What You Need to Know About Scaled Scores (2024)

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What You Need to Know About Scaled Scores (1)

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By

Karen Schweitzer

Karen Schweitzer

Business Education Expert

Karen Schweitzer is a business school admissions consultant, curriculum developer, and education writer. She has been advising MBA applicants since 2005.

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Updated on July 24, 2019

Scaled scores are a type of exam score. They are commonly used by testing companies that administer high stakes exams, such as admissions, certification and licensure exams. Scaled scores are also used for K-12 Common Core testing and other exams that assess student skills and evaluate learning progress.

Raw Scores vs. Scaled Scores

The first step to understanding scaled scores is to learn how they differ from raw scores. A raw score represents the number of exam questions you answer correctly. For example, if an exam has 100 questions, and you get 80 of them correct, your raw score is 80. Your percent-correct score, which is a type of raw score, is 80%, and your grade is a B-.

A scaled score is a raw score that has been adjusted and converted to a standardized scale. If your raw score is 80 (because you got 80 out of 100 questions correct), that score is adjusted and converted into a scaled score. Raw scores can be converted linearly or nonlinearly.

Scaled Score Example

The ACT is an example of an exam that uses linear transformation to convert raw scores to scaled scores. The following conversation chart shows how raw scores from each section of the ACT are transformed into scaled scores.

Raw Score EnglishRaw Score MathRaw Score ReadingRaw Score ScienceScaled Score
7560404036
72-7458-59393935
7157383834
7055-56373733
68-695435-36-32
6752-53343631
6650-51333530
6548-49323429
63-6445-47313328
6243-44303227
60-6140-422930-3126
58-5938-392828-2925
56-5736-372726-2724
53-5534-3525-2624-2523
51-5232-332422-2322
48-5030-3122-232121
45-47292119-2020
43-4427-2819-2017-1819
41-4224-26181618
39-4021-231714-1517
36-3817-2015-161316
32-35

13-16

141215
29-3111-1212-131114
27-288-10111013
25-2679-10912
23-245-68811
20-2246-7710
18-19--5-69
15-1735-8
12-14-447
10-112336
8-9--25
6-712-4
4-5--13
2-3-1-2
0-10001

The Equating Process

The scaling process creates a base scale that serves as a reference for another process known as equating. The equating process is necessary to account for differences between multiple versions of the same test.

Although test makers try to keep the difficulty level of a test the same from one version to the next, differences are inevitable. Equating allows the test maker to statistically adjust scores so that the average performance on version one of the test is equal to average performance on version two of the test, version three of the test and so on.

After undergoing both scaling and equating, scaled scores should be interchangeable and easily comparable no matter which version of the test was taken.

Equating Example

Let's look at an example to see how the equating process can impact scaled scores on standardized tests.Imagine that say you and a friend are taking the SAT. You will both be taking the exam at the same test center, but you will be taking the test in January, and your friend will be taking the test in February. You have different testing dates, and there is no guarantee that you will both take the same version of the SAT. You may see one form of the test, while your friend sees another. Although both tests have similar content, the questions are not exactly the same.

After taking the SAT, you and your friend get together and compare your results. You both got a raw score of 50 on the math section, but your scaled score is 710 and your friend's scaled score is 700. Your pal wonders what happened since both of you got the same number of questions correct. But the explanation is pretty simple; you each took a different version of the test, and your version was more difficult than his. To get the same scaled score on the SAT, he would have needed to answer more questions correctly than you.

Test makers that use an equating process use a different formula to create a unique scale for each version of the exam. This means that there is no one raw-to-scale-score conversion chart that can be used for every version of the exam. That is why, in our previous example, a raw score of 50 was converted into 710 on one day and 700 on another day. Keep this in mind as you are taking practice tests and using conversion charts to transform your raw score into a scaled score.

Purpose of Scaled Scores

Raw scores are definitely easier to calculate than scaled scores. But testing companies want to make sure that test scores can be fairly and accurately compared even if test takers take different versions, or forms, of the test on different dates. Scaled scores allow for accurate comparisons and ensure that people who took a more difficult test are not penalized, and people who took a less difficult test are not given an unfair advantage.

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Your Citation

Schweitzer, Karen. "Understanding Scaled Scores." ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/understanding-scaled-scores-4161300.Schweitzer, Karen. (2020, August 27). Understanding Scaled Scores. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/understanding-scaled-scores-4161300Schweitzer, Karen. "Understanding Scaled Scores." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/understanding-scaled-scores-4161300 (accessed June 17, 2024).

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What You Need to Know About Scaled Scores (2024)

FAQs

What You Need to Know About Scaled Scores? ›

A scaled score is a representation of the total number of correct questions a candidate has answered (raw score) that has been converted onto a consistent and standardized scale.

What does a scaled score tell you? ›

What is a scaled score? A scaled score is a representation of the total number of correct answers (also known as raw scores) a candidate has provided that has been converted onto a consistent and standardized scale. Scaled scores indicate the same level of performance, regardless of which form a candidate has received.

How does score scaling work? ›

A scaled study score takes into account the different levels of competition in different study areas, measured by how well the students in that subject performed in other subjects. In general, maths and science subjects are scaled up and arts subjects are scaled down.

How do you calculate scale scores? ›

Here is an example of scale scores from an English language assessment: What is a Mean Scale Score? A mean scale score is the average performance of a group of students on an assessment. Specifically, a mean scale score is calculated by adding all individual student scores and dividing by the number of total scores.

What does a scaled score of 500 mean? ›

What does this mean? Where does the 500 come from? Scaled scores are calculated by using statistical procedures to translate raw scores onto the 200-800 scale with 500 as the passing score. You cannot calculate the number of questions you got right or wrong from the scaled scores.

What are the benefits of scaled scores? ›

A scaled score provides a standard range for candidates and allows direct and fair comparisons of results from one exam form to another.

What does a scaled score of 120 mean? ›

120 – This is the highest score available in the KS2 SATs. 101-119 – Any score above 100 (including 120) means that a child has exceeded the expected standard in the test. Again, there is no clear score as to when a child 'exceeds' the expected standard.

How does scale grading work? ›

A scale is a range of numbers for which you can assign values and interpretations. Scores on a student essay might be 0 to 5 points, for example, where 0 is horrible and 5 is wonderful. Raw scores on a test, like number-correct, are also a scale, but there are reasons to hide this, which we will discuss.

How do you calculate overall scaled score? ›

Calculation of scaled score of a candidate:

The overall scaled score is obtained by adding scaled scores of these three sections. While illustrating the scaling process, QA section is chosen as an example. Similar process is valid for the other two sections, i.e. DILR and VARC.

How does scaling work? ›

Scaling is a procedure through which we draw an object that is proportional to the actual size of the object. Scaling in geometry means that we are either enlarging or shrinking figures so that they retain their basic shape. When we scale figures, they are known as similar figures.

How do you calculate to scale? ›

To find the scale factor, first find the corresponding sides on the two figures. Then, divide the measurement of the new figure by the measurement of the original figure. The resulting value is your scale factor, or how many times larger or smaller your new figure is compared to the original.

What is the scale formula? ›

The basic formula to find the scale factor of a figure is expressed as, Scale factor = Dimensions of the new shape ÷ Dimensions of the original shape. This formula can also be used to calculate the dimensions of the new figure or the original figure by simply substituting the values in the formula.

How do you calculate scale rating? ›

Step 1: For each question on the questionnaire, calculate the total number of responses for each sentiment level (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree). Step 2: Add the totals, and divide by the total number of respondents: 1 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 5 = 6 / 2 respondents = 3.

What is a scaled score vs standardized score? ›

1) Standard Score (SS), is defined as a mean of 100, with a standard deviation of 15 points. 2) Scaled score, is defined as a mean of 10 standard deviation of 3 points. 3) Z score, is defined as a mean of zero and standard deviation of 1 point. 4) T score, is defined as a mean of 50 a standard deviation of 10 points.

What is the normal range for a scaled score? ›

Scaled scores are often combined to form standard scores. The average range for a scaled score is 8-10, and 50% of all children at a given age will fall in this range.

What does a scaled score of 240 mean? ›

Total Test Performance shows either Passed or Not Passed. Passed TExES exams are those that receive a scaled score of 240 or higher. Scaled scores mean that different versions of the same exam are all scored in a comparable manner.

What does a scaled score of 200 mean? ›

A scaled score of at least 200 is required to pass the multiple-choice section. • At least 5 out of 8 points using new scoring rubric is required to pass the written-performance section, which is equivalent to a score of 8 out of 12 points on previous scoring rubric.

What does a scaled score of 220 mean? ›

A scaled score of 220 represents the approved performance criterion, i.e., the cutscore or minimum qualifying score, for the module or section of the module.

What is a scaled score of 75? ›

On some exam versions, you might need to correctly answer 131 of 200 questions to receive a scaled score of 75. On more “difficult” exam versions, you might need only to answer 130 of 200 questions correctly to receive a 75 scaled score.

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