How to verify your SAT score

The moment you receive your SAT scores can be nerve-wracking or exciting. However, what if you have a hunch and want to ensure everything? Thankfully, the College Board has rules to maintain score accuracy and services available to help you verify your performance. For this blog post, we will help confirm your SAT score and show you available resources.

The College Board’s Quality Control

First, let’s note that the College Board takes quality control so seriously that you can count on your scores to be accurate. The design of these processes is to reduce error and yield reliable results. Nevertheless, official verification services are available if you can’t get enough of your scores. These services aren’t designed for test prep or practice; they’re to help give you an in-depth view of your test.

What You Get with Verification Services

Student answer verification services give you valuable information about how well you’re doing on the test. They detail what you answered so you can see where you excelled and where you might have struggled with these services. Specifically, you’ll receive the following information:

Each question you answer will show you the difficulty level, what you got right or wrong, or if you just left the question blank. This helps you know if you’re patterned or not in your performance. For example, you will likely often feel baffled by the most challenging math problems or certain types of reading comprehension questions.

The verification service also identifies the type of question. Based on this classification, You can locate which skill is being tested in any question. For example, take ‘Vocabulary in context’ or ‘Algebra problem-solving.’ This can be used for review purposes and when preparing for future tests.

Two Types of Verification Services

The College Board offers two student answer verification services: Question and Answer and Student Answer Service. Remember that you will only have one of these services available for any test you take. When and where you took the SAT determines when and where you can take it.

Hence, you need to do further research on the College Board website to determine which service is available for your specific test date and what each provides.

Ordering Verification Services

You can order student answer verification services when you register for the SAT or up to five months after your test date. This gives you a reasonable window to decide whether to utilize these services.

It’s also important to note that these services are offered only for the SAT, not SAT Subject Tests. If you took Subject Tests and have questions about your scores, you’ll need to consult the College Board’s resources specifically for those tests.

Deciding If Verification Is Right for You

You can choose to order a verification service. If you scored wrong or want to know how you would do on future exams, these services can be helpful. If you are mostly okay with your scores and don’t have something to worry about, you may not have to use them.

However, you must take a step back and consider your needs and goals when making this decision. Not everyone needs these services, and they are intended to give you extra information or a little more clarity, but not everyone.

Using Your Scores Effectively

Using your score report effectively is needed whether or not you verify your scores. Your score report provides information on how you did specifically in each test section. This information can help you know your strengths and weaknesses, making your next study effort more specific. Say you ranked lower in the Math section; you can get a boost from practicing particular math concepts and problem-solving strategies.

Likewise, if it was the Reading section you were not good in, you can now work on improving your reading comprehension skills and vocabulary. Your SAT score report can help you learn what to do to maximize your SAT experience and prepare for future tests or college applications.

Empowering Yourself with Information

Students can benefit from verifying their SAT scores to confirm their results or better understand their performance on that test. With information about the services offered and the College Board’s quality control measures, you will be in a position to make informed decisions about your testing journey. Take advantage of all the materials you have and work with your score report to learn the most and achieve your academic goals.