How to Calculate SAT Score? – SAT Score Calculator

If you’re using an SAT practice test to estimate SAT performance, how exactly do you compute for your SAT score? It’s a bit more complicated than just counting the correct answers.

It’s not always easy to figure out what the SAT score numbers mean when you get them. But you have to get some understanding of these numbers, especially when you’re using an SAT practice test to calculate your probable SAT score. Fortunately, it’s not really all that hard to figure out.

It was different in the old days before changes to the scoring method were made in 2016. Before that, the maximum score was 2400. The lowest possible score was more complicated to figure out back then, as there were point deductions for guessing the answer. If you guessed wrong, you get points deducted from your raw score.

The new, post-2016 scoring method is simpler and much easier to understand in comparison.

What’s Your SAT Score?

If you’re asked this question, it refers to your composite score. This is your overall SAT score, which can be as low as 400 or as high as 1600. This is the total of your 2 sections scores (one for Math, and another for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing). Each section has a possible scoring range of 200 to 800, which is why the composite score range is from 400 to 1600.

So, let’s say you scored 710 on the Math section, and 650 for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing. Add the 2 scores together, and you get a composite score—your so-called SAT score—of 1,360.

Calculating Your SAT Practice Test Score

Let’s say you just finished your SAT practice test, and you want to know how well you did. Did you get a high enough score that will help get you accepted by your preferred college?

For example, if you’re extremely determined to get into Stanford University, you better do well in the SAT so you can compare favorably with the other applicants. The incoming Stanford class of 2023 scored very highly on the SAT. The SAT Middle 50% Test Scores for Math ranged from 740 to 800. It was 700 to 770 for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing.

To find out if you were able to get within these scoring ranges, you need to take the following steps.

Getting Your Raw Scores

To get to your composite score at the end of the process, you start by noting how many correct answers you get for each section.

For Math, you have 58 questions to deal with. The Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section actually has 2 subsections: Reading, along with Writing & Language. Reading has 52 questions, while Writing & Language has 44.

So, count the number of questions you got right. At this point, let’s assume you get the following number of questions right:

Math: 47 out of 58

Reading: 40 out of 52

Writing & Language: 41 out of 44

There’s an optional essay portion, but we’ll get to that later.

Converting the Raw Scores into Scaled Scores

The Scaled scores are what you see when you get your SAT scores. The College Board (which runs the SAT) doesn’t give out the precise conversion scale they use for the actual tests. But they do provide a conversion table for their practice tests, though it may differ for each practice test.

For the sake of convenience, let’s use the conversion table that has already come with one of these SAT practice tests.

RAW SCORE Math Section Score Reading Test Score Writing & Language Test Score
0 200 10 10
1 200 10 10
2 210 10 10
3 230 11 10
4 240 12 11
5 260 13 12
6 280 14 13
7 290 15 13
8 310 15 14
9 320 16 15
10 330 17 16
11 340 17 16
12 360 18 17
13 370 19 18
14 380 19 19
15 390 20 19
16 410 20 20
17 420 21 21
18 430 21 21
19 440 22 22
20 450 22 23
21 460 23 23
22 470 23 24
23 480 24 25
24 480 24 25
25 490 25 26
26 500 25 26
27 510 26 27
28 520 26 28
29 520 27 28
30 530 28 29
31 540 28 30
32 550 29 30
33 560 29 31
34 560 30 32
35 580 30 32
36 580 31 33
37 590 31 34
38 600 32 34
39 600 32 35
40 610 33 36
41 620 33 37
42 630 34 38
43 640 35 39
44 650 35 40
45 660 36
46 670 37
47 670 37
48 680 38
49 690 38
50 700 39
51 710 40
52 730 40
53 740
54 750
55 760
56 780
57 790
58 800

 

Calculating for the Scaled Math Score

To do this, simply find the number of correct answers you got for the math section. If you got 47 answers right, check the box next to it, and you’ll find that your corresponding Scaled Math Score is 670.

Calculating for the Scaled Score for Reading and Writing & Language

First, you need to count the number of questions you got right for the Reading section. In our example, that means you got 40 answers right.

Check the raw score column again and find the 40, and you’ll note that the corresponding score in the Reading Test Score column is 33.

You also got 41 answers right for Writing & Language in our example, and the same process gives you a score of 37.

Add the 2 scores together (33 + 37) and you get 70. Multiply the sum by 10 (70 * 10) and you get 700. That’s your Scaled Score for the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing.

Getting Your Composite Score

Just add your Math score and the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score. In this case, you get 670 + 700, for a composite score of 1,370.

If you’re planning to get into Stanford, you have lots of work to do. That 700 for the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section barely gets into the average scoring range. The 670 for Math is just lower than average! You can check our top SAT prep picks here.

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