How To Calculate SAT Score | Step-By-Step

Here is the basic step-by-step process of how to calculate SAT score for each section, and your overall composite, when doing your own test prep.

How To Calculate SAT Score: Step-by-Step Process

Add Your Raw Scores Together

In short, the amount of questions you get right creates your “raw score.”

You receive one point for every correct answer. There are no point deductions for wrong answers, which is why you should always answer every question, even if you have to guess.

The Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section includes two subsections: Reading and Writing & Language. First, determine your raw score separately for each of those subsections.

What’s the highest possible raw score for these parts? That all depends on how many questions each section contains. The Math section has 58 questions, so your highest possible raw score there is 58.

Reading has 52 questions, so 52 is the highest possible raw score there. Writing & Language contains 44 questions, so again a perfect raw score is 44 points.

Let’s say add up your correct answers and find that you’ve reached the following raw scores:

• Math: 44
• Reading: 38
• Writing & Language: 43

Convert Your Raw Scores Into Scaled Scores

The next step is converting those raw scores into scaled ones.

Every SAT test administration isn’t 100% equal to the rest. To compensate for differences, the College Board adjusts the significance of raw scores between test administrations.

They achieve this by converting raw scores into scaled scores ranging anywhere between 200 to 800. If you took the SAT twice and earned a raw score of 44 for Math both times, you might end up with a lower Math scaled score in March versus June’s score, because the June Math section was harder than March.

Your Math raw score is converted directly into an equivalent scaled score. Your Reading and Writing & Language raw scores are combined into one overall scaled score for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing.

Sample SAT Raw/Scaled Score Conversion Table

The College Board doesn’t share details about the process it uses to determine scaled scores.

If you want to convert your own scores, you’ll need to use a raw/scaled score conversion table. Tables vary a little between tests, so try to use the table that comes with your chosen practice test.

Below is the conversion table that The College Board provides with SAT Practice Test #1. Remember that the table for your actual test administration will be different, but this is a great way to understand your point possibilities.

Congratulations! You braved the SAT exam. Now you may be wondering,  “What next?”

Here is the basic step-by-step process of how to calculate your SAT score for each section, as well as your overall composite when doing your own test prep.

We’ve even included a sneak peak of SAT scores that colleges are looking for in 2023.

HOW TO CALCULATE YOUR SAT SCORE: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

Add Your Raw Scores Together

In short, the amount of questions you get right creates your “raw score.”

You receive one point for every correct answer. There are no point deductions for wrong answers, which is why you should always answer every question, even if you have to guess.

The Evidence-Based Reading and Writing sections include two subsections: Reading and Writing & Language. First, determine your raw score separately for each of those subsections.

What’s the highest possible raw score for these parts? That all depends on how many questions each section contains. The Math section has 58 questions, so your highest possible raw score there is 58.

Reading has 52 questions, so 52 is the highest possible raw score there. Writing & Language contains 44 questions, so again a perfect raw score is 44 points.

Let’s say you add up your correct answers and find that you’ve reached the following raw scores:

Math: 44

Reading: 38

Writing & Language: 43

Next, we’ll show you how to adjust your score for scaling – and what that means for your test results. 

Convert Your Raw Scores Into Scaled Scores

The next step is converting those raw scores into scaled ones.

Every SAT test administration isn’t 100% equal to the rest. To compensate for differences, the College Board adjusts the significance of raw scores between test administrations.

They achieve this by converting raw scores into scaled scores ranging anywhere between 200 to 800. If you took the SAT twice and earned a raw score of 44 for Math both times, you might end up with a lower Math scaled score in March versus June’s score, because the June Math section was harder than March.

Your Math raw score is converted directly into an equivalent scaled score. Your Reading and Writing & Language raw scores are combined into one overall scaled score for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing

Sample SAT Raw/Scaled Score Conversion Table

The College Board doesn’t share details about the process it uses to determine scaled scores.

Figure Out Your Scaled Math Score

Use this table to get an idea of how scoring really works.

 

First, find your raw Math score down the left-hand column of the conversion table, then read across to determine your scaled Math score. If your raw Math score is 44, your scaled Math Section Score would be 650.

 

Figure Out Your Scaled Reading and Writing & Language Scores

This is the point where you combine your Reading and Writing & Language into a comprehensive Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Score.

 

Remember, our two example raw scores are:

 

Reading: 38

Writing & Language: 43

Use the conversion table to convert each one into an equivalent scaled score:

 

Reading: raw 38 = scaled 32

Writing & Language: raw 43 = scaled 39

You’ll notice that the scaled scoring for these sections only goes up to 40. That’s because cross-test scores are reported only on a scale of 10–40. Now add your scaled scores together:

 

32 + 39 = 71

Finally, multiply the sum by 10:

 

71 x 10 = 710

Your scaled Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Section Score is 710. Remember, the SAT essay doesn’t affect your Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Section Score.

 

Add Your Section Scores Together

Finally, add your two scaled Section scores together to get your Composite Score.

 

In this example, we earned a Math Section Score of 650 and an Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Section Score of 710, so our Composite Score on this SAT would be 1360. This is how to calculate SAT score, in a nutshell.

 

For more test strategies, college admissions, and scholarship application tips sign up for our FREE classes happening right now!

If you want to convert your own scores, you’ll need to use a raw/scaled score conversion table. Tables vary a little between tests, so try to use the table that comes with your chosen practice test.

Below is the conversion table that The College Board provides with SAT Practice Test #1. Remember that the table for your actual test administration will be different, but this is a great way to understand your point possibilities.

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	—	—

Figure Out Your Scaled Math Score

Use this table to get an idea of how scoring really works.

First, find your raw Math score down the left-hand column of the conversion table, then read across to determine your scaled Math score. If your raw Math score is 44, your scaled Math Section Score would be 650.

Figure Out Your Scaled Reading and Writing & Language Scores

This is the point where you combine your Reading and Writing & Language into a comprehensive Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Score.

Remember, our two verbal raw scores are:

• Reading: 38
• Writing & Language: 43

Use the conversion table to convert each one into an equivalent scaled score:

• Reading: raw 38 = scaled 32
• Writing & Language: raw 43 = scaled 39

You’ll notice that the scaled scoring for these sections only goes up to 40. That’s because cross-test scores are reported only on a scale of 10–40. Now add your scaled scores together:

• 32 + 39 = 71

Finally, multiply the sum by 10:

• 71 x 10 = 710

Your scaled Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Section Score is 710. Remember, the SAT essay doesn’t affect your Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Section Score.

Add Your Section Scores Together

Finally, add your two scaled Section scores together to get your Composite Score.

In this example, we earned a Math Section Score of 650 and an Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Section Score of 710, so our Composite Score on this SAT would be 1360. This is how to calculate SAT score, in a nutshell.

For more test strategies, college admissions, and scholarship application tips sign up for our FREE classes happening right now!