You Received Your SAT scores...Now What? Colorado Springs CO

You Received Your SAT Scores…Now What?

Unlike school, you can’t “pass” or “fail” the SAT. But that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook! The reason you take the test is to pretty up your college apps, so a passing score is one that’ll get you in.

Getting the score
Most colleges publish their median scores, so it just takes a little research to figure out what you’re shooting for. For a snapshot of your performance, check out your percentile scores. They show how you stacked up against the competition. If you're in the 82nd percentile for the Math test, then you outscored 82 percent of other students.

Raw scores help you get particular — and discover where you can make improvements. To calculate raw scores, the College Board uses a simple formula: they add a point for correct answers and subtract a quarter-point for wrong ones. That little formula can have a big impact on your cumulative score.

Not happy with your scores?
If you’re not totally content with the scores you’ve received, don’t panic. There are some easy ways to improve the next time around. Remember the formula we were just talking about? You can actually use the way the SAT is scored to your advantage:

Strategy #1
Get more questions right. Just one or two more correct answers can increase a section’s score by 50 points or more.

Strategy #2
Skip questions you’re likely to get wrong. If you can eliminate incorrect answers, go ahead and guess.

Author: Amy Ambler

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