How to Explain SAT Scores
- 1). Talk about the scoring process. Raw scores are determined by scoring which questions you answered correctly. You get one point for every question you get right and zero points for omitted questions. However, students are marked off 1/4, 1/3 or even 1/2 a point for every incorrect answer. These raw scores get converted into your final scaled score, which is what you will see when you get your results.
- 2). Explain that the lowest scale score a student can get on each section is 200, while the most a student can get on a section is 800. Because there are three sections, the lowest overall score a student can get is 600 while the highest score is 2400.
- 3). Know that there are three separate scores which combine to make your overall score. You get one score in writing, critical reading and math. These scores are then combined to reflect your overall score. For example if you got a 630 in math, 530 in critical reading and 600 in writing, your overall score is 1760 out of 2400.
- 4). Talk about your essay subscore. The score is a combination of two scores given to you by two separate readers. The highest score you can get from one reader is a six while the lowest is a zero. For example if one reader gives your essay a four and the second gives it a five, your overall essay subscore is a nine out of 12.
- 5). Compare your scores to the percentile range which reflects where you rank among other test takers. For example if you scored 630 in math, you land in the 81st percentile. If you scored a 530 in critical reading, you land in the 60th percentile and if you scored a 600 in writing, you scored in the 81st percentile.
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