Does anyone understand how SAT Math scoring works? I've been practicing but I'm concerned I may not be interpreting my scores correctly. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!
Understanding SAT scoring specifics can be a bit complicated, but I'm here to help! Your SAT Math score is based on both the number of questions you answer correctly and the difficulty level of those questions. There's no penalty for guessing on the SAT, so you only earn points for correctly answered questions and not lose any for incorrect or skipped ones.
So how does the raw score convert into your reported SAT score (between 200-800)? The raw score is the number of questions correctly answered in the Math section. Since there are 44 questions total in the Math section, your raw score can range from 0-44. This raw score is then converted to a scaled score through a process known as equating.
Here's where it gets slightly tricky: this score conversion is not the same for every test. Equating is used to ensure that scores are comparable across different test versions and aren't influenced by the particular test's difficulty. That means a raw score of 40 on a harder test might result in a higher scaled score than a raw score of 40 on an easier test. This difference should be minimal but it does exist.
As of spring 2024, the digital SAT has two 35-minute Math modules with 44 questions in total. To improve your Math scores, it's recommended to allocate your time wisely and focus on gaining a deep understanding of the topics covered in this section.
Remember, this is just one part of your SAT score, which also includes your Reading and Writing scores, and the total SAT score ranges from 400-1600. Great practice can bring great results, keep it up!
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