Understanding Your SAT Scores

The moment of truth has arrived: if you took the SAT on May 24, you can access your scores online. But what do all those numbers mean?

Summary of Results:

Each of the three sections – Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing – receives a score between 200 – 800. These numbers tell university admissions staff how you did compared to all the other students who took the test at the same time. This section also tells you how many questions you answered correctly and incorrectly, as well as the number of questions you skipped.

Your Score Details:

If you’re planning on taking the SAT again, this section highlights the specific types of questions you answered incorrectly or skipped in each section. You can use this information to pinpoint areas that need improvement and to create a study plan that focuses on your lower scoring sections.

Compare Your Score:

Are you curious to see how your scores compared to those of other students in this year’s graduating class? Each of the three sections of your SAT is also assigned a percentile score. This percentile compares your score with all the other students’ scores, both locally and nationally. For example, if you scored in the 60th percentile for reading on the national level, that means you did better than 60 percent of the other students who took the SAT this year.

Your Essay:

Your essay score is worth 30 percent of your final Writing section score. Your essay was scored independently by two seperate readers, who assigned it a score between 1 – 6. Their two scores were then added together to give you a final score between 2 – 12, which was incorporated into your final Writing score. This section gives you feedback from the readers on the strengths and the weaknesses of your essay.

Even after you understand how the scores are calculated, you may still have questions about how your individual test was marked. If you feel like your test was scored incorrectly, you can request to have your scores verified, depending on the conditions of your test. To decide if this is an appropriate option for you, read more here.

And if you’re looking to improve your score or just get some guided SAT practice, take a look at our summer boot camp options.