How is the SAT Scored?

A student’s total score on the SAT is the sum of scores achieved on the two sections of the exam. Section scores are derived from a student’s raw score, which is calculated by the number of questions answered correctly. The raw scores are then converted to scaled scores. This conversion process is used to adjust for differences in difficulty across all SAT exams. Scaled scores for both the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section and the Math section range from 200-800. Therefore, the student’s final score will be between 400-1600.

Along with their section scores and total score, students receive percentile scores. Percentile scores indicate the percentage of students that scored at or below a particular score. For example, if a student scores in the 80th percentile, that would indicate that 80% of students achieved the same score or lower. The SAT measures two types of percentile scores: Nationally Representative Sample and SAT User. The Nationally Representative Sample percentiles are weighted to represent a research study of U.S. students in 11th and 12th grade. The SAT User percentiles represent actual scores of students in the same graduating class. These two types of percentiles offer different populations to which students and colleges can compare scores.

SAT Total Score Percentiles

Total ScoreNationally Representative
Sample Percentiles
SAT User
Percentiles
1550-160099+99+
1500-155099 to 99+99 to 99+
1450-15009998 to 99
1400-145097 to 9995 to 98
1350-140094 to 9792 to 95
1300-135091 to 9488 to 92
1250-130086 to 9182 to 88
1200-125081 to 8676 to 82
1150-120074 to 8168 to 76
1100-115067 to 7459 to 68
1050-110058 to 6749 to 59
1000-105048 to 5840 to 49
950-100038 to 4831 to 40
900-95029 to 3822 to 31
850-90021 to 2915 to 22
800-85014 to 219 to 15
750-8008 to 145 to 9
700-7504 to 82 to 5
650-7001 to 41 to 2
600-650-1 to 1-1 to 1
550-600-1-1
500-550-1-1
450-500-1-1
400-450-1-1

SAT Section Scores Percentiles

Evidence-Based
Reading and Writing
Math
Section ScoreNationally Representative
Sample Percentiles
SAT User
Percentiles
Nationally Representative
Sample Percentiles
SAT User
Percentiles
750-80099 to 99+99 to 99+98 to 99+97 to 99+
700-75097 to 9995 to 9995 to 9894 to 97
650-70090 to 9787 to 9590 to 9586 to 94
600-65079 to 9073 to 8781 to 9076 to 86
550-60065 to 7957 to 7368 to 8161 to 76
500-55048 to 6539 to 5747 to 6840 to 61
450-50031 to 4822 to 3929 to 4725 to 40
400-45016 to 3110 to 2215 to 2912 to 25
350-4005 to 163 to 105 to 154 to 12
300-3501 to 51 to 31 to 51 to 4
250-300-1 to 1-1 to 1-1 to 1-1 to 1
200-250-1-1-1-1

Table data from collegeboard.org

 

The ACT, a different college entrance exam, uses different scoring. Click here for more information on the ACT versus the SAT.