How to Figure Out SAT Score: Step-by-Step Guide 2026

Your SAT score is calculated by converting the number of questions you answered correctly in each of the two sections—Reading and Writing, and Math—into scaled scores between 200 and 800, then adding those two section scores together for a total between 400 and 1600. To figure out your SAT score, you need three things: your raw correct-answer count, the official conversion table from the test you took, and knowledge of how the composite is assembled from its parts. This guide walks through each step.

Understand the SAT Score Structure

The SAT is scored on a 400–1600 scale, and that single number is the composite (or total) score. It is not an average—it is the sum of two section scores.

The layers work like this:

• Composite score (400–1600): The sum of your two section scores.
• Section scores (200–800 each): One for Reading and Writing, one for Math.
• Subscores and cross-test scores: These break performance into finer categories, such as Command of Evidence or Heart of Algebra. They are diagnostic—they do not add into your 1600 total.

A quick sanity check: if your Reading and Writing section score is 620 and your Math section score is 580, your composite is 620 + 580 = 1200. Because each section tops out at 800, the highest possible composite is 1600 and the lowest is 400.

One important note: the SAT is not scored by subtracting points for wrong answers. There is no penalty for guessing, which means your raw score is simply the count of questions you got right.

Calculate Your Score From Raw to Scaled

Step 1 — Count your raw score. For each section, add up every question you answered correctly. Your raw score is just those correct counts.

Step 2 — Convert raw to scaled using the official table. College Board publishes a conversion table for each test administration. Because tests vary slightly in difficulty, the same raw score can map to different scaled scores on different dates. The conversion process is often called equating, and it exists to keep scores fair across test dates. The table is not a fixed formula—it changes per test. Always use the table tied to your specific test.

Step 3 — Add the two scaled section scores. That sum is your composite.

Worked example: Suppose you got 40 questions correct in Reading and Writing and 30 correct in Math. Using a representative table, that might convert to roughly 650 and 620. Your composite would be about 650 + 620 = 1270. Change the test date and those conversion values could shift, which is exactly why the actual table matters.

Check Your Official Score Report

The most accurate way to figure out your score is to read the official report, which lives in your College Board account.

Where to find it

Sign in at College Board, go to your score dashboard, and select the test date. From there you can open the full score report and, if you opted in, send scores to colleges.

How to read each part

• Total score: Your 400–1600 composite, front and center.
• Section scores: The two 200–800 numbers that add up to the total.
• Subscores: The diagnostics that show strengths within each section.
• Benchmarks: College Board marks college-readiness benchmarks so you can see whether you met them.

Read the report top to bottom: confirm the total first, verify the two section scores add up to it, then use the subscores to spot which skills pulled your score up or down.

Use Score Calculators and Tools

Free SAT score calculators can estimate your composite quickly, and they are handy for practice tests. Most ask for your raw correct counts per section and apply a conversion table.

When they are trustworthy

• Official College Board practice tests: These come with their own scoring guides, so a calculator using that specific guide is reliable.
• Recent tests: Conversion tables shift gradually, so a calculator built on a recent test is closer to reality than an old one.

When to be cautious

• Generic calculators with no test date: They typically rely on an average table, so expect some margin of error.
• Real test scores: For an official sitting, the report in your College Board account beats any third-party tool every time.

Use calculators for practice and planning, but treat the official report as the final word.

Understand How Equating Affects Your Number

Equating is the reason two students with identical raw scores on different dates can receive different scaled scores. College Board builds each test slightly differently in difficulty, then adjusts the conversion so a 1300 on one date means about the same thing as a 1300 on another.

This has two practical consequences. First, never compare your raw score to a friend’s raw score from a different test date—compare scaled scores. Second, a hard test is not a disadvantage. If the conversion compensates, a lower raw count on a tough form can still produce a strong scaled score.

A useful habit: when you review a practice test, look at which questions you missed near the end of each module. Late questions are often the hardest, and missing them costs less in scaled terms than missing early, easy questions.

Know What Does Not Change Your Score

A few common beliefs are worth clearing up. Skipping questions never helps strategically unless you are out of time—there is no penalty for a wrong answer, so an educated guess is always at least as good as a blank. Order of difficulty within a module does not change how a correct answer is counted; every right answer is worth the same raw point. Finally, the optional essay, where a test still offers one, is scored separately and does not touch your 400–1600 composite.

Stick to correct-answer counts, the right conversion table, and the sum of two section scores, and your estimate will track the official result closely.

Key Takeaways

• Your composite SAT score (400–1600) is the sum of two section scores, each scored 200–800.
• Raw scores are simply correct-answer counts—no penalty for wrong answers.
• Converting raw to scaled scores requires the official conversion table for your specific test date, because of equating.
• Read your official report by confirming the total, then verifying the two section scores add up to it.
• Free calculators are fine for practice tests, but the College Board report is the authoritative source for a real test.