SAT OVERVIEW TIPS & TRICKS, Study notes of History

Download SAT OVERVIEW TIPS & TRICKS and more Study notes History in PDF only on Docsity! SAT OVERVIEW TIPS & TRICKS Prepared Spring 2021 by: UWA Office of Admissions 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS What is the SAT? …………...……………………………………….…………….……………………....3 When is the SAT?…………..…..…………………..…………………………...………….……………. 3 How can I register? Are there Fee waivers: ………….…..……………………………………………....4 Success in 7 Easy Steps……………………..……………………………….………...…………...........6 Preparing for the SAT..…..……………………..…………………….………………..……….…………7 Test Taking Tips………….…..…..…..………………………………………………….…….................8 Test Booklet Instructions……………………………………………………………….………………....9 SAT Test Breakdown…………..……………………………………………………………..................10 SAT Reading Section.……………...……………………..………………………………….................10 Reading Sample Questions……………………………………………...………………………...…....11 SAT Writing and Language Section………………………..………………………….…….…………..13 Writing and Language Sample Questions ……….………………………………..……………………15 SAT Math Section.....…………………………………...………………………………………………..17 Math Sample Questions………………………………...…………………………………………….....19 SAT Essay Section…………………………………….……………………………………….…………21 Sample Essay Score………………………………………….…………………...………..……………24 Scores……………………..……………………………………………………...………..……………..27 How SAT Figures Scores……………………..…………………………..…………………………..….28 Sources……………………..………………………………….…………………...……...…………….29 5 Can I retake the test? There is no true SAT retake penalty for taking the test repeatedly, and many today's students sit for the exam at least once during both their junior and senior years of high school. Most students who retake the SAT after months of cramming improved their score. You will ultimately decide which score to send to colleges and universities, so definitely consider retaking the SAT if you are not satisfied with your first score. UWA will accept your highest score. What does the ACT cover? Order Section Time in Minutes # of Questions 1 Reading 65 52 2 Writing and Language 35 44 3 Math No Calculator 25 20 4 Math Calculator 55 38 5 Essay (optional) 50 1 What is a good SAT score? In general, a combined SAT score of roughly 1400 will make you competitive at nearly any college or university in the country. A "good" score depends on which schools you’re considering. The Princeton Review offers a college search tool, which includes average SAT scores of enrolled students. What do I bring to the SAT? • Your Admissions ticket: If you lost it, don’t worry; you can log in to your account and print another one before the test. • A Photo ID: Preferably a driver’s license or student ID • No. 2 pencils: NOT mechanical. Bring several and have them already sharpened. • A Calculator: Check the SAThttps://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/taking-the- test/calculator-policy website to make sure your model is not prohibited. • Remember cell phones are NOT allowed. • A watch: borrow one if you need to. It’s easier to look at your wrist for the time than to look up. at the wall. With 2 minutes left on a test, just fill in any blank circles. • Snacks and/or drinks: to consume outside the test room only during the break. 6 Success in 7 Easy Steps 1. DO Keep Calm & Carry On On test day, relaxation is key. Easier said than done, right? There’s actually strategy involved here, too. Take it easy and give yourself plenty of time to wake up, get ready, and get to the test center. Breathe. 2. DON’T be a zombie Have a protein-rich breakfast before you leave. Get good sleep starting two nights before the test. Seriously. Functioning on eight hours of sleep is so much nicer than functioning on any less. 3. DO stay positive Tests can be kind of boring. Still, if all you do is think about how horrible this test is going to be and how badly you’re going to do on it, chances are your experience will be really horrible and you’re going to do badly (self- fulfilling prophecy, anyone?). Belief affects behavior, simple as that. So, think positively. Give yourself a pep talk as you’re driving to the exam, even try smiling while you’re taking it. Have a few laughs with your friends. It’ll work. 4. DO practice, practice, practice How does that saying go? Anything worth doing is worth doing right? If you want to be good at something, you have to practice. Do the on-line practice tests, as well as any needed math tutorials. Take advantage of free ACT prep resources and ACT question of the day. 5. DO guess intelligently and with purpose You’re not penalized for guessing but try to narrow down the possibilities. There are usually at least one or two answers that are definitely wrong. “Duds,” if you will. If you can get rid of these dud choices, you’ll have a much better chance of guessing correctly. 6. DO mark up the test booklet Take notes, write little hints to yourself, identify words you don’t understand (it’ll come in handy later on) ...basically, just be an active reader. Plus, it’s a good way to keep you focused. 7. DON’T be a statue You’re limited to the one square foot that your test chair encompasses, so you won’t be able to have a dance party or anything but move around as much as you can. Shake out the limbs, stretch, whatever. Just get the blood flowing. 7 Preparing for the SAT? According to PrepScholar, there is no set-in-stone amount of study time that will guarantee success on the SAT. Set an SAT goal score, figure out your baseline score by taking a practice test. This score is essentially a starting point for your SAT prep. Once you have both your baseline and goal scores, it's time to calculate how long you'll need to study. To do this, simply subtract your baseline score from your goal score. Here are our estimates for the total number of hours you will need to prep based on the SAT score improvement you want: • 0-30 point improvement: 10 hours • 30-70 point improvement: 20 hours • 70-130 point improvement: 40 hours • 130-200 point improvement: 80 hours • 200-330 point improvement: 150 hours+ Test Taking Tips • Prepare your backpack the night before: This assures you that you have everything you need for the test and keeps you calm in the morning by having everything nicely organized. If you are driving to the test, make sure your car keys are in a location that is easy to find. • Memorize the directions BEFORE TEST DAY! (See below). During the test, you won’t get extra time to read the directions, so if you take 5 minutes to figure out what to do, that’s 5 fewer minutes you’ll have to get points. • Study and review the directions for each SAT section before the test. Use your test time for the test not for reading directions. • As you go through each section, answer all the questions you know the answers to first. Mark all the questions you don't immediately know the answer to and return and answer them later. • Don't be sloppy when filling in the answer grid for student-produced response questions. • Since you're allowed to write in the test book, cross out answers you know are wrong and do scratch work. • Avoid stray marks. Since a machine scores your test, make sure not to put any stray marks on your answer sheet. SAT scoring machines frequently can't differentiate between a correct answer and an accidental stray mark. • Your first response to a question is usually correct. Don't change an answer unless you're certain you've made an error. 10 SAT Test Breakdown The SAT is comprised of two sections: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Math. The Evidence-Based Reading and Writing is comprised of two tests, one focused on Reading and one focused on Writing & Language. The Math section is comprised of a single test with two components - a no-calculator portion and a calculator-allowed portion. The SAT also includes an optional Essay. Some schools may require the Essay, so be sure to ask before you take the SAT. SAT Reading Section The SAT Reading Test makes up 50% of your score on the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section of the SAT. (The other half comes from the Writing and Language Test). That breakdown makes the Reading Test important, but it’s not insurmountable. There are no formulas or comma rules to memorize— you just need to know how to approach each reading passage. Strategy You will have 65 minutes to read five passages (taken from literature, history, social studies, and the natural sciences) and answer a total of 52 questions. The questions will ask you to do everything from determining the meaning of words in context, deciding why an author included a certain detail, finding the main idea of a whole passage, comparing two passages, or even pinpointing information on a graph. Tips & Tricks 1. Choose your own order. Reading questions are not presented in order of difficulty, but they are in chronological order. Don’t be afraid to skip a hard question, and don’t worry if you can’t answer every question. Learn more about SAT strategies for working questions out of order. 2. Read what you need. You don’t have to waste time reading every single word of the passage and trying to become an expert on whatever the topic is. You have the passage right there in front of you. So, move back and forth between the passage and the questions, focusing only on what you need instead of getting mired down in all the little details. 3. Leave your opinions at the door. 4. Often, in an English class, you are asked to give your own opinion, supported by the text. Not so on the SAT. Be careful when you see a question that contains the word infer, imply, or suggest. The answer may not be directly stated in the text, but there will still be plenty of evidence there to support the correct answer. 5. Take dual passages one at a time. One of your science or history/social studies passages will be a set of dual passages—two shorter texts about one topic. Do questions about the first 11 passage first, questions about the second passage second, and questions about both passages last. This will save time and keep you from confusing the two passages when you’re evaluating the answer choices. 6. Save main idea questions for last. For many of the Reading passages, the very first question will ask a general question about the main idea or purpose of the passage, the narrative point of view, or a shift that occurs through the passage. Those general questions are not good to do first because you haven’t read the entire passage yet. Once you’ve done most of the other questions, you'll have a really good idea of the overall themes of the text. Sample Questions Questions 1-3 are based on the following passage I think that I love society as much as most, and am ready enough to fasten myself like a bloodsucker for the time to any full-blooded man that comes in my way. I am naturally no hermit, (5) but might possibly sit out the sturdiest frequenter for the bar-room, if my business called me thither. I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society. When visitors come in larger and unexpected (10) numbers there was but the third chair for them all, but they generally economized the room by standing up. It is surprising how many great men and women a small house will contain. I have had twenty-five or thirty souls, with their bodies, (15) at once under my roof, and yet we often parted without being aware that we had come very near to one another. One inconvenience I sometimes experienced in so small a house, the difficulty of getting to a (20) sufficient distance from my guest when we began to utter the big thoughts in big words. You want room for your thoughts to get into sailing trim and run a course or two before they make their port. The bullet of your thought must have (25) overcome its lateral and ricochet motion and fallen into its last and steady course before it reaches the ear of the hearer, else it may plow out again through the side of his head. Also our sentences wanted room to unfold and form (30) their columns in the interval. Individuals, like nations, must have suitable broad and natural boundaries, even a considerable neutral ground, between them. I have found it a singular luxury to talk across the pond to a companion on the (35) opposite side. In my house we were so near that we could not begin to hear—we could not speak low enough to be heard; as when you throw two stones into calm water so near that they break each other's undulations. As the conversation (40) began to assume a loftier and grander tone, we gradually shoved our chairs farther apart till they touched the wall in opposite corners and then commonly there was not room enough. My "best" room, however, my withdrawing (45) room, always ready for company, on whose carpet the sun rarely fell, was the pine wood behind my house. Thither in summer days, when distinguished guests came, I took them, and a priceless domestic swept the floor and dusted the (50) furniture and kept the things in order. If one guest came he sometimes partook of my frugal meal, and it was no interruption to conversation to be stirring a hasty-pudding or watching the rising and maturing of a loaf of (55) bread in the ashes, in the meanwhile. But if twenty came and sat in my house there was nothing said about dinner, though there might be bread enough for two, more than if eating were a forsaken habit; but we naturally practiced (60) abstinence; and this was never felt to be an offence against hospitality, but the most proper and considerate course. The waste and decay of physical life, which so often needs repair, seemed miraculously retarded in such a case, and the vital (65) vigor stood its ground. I could entertain thus a thousand as well as twenty; and if any ever went away disappointed or hungry from my house when they found me at home, they may depend upon it that I sympathized with them at least. So (70) easy it is, though many housekeepers doubt it, to establish new and better customs in the place of the old. You need not rest your reputation on the dinners you give. As for men, they will hardly fail one (75) anywhere. I had more visitors while I lived in the woods than at any other period in my life; I mean that I had some. I met several there under more favorable circumstances than I could anywhere else. But fewer came to see me on trivial business. (80) In this respect, my company was winnowed by my mere distance from town. I had withdrawn so far within the great ocean of solitude, into which the rivers of society empty, that for the most part, so far as my needs were concerned, only the finest (85) sediment was deposited around me. 12 1. The main narrative point of view in the passage is of A. a man adjusting to life in a big city after growing up on a farm. B. a discussion of visitors to a small house away from city life. C. a sailor discussing the pond on which he grew up and how it affected his friendships. D. a man discussing the potential of big thoughts and their need to be expressed. 2. In the context of the passage, the phrase "as when you throw two stones into calm water so near, they break each other's undulations," (lines 37–39) is best described as A. a reference to the author's childhood days when he threw stones into a lake. B. an analogy used to elaborate on a previous statement. C. a way to expand on the reasons national boundaries are always changing. D. a reason that the author and his companion had to continually move their chairs to be heard. 3. As used in line 27, "plow" most nearly means A. push. B. furrow. C. cultivate. D. walk. Answers: 1. B is the best answer 2. D is the best answer 3. A is the best answer 15 A. Reinforcement means one idea supports or builds off another, so transitions to use include in addition, furthermore, for example, and also, among others. B. Contrast means one idea opposes another. Here, the right transitions might be however, on the other hand, despite, and unlike. C. Cause-and-effect means one idea directly leads to another. To indicate this relationship, use transitions like consequently, therefore, since, and because. D. Sequence transitions are used for items part of a series. Words like first, then, afterwards, and finally would establish this relationship. Sample Questions The following questions is based on the following passage and supplementary material. A Life in Traffic A subway system is expanded to provide service to a growing suburb. A bike-sharing program is adopted to encourage nonmotorized transportation.1 To alleviate rush hour traffic jams in a congested downtown area, stoplight timing is coordinated. When any one of these changes 2 occur, it is likely the result of careful analysis conducted by transportation planners. The work of transportation planners generally includes evaluating current transportation needs, assessing the effectiveness of existing facilities, and improving those facilities or 3 they design new ones. Most transportation planners work in or near cities, 4 but some are employed in rural areas. Say, for example, a large factory is built on the outskirts of a small town. Traffic to and from that location would increase at the beginning and end of work shifts. The transportation 5 planner’s job, might involve conducting a traffic count to determine the daily number of vehicles traveling on the road to the new factory. If analysis of the traffic count indicates that there is more traffic than the 6 current road as it is designed at this time can efficiently accommodate, the transportation planner might recommend widening the road to add another lane. Transportation planners work closely with a number of community stakeholders, such as government officials and other interested organizations and individuals. 7 Next, representatives from the local public health department might provide input in designing a network of trails and sidewalks to encourage people to walk more. 8 According to the American Heart Association, walking provides numerous benefits related to health and well-being. Members of the Chamber of Commerce might share suggestions about designing transportation and parking facilities to support local businesses. 9 People who pursue careers in transportation planning have a wide variety of educational backgrounds. A two-year degree in transportation technology may be sufficient for some entry-level 16 jobs in the field. Most jobs, however, require at least a bachelor’s degree; majors of transportation planners are 10 varied, including fields such as urban studies, civil engineering, geography, or transportation and logistics management. For many positions in the field, a master’s degree is required. Transportation planners perform critical work within the broader field of urban and regional planning. As of 2010, there were approximately 40,300 urban and regional planners employed in the United States. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts steady job growth in this field, 11 projecting that 16 percent of new jobs in all occupations will be related to urban and regional planning. Population growth and concerns about environmental sustainability are expected to spur the need for transportation planning professionals. 1. Which choice best maintains the sentence pattern already established in the paragraph? a. NO CHANGE b. Coordinating stoplight timing can help alleviate rush hour traffic jams in a congested downtown area. c. Stoplight timing is coordinated to alleviate rush hour traffic jams in a congested downtown area. d. In a congested downtown area, stoplight timing is coordinated to alleviate rush hour traffic jams. Answers: Choice C is the best answer because it most closely maintains the sentence pattern established by the two preceding sentences, which begin with a noun and passive verb phrase (“A subway system is expanded,” “A bike-sharing program is adopted”) 17 SAT Math Section The SAT Math sections are the 3rd and 4th sections on the SAT test. During the first 25-minute SAT Math section, you are NOT allowed to use a calculator. During the next 55-minute SAT Math section, you can use your calculator. Both SAT Math sections will begin with multiple-choice questions, each of which will feature four answer choices. Then you will be asked for some student-produced responses, more commonly known as “grid-ins.” SAT MATH SECTION Section # of questions Time No calculator 15 multiple choice, 5 grid-ins 22 min With Calculator 30 multiple choice, 8 grid-ins (including one Extended Thinking question) 55 min Total 58 questions 80 min SAT MATH CONTENT The SAT Math Test is divided into four content areas: Heart of Algebra, Problem Solving and Data Analysis, Passport to Advanced Math, and Additional Topics in Math. Content area Number of Questions Description Heart of Algebra 19 Analyzing and fluently solving equations and systems of equations; creating expressions, equations, and inequalities to represent relationships between quantities and to solve problems; rearranging and interpreting formulas Problem Solving and Data Analysis 17 Creating and analyzing relationships using ratios, proportions, percentages, and units; describing relationships shown graphically; summarizing qualitative and quantitative data Passport to Advanced Math 16 Rewriting expressions using their structure; creating, analyzing, and fluently solving quadratic and higher-order equations; purposefully manipulating polynomials to solve problems 20 Answers: 1. B is the best answer 2. C is the best answer 3. B is the best answer 4. A is the best answer 5. D is the best answer 21 SAT Essay Section The SAT essay is one of the sections of the SAT. After being required since its inception, the College Board has now decided to make the essay optional. This is similar to the ACT, whose essay has always been optional. During this section, students will be given 50 minutes to write an essay. The essay for the new SAT is very different than it was for the previous version. Strategy Read the passage a couple of times, making notes beginning on the second. Read-through, and carefully examine all three perspectives to find the ones that are most relevant to your position. Tips & Tricks 1. Stay Objective a. The thing to remember here is that ETS (the company that writes the test) is not asking you for your opinion on a topic or a text. So be sure the maintain formal style and an objective tone. Tip: Avoid I and you. 2. Keep it Tidy a. Handwriting is becoming a lost art. Unfortunately, this is one occasion where your skill with a pencil matters. Graders read tons of essays each day. If they cannot decipher your script, they will lower your score. Do yourself a favor and write legibly. 3. (Indented) Paragraphs Are Your Friend a. Remember the basics essay structure you learned in school: introductory paragraph, body paragraphs and a conclusion? The SAT essay graders love it! Your introduction should describe the text and paraphrase the argument being made, as well as introduce the specific elements of the passage and argument that you will discuss in the essay. Your conclusion should restate the goal of the passage/argument and sum up the points you made. 4. For Example… a. Use your body paragraphs to back up your thesis statement by citing specific examples. Use short, relevant quotes from the text to support your points. 5. Don’t Worry About the Exact Terms for Things a. Blanking on terminology? When describing how the author builds his or her argument, “appeal to the emotions” is fine instead of specifically referencing “pathos.” And “comparison of two things” can be used instead of referring to a metaphor. If you do know the official terms, though, feel free to use them! 22 Sample Question *You have 50 minutes to read the passage and write an essay in response to the prompt provided inside this booklet. At my family’s cabin on a Minnesota lake, I knew woods so dark that my hands disappeared before my eyes. I knew night skies in which meteors left smoky trails across sugary spreads of stars. But now, when 8 of 10 children born in the United States will never know a sky dark enough for the Milky Way, I worry we are rapidly losing night’s natural darkness before realizing its worth. This winter solstice, as we cheer the days’ gradual movement back toward light, let us also remember the irreplaceable value of darkness. All life evolved to the steady rhythm of bright days and dark nights. Today, though, when we feel the closeness of nightfall, we reach quickly for a light switch. And too little darkness, meaning too much artificial light at night, spells trouble for all. Already the World Health Organization classifies working the night shift as a probable human carcinogen, and the American Medical Association has voiced its unanimous support for “light pollution reduction efforts and glare reduction efforts at both the national and state levels.” Our bodies need darkness to produce the hormone melatonin, which keeps certain cancers from developing, and our bodies need darkness for sleep. Sleep disorders have been linked to diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and depression, and recent research suggests one main cause of “short sleep” is “long light.” Whether we work at night or simply take our tablets, notebooks and smartphones to bed, there isn’t a place for this much artificial light in our lives. The rest of the world depends on darkness as well, including nocturnal and crepuscular species of birds, insects, mammals, fish and reptiles. Some examples are well known—the 400 species of birds that migrate at night in North America, the sea turtles that come ashore to lay their eggs—and some are not, such as the bats that save American farmers billions in pest control and the moths that pollinate 80% of the world’s flora. Ecological light pollution is like the bulldozer of the night, wrecking habitat and disrupting ecosystems several billion years in the making. Simply put, without darkness, Earth’s ecology would collapse.... In today’s crowded, louder, more fast-paced world, night’s darkness can provide solitude, quiet and stillness, qualities increasingly in short supply. Every religious tradition has considered darkness invaluable for a soulful life, and the chance to witness the universe has inspired artists, philosophers and everyday stargazers since time began. In a world awash with electric light...how would Van Gogh 25 possibility that their child or grandchild will never get the chance sways them to see as Bogard sees. This strategy is definitively an appeal to pathos, forcing the audience to directly face an emotionally charged inquiry that will surely spur some kind of response. By doing this, Bogard develops his argument, adding gutthral power to the idea that the issue of maintaining natural darkness is relevant and multifaceted. Writing as a reaction to his disappointment that artificial light has largely permeated the prescence of natural darkness, Paul Bogard argues that we must preserve true, unaffected darkness. He builds this claim by making use of a personal anecdote, allusions, and rhetorical questioning. This response scored a 4/4/4. Reading—4: This response demonstrates thorough comprehension of the source text through skillful use of paraphrases and direct quotations. The writer briefly summarizes the central idea of Bogard’s piece (natural darkness should be preserved; we must preserve true, unaffected darkness), and presents many details from the text, such as referring to the personal anecdote that opens the passage and citing Bogard’s use of Paris’ reputation as “The City of Light.” There are few long direct quotations from the source text; instead, the response succinctly and accurately captures the entirety of Bogard’s argument in the writer’s own words, and the writer is able to articulate how details in the source text interrelate with Bogard’s central claim. The response is also free of errors of fact or interpretation. Overall, the response demonstrates advanced reading comprehension. Analysis—4: This response offers an insightful analysis of the source text and demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of the analytical task. In analyzing Bogard’s use of personal anecdote, allusions to art and history, and rhetorical questions, the writer is able to explain carefully and thoroughly how Bogard builds his argument over the course of the passage. For example, the writer offers a possible reason for why Bogard chose to open his argument with a personal anecdote and is also able to describe the overall effect of that choice on his audience (In telling this brief anecdote, Bogard challenges the audience to remember a time where they could fully amass themselves in natural darkness void of artificial light. By drawing in his readers with a personal encounter...the author means to establish the potential for beauty, glamour, and awe-inspiring mystery that genuine darkness can possess.... This anecdote provides a baseline of sorts for readers to find credence with the author’s claims). The cogent chain of reasoning indicates an understanding of the overall effect of Bogard’s personal narrative both in terms of its function in the passage and how it affects his audience. This type of insightful analysis is evident throughout the response and indicates advanced analytical skill. 26 Writing—4: The response is cohesive and demonstrates highly effective use and command of language. The response contains a precise central claim (He effectively builds his argument by using personal anecdote, allusions to art and history, and rhetorical questions), and the body paragraphs are tightly focused on those three elements of Bogard’s text. There is a clear, deliberate progression of ideas within paragraphs and throughout the response. The writer’s brief introduction and conclusion are skillfully written and encapsulate the main ideas of Bogard’s piece as well as the overall structure of the writer’s analysis. There is a consistent use of both precise word choice and well-chosen turns of phrase (the natural magnificence of stars in a dark sky is definite, our world consumed by unnatural, vapid lighting, the affecting power of an untainted night sky). Moreover, the response features a wide variety in sentence structure and many examples of sophisticated sentences (By doing this, Bogard creates a dichotomy between Paris’ traditionally alluded-to name and the reality of what Paris is becoming – no longer “the city of light”, but moreso “the city of light…before 2AM”). The response demonstrates a strong command of the conventions of written English. Overall, the response exemplifies advanced writing proficiency. 27 Scores The SAT has two big sections—Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW), and Math. You can earn a scaled score of between 200 and 800 points on each section, for a total of 1600 possible points on the SAT. The scaled score of between 200 and 800 is converted from the raw score you earn on each section. Your raw score is simply the number of questions you answered correctly. Skipped or wrong questions do not add or subtract from your raw score. How do those raw scores become scaled scores? It happens through a process that the College Board calls, “Equating ensures that the different forms of the test or the level of ability of the students with whom you are tested do not affect your score. Equating makes it possible to make comparisons among test takers who take different editions of the test across different administrations.” In other words, equating is not curving your score relative to other test takers on the day you take the test. Equating controls for slight variations in different SAT dates to ensure that scaled scores represent the same level of ability across different test dates. For example, a 600 on SAT Math in March has to represent the same ability level as a 600 on SAT Math in May. if the May test turns out to be more difficult for students, the raw-score to scaled-score calculation will be adjusted so that a slightly lower raw score still nets a 600 scaled score. Since the equating formula changes from test to test to keep the scores equal, there is no way to know for sure how a certain raw score will translate to a scaled score. However, the College Board releases raw score to scaled score ranges to give you an idea of what level of raw score you need to get to certain scaled score numbers. While there are not confirmed score range tables available yet, we can use the raw to scaled score tables included in College Board’s free SAT practice tests for a sense of how raw scores become scaled scores on the Redesigned SAT. You'll notice as you look at the tables that they differ slightly: for example, a raw score of 57 gets you a perfect 800 on Test 4 but not Test 1. This is because, each test is equated so that despite slight differences in difficulty, an 800 on one test means the same as an 800 on another test. In this case, the Math section on Test 4 is slightly harder, so you can only miss one point and still get an 800.