SAT Score Calculator

The SAT Score Calculator estimates your scaled SAT score on the 400-1600 scale from your raw section scores — the number of Reading & Writing and Math questions you answered correctly on the Digital SAT. It projects each section score, your total, your national percentile, whether you meet the College Board readiness benchmarks, and which colleges your score is competitive for. Because the exact raw-to-scaled curve changes from one test form to the next, the tool also shows a realistic score range.

How SAT Scoring Works

The Digital SAT has two sections: Reading & Writing (54 questions) and Math (44 questions). Your raw score in each section is the number of questions you answer correctly — there is no penalty for wrong answers, so it always pays to guess. Each raw score is then converted to a scaled score from 200 to 800 using an equating table, and the two section scores are added together to produce your total score from 400 to 1600.

SAT Score Formula

In short, scoring is a two-step process: convert each raw score to the 200-800 scale, then add them.

The "Equate" step is where the curve comes in. The College Board adjusts the conversion so that a given scaled score reflects the same ability regardless of how hard a particular test form was. A harder form has a more generous curve; an easier form has a stricter one.

What is a Raw Score vs a Scaled Score?

A raw score is just a count of correct answers (for example, 44 out of 54 on Reading & Writing). A scaled score is that raw score translated onto the standardized 200-800 scale so it can be compared across different test dates and forms. Two students who take different SAT forms and get the same scaled score are considered to have demonstrated the same level of ability, even if they answered a slightly different number of questions correctly.

SAT Score Ranges and What They Mean

SAT College-Readiness Benchmarks

The College Board sets grade-12 college and career readiness benchmarks of 480 for Reading & Writing and 530 for Math. Meeting a benchmark means a student has roughly a 75% chance of earning a C or higher in related first-year, credit-bearing college courses. These benchmarks are a useful gut-check that is independent of any one college's admission requirements.

Why Your Estimate Shows a Range

The precise raw-to-scaled conversion table is published by the College Board for each individual test form and is not known in advance. A single raw score can map to slightly different scaled scores depending on the form's curve. This calculator therefore lets you select a generous, standard, or strict curve and always shows the likely range, so you get an honest picture instead of false precision. Use it to gauge practice-test performance — your official score may land a few points either side of the estimate.

How to Raise Your SAT Score

How to Use This Calculator

1. Count your correct answers: From a practice test or answer key, find how many Reading & Writing and Math questions you got right.
2. Enter your raw scores: Type the number correct for each section (out of 54 and 44).
3. Choose a curve: Pick generous, standard, or strict to reflect your test form. The tool also shows the full range.
4. Click Calculate: See your estimated section scores, total on the gauge, percentile, benchmarks, and college competitiveness.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the SAT scored?

On the Digital SAT you first earn a raw score, which is the number of questions you answer correctly in each section (there is no penalty for wrong answers). Each section's raw score is then converted to a scaled score from 200 to 800 using an equating table specific to your test form. The two section scores add up to your total SAT score from 400 to 1600.

What is a raw score on the SAT?

A raw score is simply the count of questions you got right. Reading & Writing has 54 scored questions and Math has 44 scored questions on the Digital SAT, so the maximum raw scores are 54 and 44. Because the SAT does not subtract points for wrong answers, you should answer every question.

Why do the same raw scores give different scaled scores?

The SAT is equated so that scores mean the same thing across test dates. If a particular form is harder, its curve is more generous, so you need fewer correct answers for a given scaled score. If a form is easier, the curve is stricter. That is why this calculator lets you pick a curve and also shows a score range rather than a single exact number.

What is a good SAT score?

The national average total SAT score is roughly 1050. A score around 1200 is competitive at many four-year colleges, 1300 and up is very competitive, and 1400 and above is in the range for highly selective universities. A good score ultimately depends on the median scores of the colleges you are applying to.

What are the SAT college-readiness benchmarks?

The College Board sets grade-12 college and career readiness benchmarks of 480 for Reading & Writing and 530 for Math. Meeting a benchmark means you have about a 75% chance of earning a C or higher in related first-year college courses.

Is this SAT score estimate exact?

No. The exact raw-to-scaled conversion table is released by the College Board for each individual test form and is not published in advance. This calculator uses representative equating curves to give a realistic estimate and a likely range, which is ideal for gauging practice-test performance, but your official scaled score may differ by a number of points.

Additional Resources

• SAT - Wikipedia
• Official SAT Suite - College Board