How Scores Are Calculated
Total Score
Your total score is a number between 320 and 1520.
The total score is the sum of the two section scores: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Math:
- Each of these 2 section scores is in the range of 160–760.
- The Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score combines scores for the Reading Test and the Writing and Language Test, with each contributing equally to the section score.
How the Section Scores Are Calculated
Section scores are based on your raw score in each section, which is the number of questions you got correct. The raw scores are converted to a scaled score between 160 and 760.
This process accounts for the fact that different versions of the PSAT 10 given on different days are slightly easier or harder than one another. For example, there are always 48 questions on the Math Test and Math section score. On some versions of the test, a raw score of 47 earns you a scaled score of 760. On other days, you would need to get all 48 questions correct.
This process of balancing different versions of the test into equivalent scaled scores is called equating.
How Test Scores Are Calculated
Test scores are in the range of 8–38. Like the section scores, they are calculated by converting the raw score (number of questions answered correctly) to a scaled score of 8–38. This process accounts for slight differences in difficulty between different versions of the test.
Section scores are based on test scores:
- To get the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section score, multiply the test scores for Reading and for Writing and Language by 10 and then add them together.
- To get the Math section score, multiply the Math Test score by 20.
Subscores
The 7 subscores on the PSAT 10 each have a possible score of 1–15.
The actual number of questions on the test that contribute to each subscore is different, so the raw scores for each subscore are scaled to a number between 1 and 15 to make them equivalent. For example, there are slightly more Heart of Algebra questions than Passport to Advanced Math questions.
Cross-Test Scores
Cross-test scores are drawn from more than one of the three tests. There are two cross-test scores: Analysis in History/Social Studies and Analysis in Science.
The raw score for each test is converted to a scaled score in the range of 8–38.