How the Digital SAT is scored (and what counts as a good score)

The Digital SAT is scored from 400 to 1600. That total is two section scores added together, each from 200 to 800: one for Reading and Writing, one for Math.

How the test is built

You can use the built-in Desmos calculator, or an approved calculator of your own, on the whole math section.

Why it adapts

Each section has two modules. How you do on the first module decides whether your second module is easier or harder. Doing well early gets you the harder second module, and that's where the highest scores come from. So the first module matters a lot: careful, steady work there pays off.

Never leave a question blank

There's no penalty for wrong answers. A blank is always zero, and a guess might be right, so answer every question even if you have to guess at the end.

A small number of questions in each module are being tested for future exams and don't count toward your score. You can't tell which ones they are, so treat every question as if it counts.

What's a good score?

College Board publishes percentile tables every year, and those are the real answer. As a rough guide, a total a little over 1000 is around average, about 1200 lands in roughly the top quarter of test takers, and 1400 and up is roughly the top 5 to 7 percent.

A "good" score really depends on the colleges you're looking at. Look up the middle 50 percent range of scores for the schools on your list. Landing in or above that range is a strong place to be.

Where your practice estimate fits in

Lock In shows an estimated score that moves as you practice. It's a guide based on how you do on our questions, not an official score, but it's a good way to see which section and which skills will move your total the most.