Scoring on the SAT II Math IIC is very similar to the scoring for all other SAT II tests. For every right answer, you earn 1 point. For every wrong answer, you lose ¹/₄ of a point. For every question you leave blank, you earn 0 points. Add these points up, and you get your raw score. ETS then converts your raw score to a scaled score according to a special curve. We have included a generalized version of that curve in the table below. Note that the curve changes slightly for each edition of the test, so the table shown will be close to, but not exactly the same as, the table used by the ETS for the particular test you take. You should use this chart to convert your raw scores on practice tests into a scaled score.

In addition to its function as a conversion table, this chart contains crucial information: it tells you that you can do very well on the SAT II Math IIC without answering every question correctly. In fact, you could skip some questions and get some other questions wrong and still earn a “perfect” score of 800.

For example, in a test of 50 questions, you could score:

This chart should prove to you that when you’re taking the test, you should not imagine your score plummeting with every question you can’t confidently answer. You can do very well on this test without knowing or answering everything. So don’t get unnecessarily wound up if you run into a difficult question. The key to doing well on the SAT II Math IIC is to take the whole test well, and to follow a strategy that ensures you will answer all the questions you can, while intelligently guessing on the questions you feel less certain about. We will talk about such strategies in the next chapter.