How important is the new 1600 SAT scoring system?

Hey everyone! I've been doing some research, and I'm still a bit confused about the new 1600 SAT scoring system compared to the old 2400 one. Does anyone know how colleges view these scores now and if the 1600 scale is more important than the old one?

Hello! The College Board shifted from the 2400-point scale to the 1600-point scale back in March 2016. Since then, the 1600-point SAT scale has become the standard format for the test. Colleges and universities now primarily use the 1600-point SAT score when evaluating applicants.

The new SAT scoring system emphasizes evidence-based reading and writing (ERW) as well as mathematics, with each section being scored out of 800 points. While the older 2400-point SAT included an additional section on writing, the change to the 1600-point scale removed this section and integrated it into the ERW component.

As a result, colleges now focus on the 1600-point scale, as it is the current standard by which they assess student aptitude. If you have taken the old SAT (prior to March 2016) and would like to apply to college, many schools will accept your scores, but you may need to convert them to align with the 1600-point scale. This is typically done through a concordance table, which allows you to compare your scores from the old SAT to the equivalent scores in the new SAT scale. The conversion is not a one-to-one match, but it provides an approximate representation of your scores.