SAT Scoring – How SAT Test Scoring Works

Before your child takes the SAT, it’s a good idea for him or her to be familiar with how the SAT test scoring works. Here is the information your child needs to know.

Scoring for the Critical Reading, Math, and Writing Sections

• Students earn 1 point for each correct answer, lose 1/4 point for each incorrect answer (except on the student-produced response math questions), and neither lose nor gain points for each omitted answer.

• A student’s raw score for each of the main test sections (Critical Reading, Math, and Writing)  is calculated by adding 1 point for each correct answer and subtracting 1/4 point for each incorrect answer (again, except on the student-produced response math questions).

• A student’s raw score for each of the three main test sections is converted to a scaled score, which ranges between a 200 and an 800, with 800 being the highest possible score. Because the essay factors into a student’s Writing scaled score, the score conversion for the Writing section is a bit more complex.  See the “Scoring for the Writing Test” section below for details.

• A student’s total SAT score is the total of the student’s scaled scores for the three main test sections. Example: If a student scored a 550 Critical Reading, a 500 Math, and a 600 Writing, his total SAT score would be 550 + 500 + 600 = 1650.

For more information about SAT scoring, visit the College Board website.

Scoring for the Writing Test

• Two readers read and score each student’s Writing test essay. Essays are scored holistically (i.e., based on the overall impression the essay makes).

• Each reader gives the essay a score ranging between a 1 and a 6, with 6 being the highest possible score. The two scores are added together to get a student’s total essay score, which can range between a 2 and a 12, with 12 being the highest possible score. If the two readers’ scores differ by more than one point, a third reader will be called in to resolve the disagreement.

• Students receive three Writing scores: their multiple-choice subscore (ranges between a 20 and an 80), their essay subscore (ranges between a 2 and a 12), and their overall Writing scaled score (ranges between a 200 and an 800). The overall Writing score is calculated by scaling the multiple-choice subscore and the essay subscore. The multiple-choice subscore accounts for about 2/3 of the overall Writing scaled score while the essay subscore accounts for the remaining 1/3.

For more information about SAT Writing scoring, visit the College Board website.

Related Topics

• Find out why StudyPoint recommends viewing SAT scores before sending them to colleges. Visit our Sending SAT Scores page.
• For more specific information about the SAT format and question types, visit our SAT Test page.