How to use the self-scored test band predictor
Right after a practice or official SAT or ACT, a lot of students score the answers they copied onto the booklet and want to know which score band they landed in. The catch is that the raw-to-band conversion is specific to each test administration and is released only after the fact. So this tool ships with no built-in cutoffs: you enter the band cutoffs from the conversion table or scholarship rubric you are working with, starting with band 1 and going down.
The rule is simple. A raw score at or above a cutoff counts as that band, so if the band 1 cutoff is 96 and you scored exactly 96, you get band 1. If your score falls below every cutoff you entered, the result drops to the band under the lowest one. Change the maximum raw score to match your section, since a 50-point section and a 100-point section use different tables.
Self-scoring is provisional by nature. Copying answers one line off, or misreading a bubble, happens often enough that your official report can differ by a few points. Enter an error margin such as plus or minus 2 points and the result also shows the band range you would get at each end of that margin. Points needed for the next band up are rounded up, so earning exactly that many more crosses the line.
Treat the band as an estimate, not a confirmed result. Cutoffs differ by test date and by whoever published the table, so check the official score report and each program requirement before making decisions.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Self-scoring relies on the answers you copied onto your test booklet, so a few points of difference from the official report is common. Enter an error margin to see whether your band could shift.
Raw-score cutoffs depend on how everyone did on that specific administration, and they are published only afterward. Built-in cutoffs would be correct for one test date only, so this tool asks you for them.
A score at or above a cutoff counts as that band. If the band 1 cutoff is 96 and you scored exactly 96, the result shows band 1.