and rank relative to all other students who took the exam. Universities use percentiles to compare your performance with that of other applicants. If you are applying to a very competitive college, check your score and also your percentile. It’s a good reference to understand how much better you did than others. Keep this metric in mind when making decisions about your applications.

What is the Digital SAT Score Report Like?

Here you have a sample of the SAT digital score report. Note that the arrows point to the performance of the sections (points and percentile) and the circle contains the total performance (points and percentile). This exact information is what you will receive after taking the digital SAT.