The SAT is marked across Verbal and Quantitative sections where the two core sections carry equal weightage. High school students aspiring to take the SAT must understand how the scoring is done to have a clear understanding of the SAT exam and the expectations. Let us see how scoring is done in the verbal and quantitative sections of the SAT with the help of an example:

The maximum marks that you can get in your SAT exam are 1600, which are given across the two core sections – Verbal Section, which has Evidence-based Reading and Writing components, and the Quantitative Section, which has Math Level 1 and Maths Level 2. Both the verbal and the quantitative sections have a marking range of 200-800 each. This means that in each of the sections, 200 is the minimum score and 800 is the maximum score that a student can achieve as your SAT score. This combines to take the overall maximum score to 1600.

If you are worried about the SAT having passing criteria or a failing score, do not worry. When you receive your SAT score reports, the report card provides extensive feedback on your attempt, which includes average scores and your percentile as compared to the other SAT takers. This helps you put your SAT score into perspective and facilitate comparison with your previous attempts or with others. Moreover, you can also see your sub-scores and cross-test scores in your SAT report, which offer feedback on your weaknesses and strength areas. However, your SAT report will not tell you whether you failed or passed the SAT. This is because there is no such thing as passing or failing in the SAT. The score you achieve in your SAT is based on a scoring range in which your score falls. This is to help you understand which range your SAT score falls under and to help you measure your scores across sections and with your friends.

In addition to the Evidence-based Reading & Writing and the Quantitative sections of the SAT, the exam also has an optional section, which is called the SAT Essay. This section is not attempted by everyone and is an option for high school students who wish to take up the essay section if specifically required for college admission. The SAT Essay has a scoring range between 2 and 8, where 2 is the minimum score and 8 is the maximum that you can score. To know more about what is considered a good score in the SAT, click here.