How Standardized Tests are Scored: A Guide to Raw vs. Scaled Scores 💯

Don't worry! When you break it down, it's much simpler than you think. This guide explains the difference between score types and shows you exactly how SAT, PSAT, and ACT scores are calculated.

Part 1: The Big Question: What is a "Raw Score" vs. a "Scaled Score"?
Part 2: How are SAT & PSAT Scores Calculated?
Part 3:💡How ChalkTalk PSAT Diagnostic Scoring Works
Part 4: 💡How ChalkTalk SAT Diagnostic Scoring Works
Part 5: How are ACT Scores Calculated?
Part 6: Where to Find Your Scores on ChalkTalk

Part 1: 📈 The Big Question: What is a "Raw Score" vs. a "Scaled Score"?

This is the most important concept to understand!

Raw Score: This is simply the number of questions you answered correctly. If you get 48 questions right, your raw score is 48.
Scaled Score: This is the final score you see on your report (e.g., "1350" on the SAT or "28" on the ACT). This score is converted from your raw score using a process called "equating."

What is "Equating"? Equating is a process that adjusts for slight differences in difficulty between different test dates. It ensures that a "1350" earned in March represents the same level of skill as a "1350" earned in May. It is not a "curve" based on who took the test with you.

Part 2: 🎓 How are SAT & PSAT Scores Calculated?

The SAT and PSAT scoring process is very similar.

You get a Raw Score for the Math section (total questions correct) and a Raw Score for the Reading & Writing section (total questions correct).
Each of these two raw scores is then converted into a Scaled Score using that specific test's conversion chart.
Your two scaled scores are added together to get your Total Score.

PSAT Scoring Example:

Math: A student answers 22 questions correctly. Their raw score is 22.
- Using the chart below, this converts to a Scaled Score of 450.
Reading & Writing (ELA): A student answers 12 questions in Module 1 and 14 in Module 2. Their total raw score is 26.
- Using the chart below, this converts to a Scaled Score of 432.
Total Score: 450 (Math) + 432 (ELA) = 882

PSAT Scoring Charts

Math Scoring chart

Questions Answered Correct (Raw Score)	Scaled Score
0	120
1	135
2	150
3	165
4	180
5	195
6	210
7	225
8	240
9	255
10	270
11	285
12	300
13	315
14	330
15	345
16	360
17	375
18	390
19	405
20	420
21	435
22	450
23	465
24	480
25	495
26	510
27	525
28	540
29	555
30	570
31	585
32	600
33	615
34	630
35	645
36	660
37	675
38	690
39	705
40	720

ELA scoring chart

Questions Answered Correct	Scaled Score
0	120
1	132
2	144
3	156
4	168
5	180
6	192
7	204
8	216
9	228
10	240
11	252
12	264
13	276
14	288
15	300
16	312
17	324
18	336
19	348
20	360
21	372
22	384
23	396
24	408
25	420
26	432
27	444
28	456
29	468
30	480
31	492
32	504
33	516
34	528
35	540
36	552
37	564
38	576
39	588
40	600
41	612
42	624
43	636
44	648
45	660
46	672
47	684
48	696
49	708
50	720

SAT Scoring Charts

Math Scoring Chart

Questions Answered Correct (Raw Score)	Scaled Score
0 Correct Answers	200
1 Correct Answers	220
2 Correct Answers	230
3 Correct Answers	240
4 Correct Answers	260
5 Correct Answers	280
6 Correct Answers	290
7 Correct Answers	300
8 Correct Answers	320
9 Correct Answers	340
10 Correct Answers	350
11 Correct Answers	360
12 Correct Answers	380
13 Correct Answers	400
14 Correct Answers	410
15 Correct Answers	420
16 Correct Answers	440
17 Correct Answers	460
18 Correct Answers	470
19 Correct Answers	480
20 Correct Answers	500
21 Correct Answers	520
22 Correct Answers	530
23 Correct Answers	540
24 Correct Answers	560
25 Correct Answers	580
26 Correct Answers	590
27 Correct Answers	600
28 Correct Answers	620
29 Correct Answers	640
30 Correct Answers	650
31 Correct Answers	660
32 Correct Answers	680
33 Correct Answers	700
34 Correct Answers	710
35 Correct Answers	720
36 Correct Answers	740
37 Correct Answers	760
38 Correct Answers	770
39 Correct Answers	780
40 Correct Answers	800

ELAR (Evidence-Based Reading and Writing) Scoring Chart

Questions Answered Correct (Raw Score)	Scaled Score
0 Correct Answers	200
1 Correct Answers	210
2 Correct Answers	220
3 Correct Answers	240
4 Correct Answers	250
5 Correct Answers	260
6 Correct Answers	270
7 Correct Answers	280
8 Correct Answers	300
9 Correct Answers	310
10 Correct Answers	320
11 Correct Answers	330
12 Correct Answers	340
13 Correct Answers	360
14 Correct Answers	370
15 Correct Answers	380
16 Correct Answers	390
17 Correct Answers	400
18 Correct Answers	420
19 Correct Answers	430
20 Correct Answers	440
21 Correct Answers	450
22 Correct Answers	460
23 Correct Answers	480
24 Correct Answers	490
25 Correct Answers	500
26 Correct Answers	510
27 Correct Answers	520
28 Correct Answers	540
29 Correct Answers	550
30 Correct Answers	560
31 Correct Answers	570
32 Correct Answers	580
33 Correct Answers	600
34 Correct Answers	610
35 Correct Answers	620
36 Correct Answers	630
37 Correct Answers	640
38 Correct Answers	660
39 Correct Answers	670
40 Correct Answers	680
41 Correct Answers	690
42 Correct Answers	700
43 Correct Answers	720
44 Correct Answers	730
45 Correct Answers	740
46 Correct Answers	750
47 Correct Answers	760
48 Correct Answers	780
49 Correct Answers	790
50 Correct Answers	800

Part 3:💡How ChalkTalk PSAT Diagnostic Scoring Works

The scoring system for our PSAT diagnostic has some slight deviations from the standard PSAT administered by the College Board.

For example, on our diagnostic:

All test-takers start the Math section with a fixed score of 120 points, regardless of the number of correct answers.
We directly convert raw scores into section scores using a specific score chart for both Math and ELAR (unlike the statistical conversion of the standard PSAT).
Our diagnostic simplifies the final ELAR scaled score: we add the section scores for Reading and Writing and then multiply the sum by 10. This yields a final scaled score ranging from 120 to 990.

Unscored Questions One important similarity is that each test sitting (Math Module 1, Math Module 2, etc.) includes two unscored questions. When reviewing test reports, teachers can see which two questions were not scored by going to: Tests > Practice Test > Reports

Part 4: 💡How ChalkTalk SAT Diagnostic Scoring Works

Our ChalkTalk SAT diagnostic also has a slightly different scoring system than the official College Board SAT.

All students start the Math section with 200 points, regardless of how many questions they answer correctly.
We directly convert raw scores to section scores using a specific SAT Score Chart for both the Math and ELAR sections (unlike the official statistical conversion).
Our final ELAR (Evidence-Based Reading and Writing) score is calculated more simply: we add the section scores for Reading and Writing and multiply the sum by 10. This gives a final scaled score ranging from 200 to 800.

Unscored Questions Just like the PSAT, each SAT diagnostic sitting includes two unscored questions. Teachers can see which questions were not scored in the test reports: Tests > Practice Test > Reports

Part 5: 🎓 How are ACT Scores Calculated?

The ACT uses a similar process but with a different scale.

You get a Raw Score for each of the four sections (English, Math, Reading, and Science). This is just the number of questions you got right.
Each raw score is converted to a Scaled Score between 1 and 36 (using a conversion chart for that specific test).
Your four scaled scores are then averaged together to get your final Composite Score.

ACT Scoring Example:

Let's say a student gets the following Scaled Scores:

English: 33
Math: 31
Reading: 34
Science: 28

To find the Composite Score, you average them: (33 + 31 + 34 + 28) / 4 = 31.5

The ACT always rounds to the nearest whole number (so .5 rounds up). This student's final Composite Score is 32. 🥳

You can find a sample ACT conversion sheet here. Understanding your raw scores helps you see exactly how many more questions you need to answer correctly to hit your target score!

Part 4: 📍 Where to Find Your Scores on ChalkTalk

Ready to see your own scores? It's simple!

Log in to your ChalkTalk account.
Select the "Tests" tab 🛡️ from the left-hand menu.
Select the test you want to review (e.g., Placement, Mid, or Exit Test).
You will see two tables with your scores:
- The first table shows your Raw Score for each subject and sitting.
- The second table (below the first) shows your final Scaled Score for each subject, as well as the total scaled score.
  - For the SAT: The total score for each subject is out of 800, and the scaled score is out of 1600.
  - For the ACT: The total score for each subject is out of 36, and the scale score is also out of 36.

Understanding raw scores can help you determine how many additional points—or how many more questions—you need to answer correctly to reach your target score.

Have questions? Contact us here

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