Scoring at the SAT

Buy this book »

No, I'm not talking about that kind of scoring.  I'm talking academics here, or at least the SAT's version of academics.  Each half of the SAT used to be scored from 200 to 800, giving you a combined maximum score of 1,6000.  Now that the new SAT is in place, 1,600 is just a high-rent address on Pennsylvania Avenue (the White House), and the maximum score is 2,400 (top score of 800 each on three main sections: Critical Reasoning, Writing, and Math).

You get one point for each correct answer you supply on the SAT, and for everything but the essay and math grid-ins, you lose ¼ point for each incorrect answer.  (If you make a mistake on a grid-in, you receive no points but nothing is deducted).  Two (severely underpaid) English teachers who have undergone special training in SAT scoring read the essay.  Each reader awards it 1 to 6 points.  If the readers disagree by more than one point, which happens in about 6 percent of the essays, a third super-expert weighs in.  When you get your writing score, you see a 20 to 80 score for the multiple-choice questions and an essay subscore of 2 to 12.

The SAT isn't curved, but raw scores are converted to the 200 to 800 format.  Surprisingly, you can get a couple of answers wrong and still receive a perfect 800.

TIP: To guess or not to guess, that is the question.  The answer is a definite maybe.  On the grid-in, always guess because there is no penalty for a wrong answer.  If you have no clue on the grid-in, bubble in your birthday or the number of cavities you had during your last checkup.  For the other five-answer, multiple-choice questions, try to eliminate obviously wrong answers.  If you can dump one, you have a one in four chance of guessing correctly.  Go for it.  If you can't eliminate anything, leave the question blank.  Always guess if you can eliminate two of the five choices because the odds favor you.  Students who make this sort of educated guess usually score higher on the SAT than they would have if they'd left more blanks.

The SAT company (the College Board) sends your score to up to eight colleges.  The basic fee for the test is $41.50, with the first four score reports free, but you pay $7 extra for additional score reports. (Prices, of course, are always subject to change, and don't expect any to go down.  Check the College Board Web site for pricing changes.) If you're applying to more than eight colleges, you can request additional score reports on the (How do they think of these names?) Additional Score Report Request Form.

For a higher fee ($8), you can get a detailed analysis of your test performance - how many of each sort of question you answered right and wrong.  Then you can tailor your prep hours to the stuff that's hard for you.  Ask for Student Answer Service when you register.  For even more money ($16), the SAT sends you a copy of the questions and your answers, but only for certain test dates.  Look for Question and Answer Service when you register.

TIP: If you're planning to take another SAT, spring for the Answer Service.  Seeing what you got wrong gives you a blueprint for review.