Old SAT to New SAT Conversion Chart

The Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) is a centralized entrance exam adopted by various educational institutions in the United States for college admission. The format for the SAT had undergone an amendment in 2006, giving rise to the new SAT format. The journey of the old SAT to the new SAT has witnessed several, distinctive changes in its pattern, scores, and more. One such change is in the total score of the test. The initial score of 2400 has been reduced to 1600.  

What is the SAT? It is a 3 hour long (excluding essay) pencil-paper examination consisting of multiple-choice questions for primarily three sections- reading, writing, and mathematics. It is offered 7 times a year worldwide. The score-card for the SAT is exhibited on a scale of 400-1600. The SAT composite score is the computed summation of critical reading and writing and math scores. These categories are examined on a scale of 200-800 (individually). 

Remodeling Of The SAT (Old SAT to New SAT)

There were some changes made to the SAT back in March of 2016, which involved the remodeling of the scoring system. The total shifted from a 2400-marks scale to a 1600-scale.

Although the scores of the definitive sections of the SAT need to be combined to calculate your total SAT score, the two scenarios yield hugely dissimilar scores when converted section-wise and when converted altogether. Hence, to obtain the most accurate results, the calculation and conversion of the scores of each section separately would be recommended.

The new SAT incorporates two sections - Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW), and Math. Each section holds equal weightage, and importance (in deciding the composite score). An optional essay has been included in the new SAT. Unlike the old SAT, the new SAT has a consolidated math section comprising of two sub-sections - one that grants the usage of the calculator, and the other prohibits the same. The EBRW embodies 52 questions on contrary to the 67 questions of the old SAT reading section. 

SAT Scores - Old SAT to New SAT

The 2016 amendment had conceived an assortment of changes to the format of the Scholastic Aptitude Test. There was a consolidation of sections, change in the scoring methodology, and inclusion of a supplemental essay component For the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section, the number of questions was reduced to 57. Math witnessed a similar merger of its sub-sections. 

The new composite SAT score is 1600. Each section (EBRW, and Math) is scored on a scale of 200 to 800. Similarly, the Math section is scored on a scale of 200-800. The sum total of both sections forms the total SAT score. Let us look closely at the old SAT to new SAT composite, as well as a section-wise score conversion chart.

Since there is no change in the total score in the Math section of the SAT, the conversion process for this section is very simple. The old SAT comprised of 3 sub-sections of Math, which is now amalgamated into 2 sub-sections. The score ranges from 200-800. The use of a calculator is permitted for only one sub-section.

While the older version of Reading + Writing SAT was calculated out of 1600, with both Reading and Writing sections consisting of 800 each, the new version of Reading + Writing SAT is scored out of 800 in total.

The aforementioned data has been contrived from the official CollegeBoard website. It is highly recommended to convert section-wise scores to get an accurate composite SAT score. For instance, if you have scored an SAT Math score of 650, the new SAT Math would come up to 680 (as per the conversion chart). Tally both your scores (for each section), and calculate your total score accordingly. You may proceed with the Old SAT Critical Reading, and Writing score in a similar fashion. An integral inference from the above data is, the new SAT scores are a higher equivalent of the old SAT score. A 760 in the old SAT Math section is equivalent to 780 in the new SAT score chart. 

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