Everything that is in italics is copyrighted by the CollegeBoard.

1.  Multiple Choice:  You receive one point for each question answered correctly.  For each question that you attempt but answer incorrectly, 0.25 of a point is subtracted from the total number of correct answers.  No points are added or subtracted for unanswered questions.  If the final score includes a fraction, the score is rounded to the nearest whole number.

2.  Student-produced response questions in the math section: Nothing is subtracted for wrong answers.

3.  The essay:  receives a score from 2 to 12.  However, a blank essay, essays that are not written on topic, or essays deemed illegible after several attempts have been made will receive a score of 0.

A statistical process called equating scales your score from 200 to 800 on each section.  Scores are equated to adjust for minor differences between test forms.  Equating assures you and colleges that a score of 500 on the math section of one form of the test indicates the same ability level as 500 on the math section of another form of the test.

The Educational Testing Service tries its best to make sure that the January SAT test is as difficult (or as easy - think positive) as the May SAT test. For the most part, most people will think that each test is of the same difficulty level. Sometimes you'll hear a student who took the SAT twice claim that his May test was much easier than his January test, and that is why his performance was better. Usually there are two reasons for this. First, the student probably had more preparation between January and May, and the May test will be easier perhaps because he's more efficient at pacing, or stronger at geometry. Second, he may have been lucky; the vocabulary he knew showed up on the test, or perhaps he was more inclined to read the passages on Eskimo snowshoes and Botswanan diamonds because those subjects inteestes him. These are the reasons why most students may perceive one test is easier than another.

But the ETS can't be perfect. One test may be legitimately more difficult than another for myriad reasons. Good thing the ETS has the equating though. This way, although your performance may be worse that it would have been on next month's test, your score will not reflect that. You are compared to your peers and "equating" the scores takes care of the discrepancies caused by varied diffcultly levels.

The only other reason to have knowledge about scoring is to answer the question whether or not to guess. There is a penalty for getting questions incorrect; this is a measure in place to prevent random guessing. But is random guessing really that bad?

Continue on to Guessing on the SAT