<p>Howdy!</p>
<p>I've taken many SAT practice tests in the "Official Study Guide with DVD" edition of the College Board's SAT prep series. I'm seeing that when scoring my tests, there are rather large ranges of scaled scores of up to 100 points for each respective raw score on each section. </p>
<p>For example, on a recent test I took, if I used the minimum scaled score for each section's stated range, my score would have been a 2010. If I used the median scaled scores, my score would have been a 2130. And if I used the maximum scores, a 2250. </p>
<p>What do these ranges mean as far as how I'm doing on the tests? Do these represent possible scores which depend on how everyone else ends up doing (curves)? Which score out of the three should I take seriously? </p>
<p>Thanks for the clarifications!</p>
<p>The real answer to your question is that there is NO way to assign a “true” score to these tests. Unlike the first three tests in the book, these were not actually administered SATs. So there is no way for the college board to give precise scores. But do not think that that makes them worse than the practice tests you find in non-college-board books. Those tests provide precise scores – but the scores are completely fictional. So you are still better off with the blue book.</p>
<p>If you want the best approximation of how you are doing so far, use one of the first three tests. But even then, no score is “real” until you earn it on an actual test day! So the key is to continue practicing with the best material available, reviewing your mistakes and making sure you understand what you got wrong and why.</p>