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.