SAT® Score Calculator
How the scoring works
The SAT® is scored out of 1600. Reading & Writing and Math each produce a score between 200 and 800, and the two are added. There's no weighting and no penalty for a wrong answer, so your raw count in each section is what matters.
Digital SAT
Each section runs in two modules. Reading & Writing has 27 questions per module, 54 in total; Math has 22 per module, 44 in total. This calculator adds your two module scores together, then converts each section's raw total to its 200–800 score using College Board's conversion table from Digital SAT Practice Test #5.
Legacy pen-and-paper SAT
Reading (52 questions) and Writing (44) combine into one raw score out of 96, which converts to a single 200–800 Reading & Writing score. Math is scored separately out of 58. If you're taking practice tests from before the digital switch, use this form so the conversion matches the paper you sat.
The conversion isn't linear
Near the top of each scale, a single question is worth far more. On the digital Reading & Writing table, going from 50 to 51 correct moves you from 660 to 720. On Math, 40 to 41 correct moves you from 630 to 690. Down in the middle of the range, one question typically moves you 10 points. That's why students who are close to a target score often gain more from eliminating a couple of careless errors than from studying new content.
Why this is an estimate
College Board's conversion table doesn't give one score per raw score. It gives a range — say 45 correct is worth somewhere between 610 and 650. Your calculator picks the top number of every range. So the score it shows a student is the best case, not the middle.
The Digital SAT® (DSAT®) is the new adaptive version of the SAT® that launched in Spring 2024. Instead of paper tests, students now take the exam on a computer, with questions adapting in difficulty based on performance in the first module. Scores still range from 400–1600, but the digital format makes testing more efficient and personalized.
The Digital SAT® is adaptive. Each section runs in two modules, and how you perform in Module 1 determines the difficulty of the questions you get in Module 2. That's why raw scores can't be read directly as a result: a raw score earned on a harder Module 2 is worth more than the same raw score on an easier one. College Board's conversion handles this, so scores stay comparable between students who saw different questions and between different test dates. The full breakdown of how raw scores become your 200–800 section scores is in the scoring section above.
Your raw score is simply the number of correct answers. Scale scores are created when the College Board converts raw scores into the 200–800 range for each section. The scaling accounts for the adaptive nature of the DSAT®, so your scaled score is comparable to other students even if you saw slightly different questions.
A “good” SAT® score depends on your college goals. For competitive schools like Harvard, you’ll likely need 1500+, while many state schools accept scores around 1200. Nationally, the average SAT® score is usually between 1010–1060, so anything above that is above average. Generally, a 1200 puts you in the top quartile, while a 1400+ places you in the 94th percentile or higher.
The national average SAT® score usually falls between 1010–1060. Looking at percentiles, a 50th percentile score is about 1050, while a 75th percentile score is around 1200. That means most college-bound students aim for 1100–1300, with top schools requiring significantly higher scores.
Scoring a 1400 is challenging—it places you in the top 6% of test takers. To earn a 1400, you typically need around 700 in each section. In practice, that means missing only 6–8 questions per section on average. With focused prep and expert guidance, however, a 1400+ is achievable.
Yes, a 1200 is considered a solid SAT® score. It places you in the top quartile of test takers and is competitive for many universities. While it may not be strong enough for Ivy League admissions, it’s above average nationally and makes you a competitive applicant at a wide range of schools.
The SAT® is not curved relative to other test takers. Instead, the College Board uses a process called “equating” to ensure fairness. This means that a 600 score on one test date equals a 600 on another, even if the questions were slightly harder or easier. This process ensures consistency across test administrations.
Your superscore is the combination of your highest Math score and highest Reading & Writing score across multiple SAT® test dates. For example, if you scored 700 in Math on one test and 720 in Reading & Writing on another, your superscore would be 1420. Many colleges now consider superscores during admissions.
TutorLyft connects you with tutors in the subjects the SAT® tests — Math, English and reading comprehension. Work through your weakest section with a tutor, practise under timed conditions, then use this calculator to check where your practice scores land.