How Is the Digital SAT Scored? Score Range, Modules, Guessing

The digital SAT is scored from 400 to 1600. You get a Reading and Writing score and a Math score, each from 200 to 800, and your total is the two added together. Wrong answers cost nothing. Because the test adapts to you, your score depends on which questions you got right, not only how many.

What is the SAT score range?

Score	Range	What it's based on
Total	400–1600	The sum of your two section scores
Reading and Writing	200–800	Both Reading and Writing modules (54 questions)
Math	200–800	Both Math modules (44 questions)

Section scores are reported in 10-point steps. The digital SAT kept the same 400–1600 scale as the old paper test, so scores from both versions mean the same thing to colleges.

How does adaptive scoring work?

Each section has two modules. Module 1 is a broad mix of easy, medium and hard questions. Based on how you do, Bluebook gives you a second module that is, on average, either harder or easier than the first. Both versions still contain a mix of difficulties.

College Board scores the test with item response theory. According to its assessment framework, your score depends on three things:

Which questions you answered correctly or incorrectly.
The attributes of those questions, such as how difficult they are.
Whether your pattern of answers suggests guessing.

That's why two students with the same number of correct answers can end up with different scores. A harder question answered correctly tells the scoring model more than an easy one.

What does a harder Module 2 mean?

If your second module feels noticeably harder than the first, that's usually good news: it generally means you did well enough on Module 1 to be routed to the higher-difficulty path, which is where the highest scores are possible. If it feels easier, your score range is more limited for that section. Either way, Module 1 is the part you have the most control over, so give it your full attention and don't rush it.

Is there a penalty for guessing?

No. Every question is scored as 1 (right) or 0 (wrong or blank). There's no deduction for a wrong answer, so leaving a question blank can only hurt you. If time is running out, pick an answer for every remaining question.

That doesn't mean random guessing is a strategy. On a module you have time for, eliminating two choices and choosing between the other two beats a blind guess.

Do all the questions count?

Not quite. Each module includes two pretest questions that College Board is trying out for future tests. They don't affect your score, and you can't tell which ones they are, so treat every question as if it counts.

Module	Scored questions	Pretest questions	Time
Reading and Writing, each module	25	2	32 minutes
Math, each module	20	2	35 minutes

Can you convert a raw score to an SAT score?

Not with a fixed table. Because scoring depends on which questions you answered and which module you were given, there's no single raw-to-scaled chart for the adaptive test. The most reliable estimate comes from a full-length practice test in Bluebook, which is scored the same way as test day. College Board's paper practice tests (meant for students testing on paper with accommodations) come with scoring guides that give a range rather than a single number.

What's on your score report?

Alongside your total and section scores, the report shows percentile ranks and how you did across the content domains in each section. Use the domain breakdown to decide what to study next. A low result in, say, Advanced Math or Standard English Conventions points you to a specific set of skills rather than "more practice".

When do SAT scores come out?

For weekend tests, College Board says scores are typically in your College Board account about 13 days after test day, and sent to the colleges you chose about 10 days after that. For the next two dates:

November 7, 2026 SAT: score release scheduled for November 20.
December 5, 2026 SAT: score release scheduled for December 18.

If something went wrong on test day, you can cancel your scores in your College Board account until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time one week after the test. Most students shouldn't. Many colleges let you choose which scores to send, which we cover in superscoring and Score Choice.

Common questions

What is the highest possible SAT score?

1600. The SAT reports a Reading and Writing score and a Math score, each on a 200–800 scale, and the total score is their sum.

Do wrong answers lower your SAT score?

No. Each question is scored as right or wrong, and a wrong or blank answer earns nothing either way, so answer every question.

How long does it take to get SAT scores?

For weekend tests, College Board says scores are usually in your account about 13 days after test day. The November 7, 2026 scores are scheduled for November 20 and the December 5 scores for December 18.

Sources

Dates, policies and test details change. Check the official source before you make a decision.