Scoring for the Math and Evidence-Based Reading & Writing Sections

  • Students earn 1 point for each correct answer
  • Students neither earn nor lose points for questions skipped or answered incorrectly
  • Raw scores of each section are then converted to scaled scores
  • Scaled scores for each section range between 200 and 800. Total scores range between 400 and 1600

There is no deduction for incorrect answers, which means students should answer every single question. For most sections of the SAT, questions get more difficult as you work through each type of question in a section (except for Evidence-Based Reading questions). This means that the first few questions will usually be easy for most students, and the last ones will usually be extremely difficult for all but the most advanced students. The SAT is designed to challenge students at every level, so the average student is going to face a lot of tough questions in a very short period of time.

Scoring for the Essay

The SAT essay requires students to use a passage as the basis for a well-written and well-thought out argument.

  • Two readers read and score each student’s essay. Essays are scored based on three categories: Reading, Analysis, and Writing.
  • Each reader gives the essay a score ranging between a 1 and 4 points in each category, for a total possible score of 8 points.

An overall score of over 1250 out of 1600 is considered a good score.