How the digital SAT is scored
The digital SAT adapts to you. Here is how your answers become a score from 400 to 1600, and what that means for test day.
The short version
- Two sections, Reading and Writing and Math, each scored from 200 to 800. Your total is 400 to 1600.
- Each section has two modules. How you do in Module 1 decides whether Module 2 is harder or easier.
- Only the harder Module 2 can take you to the top of the scale, so Module 1 accuracy matters most.
- Wrong answers cost nothing. Answer every question.
- Two questions in every module are unscored pretest questions, and you can’t tell which.
Two sections, four modules
| Section | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and Writing | 54, in two modules of 27 | 64 minutes (32 per module) |
| Math | 44, in two modules of 22 | 70 minutes (35 per module) |
Reading and Writing gives you about 71 seconds a question, each with one short passage. Math gives you about 95 seconds a question, with a graphing calculator and a reference sheet on every question.
How the adaptive modules work
Module 1 of each section is the same mix for everyone: easy, medium and hard questions. When it ends, the test checks how you did and picks your Module 2. Strong Module 1 work sends you to a harder Module 2; weaker work sends you to an easier one.
The two routes lead to different parts of the score scale. The harder Module 2 has the difficult questions needed to show a high score. The easier Module 2 is built to measure students below that level, so the highest scores are out of its reach.
Why Module 1 matters
Every Module 1 question helps decide your route, and the route sets how high your section score can go. A careless miss on an easy Module 1 question can cost more than a miss on a hard question later. So in Module 1, slow down on questions you know you can get, check your work, and don’t rush to finish early.
Pretest questions don’t count
Each section has 4 unscored pretest questions, 2 in each module. College Board is trying them out for future tests. They look exactly like the scored ones. If one question seems unusually strange or hard, it may be a pretest question: make your best guess, mark it for review, and move on rather than losing minutes on it.
No penalty for guessing
A wrong answer counts the same as a blank. Never leave a question empty. If time is running out, eliminate what you can and pick an answer for every remaining question.
From answers to a 200–800 score
Your section score is not the share of questions you got right. The digital SAT uses a statistical scoring model: it looks at which questions you got right, how hard they were and which Module 2 you had, and works out the level that best explains your answers. That is why two students with the same number right can get different scores.
Want to see this in numbers? The SAT score calculator estimates a section score and range from your right answers per module, and explains its own method.
Score ranges and percentiles
Score range. No test measures you perfectly. Your score report shows a range around each score: the band you would likely land in if you took the test again around the same time, without studying more. Treat a change of a few points as noise, not progress.
Percentile. A percentile tells you how your score compares with other test takers. A 75th percentile means you scored as high as or higher than 75 of every 100 students in the comparison group. Your score report shows which group it compares you with.
Questions
What is a good SAT score?
It depends on the colleges you are applying to. Look up the middle score range of admitted students at each one, and aim for the top of that range.
Is there a penalty for wrong answers on the SAT?
No. A wrong answer and a blank count the same, so answer every question, even if you have to guess.
How many questions are unscored?
Four in each section: two in every module. They look exactly like the scored questions, so you can’t tell which ones they are.
Can I tell which Module 2 I got?
Not from a label on screen. A Module 2 that feels clearly harder than Module 1 is usually a good sign, because the harder route is the one that reaches the top scores.
Does every question count the same?
No. The digital SAT scores with a statistical model, so harder questions and the module you were routed to affect your score, not only how many you got right.
See where you stand
Twenty questions show your level in every Reading, Writing and Math domain, and which Learn lessons to start with. Free with a Peakscor account.
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