Now that your students have received their SAT scores in the mail, it can be complicated
helping them make sense of those scores. Especially with the problem of incorrect scores affecting a growing number of students.

An article on MSN’s Encarta offered some help for high school guidance counselors to help translate exactly what those SAT scores mean.

About one month after administering the new SAT, the College Board posts individuals’ scores on its Web site. For example, scores from the March 12th administration of the new SAT were made available online on April 11.

Log on to the College Board site for:

Your raw score and 200-800-point scaled score for each Math, Critical Reading, and Writing section

Your 0-12 essay sub-score

Information about your responses, including which questions you answered right and wrong, and which you omitted

Your estimated percentile rank for college-bound seniors based on the test you took (Note: your percentile rank will help you understand how you scored in comparison to other test takers.)

A printable copy of your essay

Soon after it’s posted online, this information is sent to your home so that you have an official score report. You can also use the College Board site and your official score report to confirm the colleges to which you sent your scores.

Understanding your score
Even after receiving their score, students commonly wonder, “What does my score mean?”

Because colleges haven’t yet published the average combined score on the new test from among applicants to their schools, the easiest way to understand your score is to break it down into sections, rather than using the whole score.
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Think of it this way: Let’s say that a school you’re interested in indicated they had accepted students with an average SAT score of 1260 on the old two-section version of the test. If you divide that in two, each section would have been a 630. Now, look at your current scores. You will need section scores for each of the three sections in the 630 range–or a total around 1890.

As you compare your score on this test to your score on a previous test (if you took one), it is important to remember that the SAT returns scores on a bell-curve. This means that the median score on each section should always be close to 500 (the midpoint between 200 and 800), with a decreasing frequency of scores down to 200 and up to 800.

The writing section
Keep in mind that not all schools will be using the writing section the same way. Elite schools that have traditionally required the SAT Subject Test in Writing are indicating they will use the SAT Writing section as a formal piece of the admissions process.

Other schools are indicating that they will look at it, but not give it much, if any, consideration. They are primarily looking at it to get an understanding of the scores relative to other applications.

A third group of schools will not be looking at the Writing scores at all until next year. They are interested in collecting data and understanding the scores after they have seen how students in the entering class of 2006 do in their freshman year.

As you refine your target school list based on your scores, you may want to ask schools how they will be using your Writing score.

Testing again
If you got your dream score, congratulations! You can now get to work on your SAT Subject Tests, AP exams, and college applications.

If you are not happy with your score, don’t despair. Keep in mind that most students take the SAT more than once, and some even take it three times! Use the information in your score report to help you understand your strengths and weaknesses and to hone your preparation for your next SAT.