SAT Score Chart: Raw Score Conversion to Scaled Score (2024)

FAQs

How to convert raw score to scaled score? ›

Each correctly scored item below 50 is calculated by taking the number of correct answers, multiplied by the scaled-score value (~3), and added to 100; a raw score of 20 would be approximately a scaled score of 160 (20 x 3, + 100), whereas a raw score of 40 would be approximately a scaled score of 220 (40 x 3, + 100).

The raw score is simply calculated using the number of questions answered correctly. For every question answered correctly on the SAT, a student receives one point. The scaled score of between 200 and 800 is converted from the raw score a student earns on each section.

On three out of eight Reading portions, you could get one wrong and still get 800, but you can't rely on having that opportunity. On seven out of eight Writing sections, you cannot get any questions wrong if you want an 800.

In total, you could miss 50 questions and still earn a “good” score of 1200. Since Reading and Writing will now be combined on the digital SAT, that portion of scoring has actually gotten easier – you simply need a 600 in Reading and Writing, along with a 600 in Math.

The difference between raw score and scaled score will vary from slot to slot. It depends on the variation in the difficulty level of the paper.

Converting a raw score into a standardised score is relatively easy, provided you can follow the maths; for each given raw score, you divide d by the standard deviation, multiply it by 15 (i.e. one standard deviation), and add this to 100.

If you need a 1550, then maybe that means you can miss 4 on the reading and 1 on the writing. Then, plan to get three—or five, or however many questions you figured out before—wrong. So when you get to a really tough question in the reading section, you can think of it as one of the questions you can choose to miss.

Balancing your SAT score

Studying smartly and playing to your strengths will help you get 1500+ on your SAT. For instance, you need at least 55 out of 58 questions correct in the Maths section, 41 out of 44 in the Writing & Language section, and 48 out of 52 in the Reading section to score a 1500+ on your SAT.

Generally speaking, you can miss 1-2 questions on each section and still get a perfect 1600. How many questions you can miss on each section and still hit your target score will depend on your exam's difficulty level and how raw scores convert into scaled scores for that particular test.

The average SAT score is a 1040, so a 1200 is above average. A 1200 SAT score is between the 71st and 80th percentile of test takers, meaning that you scored above 71-80% of other students. A score of 1200 opens a wide range of college options, assuming you have comparable grades (mostly A's and B's).

Are digital SAT scores curved? ›

The SAT® exam itself is not curved relative to test takers. However, the College Board puts each test through an “equating” process. This process ensures no student receives an advantage or disadvantage from taking a particular for on the SAT® on a particular day.

Yes. A 1300 on the SAT indicates good performance in all sections of the exam and places you around the 87th percentile of all test takers, meaning you scored higher than 87% of all test takers.

For example, let's say on the Praxis Core Math your raw score is 35. That means you got 35/56 because there are 56 total questions on the Praxis Core Math. Next, divide 35 by 56, and you get 62.5% or a 63%. Then drop the percent sign and add 100 to get your scale score.

To convert raw scores to scaled scores on the CELF-5 (Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, Fifth Edition), you need to use the test's manual. The manual provides conversion tables that correlate raw scores with scaled scores, which adjust for variability in difficulty among different test forms and age groups.

Apply the formula to every raw score to get your scaled score. i.e., we know that the transformation formula is scaled score = (raw score + 15)/2. If we apply the formula, we get that for a raw score of 10; it corresponds to a scaled score of 12.5.

The way to figure this out is to multiply each score by its weight (percentage) and add the products together, then divide by the sum of the weights. These scores are the student's weighted average. In a single set of test scores, each score, or quantity, is equally valuable.