Your raw score is just a count of correct answers — 54 in Reading & Writing, 44 in Math, with nothing subtracted for a wrong one. The scaled score is what that count converts to on the 200–800 section scale. The conversion is not a fixed formula, and on the digital SAT it depends on something most explanations leave out entirely: which Module 2 you were routed into.
What counts as raw
The digital SAT is 98 scored questions, split into two sections of two modules each.
| Section | Module 1 | Module 2 | Raw total | Scaled range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading & Writing | 27 | 27 | 54 | 200–800 |
| Math | 22 | 22 | 44 | 200–800 |
| Total | — | — | 98 | 400–1600 |
Every correct answer is worth one raw point. Hard questions are not worth more than easy ones at the raw stage — difficulty is handled later, in the conversion. And because there is no penalty for a wrong answer, a blank is strictly worse than a guess. College Board sets out the section structure in what’s on the test.
A handful of questions on every form are unscored field-test items, seeded to calibrate them for future tests. You cannot identify them and they do not affect your score. Treat all 98 as real, because you have no way not to.
Why there is no single conversion table
Each administered form is equated separately, so each has its own raw → scaled table, released only with that form’s score report. A 46 raw in Reading & Writing is not a fixed scaled score; it is a scaled score on that form. Across forms the same raw count typically moves by about ±30 points on a total. This is equating, not a curve, and it is why every honest conversion is a band.
The conversion tables
Below are the anchors our own scoring engine uses, modelled on released Bluebook practice-test curves. They are estimates rather than an official table — but unlike most free tools, they model the adaptive path as a genuine ceiling, which is the part that actually changes answers.
| Raw | Harder Module 2 | Easier Module 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 300 | 290 |
| 16 | 400 | 380 |
| 24 | 500 | 460 |
| 32 | 580 | 530 |
| 40 | 660 | 600 |
| 44 | 700 | 650 — ceiling |
| 48 | 740 | not reachable |
| 51 | 780 | not reachable |
| 54 | 800 | not reachable |
| Raw | Harder Module 2 | Easier Module 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 330 | 290 |
| 12 | 400 | 340 |
| 16 | 460 | 380 |
| 20 | 520 | 420 |
| 28 | 620 | 530 |
| 32 | 660 | 600 |
| 36 | 710 | 670 — ceiling |
| 40 | 760 | not reachable |
| 44 | 800 | not reachable |
Read across a row and the size of the gap is the story. At a raw 20 in Math the two paths differ by 100 scaled points for identical work. That gap is not a rounding difference between calculators; it is the single largest factor in your section score after the raw count itself.
The ceiling most calculators miss
If your Module 1 performance routes you into the easier Module 2, the highest score that panel can produce is roughly 650 in Reading & Writing and 670 in Math — even with every remaining question correct. The maximum raw you can even accumulate on that path is 44 and 36 respectively, because clearing more than 17 or 14 on Module 1 would have routed you the other way.
Tools that treat the path as a small raw deduction rather than a ceiling overestimate low-Module-1 students by 70 to 90 points. That is the difference between a plan that works and a target that was never reachable. What the easy Module 2 actually means goes through the diagnosis.
The conversion is non-linear. Around the middle of the scale a question is worth roughly 10 scaled points; near 800 the curve steepens sharply, so a single careless error can cost 20 or more. This is why the last 50 points behave so differently from the first 200.
Turning raw into a plan
The reason to understand the conversion is to work backwards from a target. If you want 1400 on a balanced split, that is roughly 700 per section, which on the harder path is about 44 of 54 raw in Reading & Writing and 36 of 44 in Math — roughly 10 and 8 misses. The full miss-budget by band covers every target and lopsided splits.
Two things follow. First, the miss budget at most targets is more generous than students assume, which makes accuracy under time a better investment than content panic. Second, none of it applies if you are on the easy path, where the budget is irrelevant because the ceiling binds first. Establish the path before you plan around the raw count. Or skip the arithmetic entirely and take a free full-length practice test.
Frequently asked questions
What is a raw score on the SAT?
The number of questions you answered correctly, with no deduction for wrong answers. On the digital SAT that is out of 54 in Reading and Writing and out of 44 in Math, for 98 scored questions in total.
How do you convert an SAT raw score to a scaled score?
Each section’s raw count is mapped onto a 200-800 scale using a conversion table specific to that form, then the two section scores are added for a 400-1600 total. There is no single universal table, which is why any conversion is an estimate.
Is there a penalty for wrong answers on the SAT?
No. The quarter-point deduction was removed in 2016. A wrong answer and a blank are worth the same, so you should answer every question.
Why do two calculators give different scaled scores for the same raw score?
Because each SAT form has its own conversion table and no calculator has the table for a form it has not seen. Differences of 20 to 30 points are expected. Larger gaps usually mean one tool ignores the adaptive module path.
How many raw points is one scaled point on the SAT?
It varies across the scale. In the middle, roughly one raw question is worth about 10 scaled points. Near the top the curve steepens, so a single miss can cost 20 or more, which is why perfect scores are so sensitive to careless errors.
Does the module path change the raw to scaled conversion?
Yes, substantially. The easier Module 2 carries a scaled ceiling near 650 in Reading and Writing and 670 in Math. The same raw score converts lower on the easy path, and above the ceiling it cannot convert at all.