Understanding the Old SAT Scoring System

The SAT is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times. Understanding the SAT scoring system is important as it plays a crucial role in your preparation schedule. The SAT is wholly owned, developed, and published by the College Board and is administered by the Educational Testing Service. The College Board states that the SAT is intended to measure literacy, numeracy and writing skills that are needed for academic success in college.

Historical Context and Purpose

Historically, starting around 1937, the tests offered under the SAT banner also included optional subject-specific SAT Subject Tests, which were called SAT Achievement Tests until 1993 and then were called SAT II: Subject Tests until 2005; these were discontinued after June 2021. Originally designed not to be aligned with high school curricula, several adjustments were made for the version of the SAT introduced in 2016. The test is typically taken by high school juniors and seniors. The College Board also claims that the SAT, in combination with high school grade point average (GPA), provides a better indicator of success in college than high school grades alone, as measured by college freshman GPA.

The Old SAT Structure

The SAT is made up of two sections: Reading & Writing and Math. Each section includes 2 modules. Reading and writing are combined into a single score for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW). The two math modules are combined into a single Math score. The current digitally-administered SAT has two main sections: reading and writing, and math. Each of these sections is further broken down into two equal-length "modules". (Until the summer of 2021, the test taker was also optionally able to write an essay as part of an additional test section.

Reading and Writing Section

The reading and writing section consists of two equal modules, each 32 minutes long with 27 questions. The modules consist of short reading passages or passage pairs, each of which is followed by a single multiple-choice question. The passages are 25 to 150 words in length.

Math Section

The mathematics portion of the SAT is divided into two modules, each 35 minutes long with 22 questions. The topics covered are algebra (13 to 15 questions), advanced high school math (13 to 15 questions), problem solving and data analysis (5 to 7 questions), and geometry and trigonometry (5 to 7 questions). Roughly 75% of the math questions are 4-option multiple-choice; the remaining 25% are student-produced response (SPR) questions and require the student to type in a numerical response. The SPR questions may have more than one correct answer. Calculators are permitted on all questions in the math portion of the SAT.

Scoring Methodology

For much of its history, it was called the Scholastic Aptitude Test and had two components, Verbal and Mathematical, each of which was scored on a range from 200 to 800. A score for each section is reported on a scale of 200 to 800, and each section score is a multiple of ten. A total score for the SAT is calculated by adding the two section scores, resulting in total scores that range from 400 to 1600. In addition to the two section scores, several subsection "performance" scores (example subsections: "Craft and Structure" in Reading and Writing, and "Algebra" in Math) are also reported for each section. The essay, if taken as part of an SAT School Day administration, is scored separately from the two section scores. Two people score each essay by each awarding 1 to 4 points in each of three categories: reading, analysis, and writing. These two scores from the different examiners are then combined to give a total score from 2 to 8 points per category.

Not all questions on each section of the SAT are weighted equally; students earn more scores for answering more difficult questions correctly. There are experimental problems which are used by College Board to test future test questions. Answering experimental questions, either correctly or incorrectly, does not impact the test score. The SAT is a norm-referenced test intended to yield scores that follow a bell curve distribution among test-takers. In addition, students receive two percentile scores, each of which is defined by the College Board as the percentage of students in a comparison group with equal or lower test scores. One of the percentiles, called the "Nationally Representative Sample Percentile", uses as a comparison group all 11th and 12th graders in the United States, regardless of whether or not they took the SAT. This percentile is theoretical and is derived using methods of statistical inference. The second percentile, called the "SAT User Percentile", uses actual scores from a comparison group of recent United States students that took the SAT. For example, for the school year 2019â2020, the SAT User Percentile was based on the test scores of students in the graduating classes of 2018 and 2019 who took the SAT (specifically, the 2016 revision) during high school.

Cost and Accommodations

As of 2024, the SAT costs US$68, plus additional fees if testing outside the United States. The College Board makes fee waivers available for low-income students. Students with verifiable disabilities, including physical and learning disabilities, are eligible to take the SAT with accommodations.

Transition to the Digital SAT

The December 2023 SAT was the last SAT test offered on paper. The new test is adaptive, with the second module being adaptive to the demonstrated level based on the results from the first module. Specifically, the difficulty of Module 2 in each section is determined by a student's performance in Module 1. Strong performance in the first module leads to placement in a more challenging Module 2, which contains the most difficult questions on the test. Weaker performance results in assignment to an easier Module 2.

The new digital SAT, introduced after 2016, includes only Maths and evidence-based reading and writing. It is administered in an official test center, as before, but the students use their own testing devices (a portable computer or tablet). However, a school may require the use of school-issued devices for students taking the digital SAT on its campus. Students have two modules per section (reading/writing and math). On the reading and writing modules, the questions will have shorter passages for each question. On the math modules, the word problems will be more concise. Students have a ten-minute break after the first two English modules and before the two math modules. A timer is built into the testing software and will automatically begin once the student finishes the second English module.

Read also: Comprehensive SAT Guide

Converting Old SAT Scores to New SAT Scores

The SAT had another redesign in 2023/2024 when it went completely digital, but the new Digital SAT is still scored on a 1600-point scale like the 2016-2023 test, so no major changes there. But how do you compare a new Digital SAT score with one on the old SAT 2400 scale? The official new SAT to old SAT conversion charts below offer the most accurate score conversions from one SAT to the other.

Before you use these tables, know that the most accurate conversion method is to split up the score conversion section by section. On the old SAT, Reading and Writing were separate sections, each out of 800. Using the two section tables above, you can convert any scores from the new SAT to the old SAT, and vice versa. This SAT conversion table is the one I recommend not using since it goes from composite score to composite score. For example, here are two scenarios of a student with an 1800 score on the old SAT. If you just use the table below, you'd get 1290 as your new total SAT score. Notice how in both scenarios, the old composite score adds up to 1800, but the new composite score varies by nearly 100 points.

The official conversion tables show that the new SAT has higher scores than expected across the entire score range. Without the College Board's concordance table, you might imagine that you could just multiply the old SAT score by 2/3 to get your new SAT score. For example, 2400 * 2/3 = 1600. In fact, new SAT scores are much higher than this simple formula would predict. An 1800 on the old SAT actually translates to 1290âthat's 90 points higher than 1200. This also reflects section by section. A 700 on the old SAT Math section is equivalent to a 730 on the new SAT Math section, while a 500 on the old SAT is equivalent to a 530 on the new SAT.

Score Validity and Reporting

SAT scores never technically expire, but most colleges only accept scores that are five years old or newer. Scores more than a year old are considered âold SAT scoresâ and are archived. To access your old SAT scores, you will be charged the regular score report free of $12 per report. You can order a rush score report if you need an old score to be sent to a college or an employer quickly (2-4 days). The majority of colleges have a policy stipulating that official reports must be sent to them directly from the College Board. Among those colleges that require test scores, many accept the College Boardâs Score Choice option. Score Choice allows you to choose which scores get sent to colleges, so if you did badly on this test, you could opt not to send the scores. Not all colleges accept Score Choiceâsome schools require that all test scores be sent. Many colleges practice what is commonly known as âsuperscoring,â which means that they only look at the highest section scores. Other colleges only look at your highest score from a single test date.

To get an idea of how your SAT scores compare to other test-takers, youâll need to look at your College Board report. On the front side of the report, youâll see a number between 1 and 99. Your percentile ranking indicates how well you performed compared to other test-takers. The College Board provides what it calls âvery careful and systematic quality control processesâ to ensure that your score is accurate. Test-takers who want to double-check their scores can access score verification services.

Read also: Old SAT Score Conversion

Factors Influencing SAT Performance

Many students prepare for the SAT using books, classes, online courses, and tutoring, which are offered by a variety of companies and organizations. However, (expensive) preparatory courses do not offer significant improvements on their performance, and neither do elite secondary schools. Like IQ scores, SAT scores tend to be stable over time, meaning SAT preparation courses offer only a limited advantage. The College Board also offers a test called the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), and there is some evidence that taking the PSAT at least once can help students do better on the SAT; moreover, like the case for the SAT, top scorers on the PSAT could earn scholarships. According to cognitive scientist Sian Beilock, 'choking', or substandard performance on important occasions, such as taking the SAT, can be prevented by doing plenty of practice questions and proctored exams to improve procedural memory, making use of the booklet to write down intermediate steps to avoid overloading working memory, and writing a diary entry about one's anxieties on the day of the exam to enhance self-empathy and positive self-image. Sleep hygiene is important as the quality of sleep during the days leading to the exam can improve performance.

Take a practice SAT to identify your strengths and weaknesses. To get the most accurate results, mimic real testing conditions as closely as possibleâtake the test with pen and paper rather than online, make sure youâre timed accurately, sit at a desk in a quiet space, and (if possible) time it for early in the morning. Complete plenty of practice questions, practice sections, and practice tests so that you become comfortable with the tone and format of SAT questions. Improving your score comes down to targeted practice. If your SAT score isnât your best, your best bet is to simply plan to take the SAT again. Create a study plan and prepare thoroughly before retaking the test.

SAT Scores and College Admissions

The SAT is one of the most widely used standardized tests for college admissions. Average SAT scores differ from year to year. This depends on the colleges you apply to. Selective colleges use a metric called the Academic Index (AI) to represent the strength of applicantsâ grades and test scores. You can also search for schools based on preferences like location, major, cost, and more. Many colleges and private organizations offer merit-based scholarships starting around a 1200 SAT, with larger awards often requiring scores of 1400+. Some colleges automatically award scholarships based on SAT or ACT scores, sometimes including other qualifiers like GPA. You donât need to submit any extra application information to be eligible for these types of scholarships, but sometimes you must meet a particular deadline to qualify.

The Role of SAT Scores in Predicting College Success

The College Board has conducted large-scale studies that demonstrate that âusing SAT scores in conjunction with [high school grades] is the most powerful way to predict future academic performance.â This is one reason why many selective schools have chosen to return to test required policies. However, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a large number of American colleges and universities decided to make standardized test scores optional for prospective students.

In 2009, education researchers Richard C. Atkinson and Saul Geiser from the University of California (UC) system argued that high school GPA is better than the SAT at predicting college grades regardless of high school type or quality. In its 2020 report, the UC academic senate found that the SAT was better than high school GPA at predicting first year GPA, and just as good as high school GPA at predicting undergraduate GPA, first year retention, and graduation. However, a month after the UC academic senate report, Saul Geiser disputed the UC academic senate's findings, saying "that the Senate claims are 'spurious', based on a fundamental error of omitting student demographics in the prediction model". Indicating when high school GPA is combined with demographics in the prediction, the SAT is less reliable. Li Cai, a UCLA professor who directs the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing, indicated that the UC Academic Senate did include student demographics by using a different and simpler model for the public to understand and that the discriminatory impacts of the SAT are compensated during the admissions process.

However, by analyzing their own institutional data, Brown, Yale, and Dartmouth universities reached the conclusion that SAT scores are more reliable predictors of collegiate success than GPA. Furthermore, the scores allow them to identify more potentially qualified students from disadvantaged backgrounds than they otherwise would. At the University of Texas at Austin, students who declined to submit SAT scores when such scores were optional performed more poorly than their peers who did. These results were replicated by a study conducted by the non-profit organization Opportunity Insights analyzing data from Ivy League institutions (Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University) plus Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Chicago. A 2009 study found that SAT or ACT scores along with high-school GPAs are strong predictors of cumulative university GPAs. In particular, those with standardized test scores in the 50th percentile or better had a two-thirds chance of having a cumulative university GPA in the top half. A 2010 meta-analysis by researchers from the University of Minnesota offered evidence that standardized admissions tests such as the SAT predicted not only freshman GPA but also overall collegiate GPA. A 2012 study from the same university using a multi-institutional data set revealed that even after controlling for socioeconomic status and high-school GPA, SAT scores were still as capable of predicting freshman GPA among university or college students. A 2019 study with a sample size of around a quarter of a million students suggests that together, SAT scores and high-school GPA offer an excellent predictor of freshman collegiate GPA and second-year retention.

Education economist Jesse M. Rothstein indicated in 2005 that high-school average SAT scores were better at predicting freshman university GPAs compared to individual SAT scores. In other words, a student's SAT scores were not as informative with regards to future academic success as his or her high school's average. While the SAT is correlated with intelligence and as such estimates individual differences, it does not have anything to say about "effective cognitive performance" or what intelligent people do. Nor does it measure non-cognitive traits associated with academic success such as positive attitudes or conscientiousness. Like other standardized tests such as the ACT or the GRE, the SAT is a traditional method for assessing the academic aptitude of students who have had vastly different backgrounds. Standardized tests are a useful way to determine a studentâs ability, relative to that of his or her peers, because the tests are designed such that there will always be an equal ratio of high scores to medium scores to low scores.

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