SAT Score Goal Calculator.

How many questions can you miss on the SAT?

There's no single answer — it depends on how your misses are split between Reading & Writing (54 questions) and Math (44 questions), because each section is converted to a 200–800 scaled score on its own curve before the two are added together. Missing the same number of questions in a section that converts more steeply near the top costs you more points than missing them lower down, which is why the calculator above shows a range — a best-case split and a balanced split — instead of one number.

Take a target of 1500 as a worked example. Based on the released conversion charts, the maximum combined miss budget is 7 questions out of 98. If Math is your stronger section, you could answer all 44 Math questions correctly and still reach 1500 by missing up to 7 in Reading & Writing. If your performance is closer to even across both sections, the same 1500 is reachable by missing roughly 4 in Reading & Writing and 3 in Math instead. Neither split is "more correct" — they just assume a different strengths profile, which is why the calculator shows both.

One more wrinkle worth knowing: the digital SAT adjusts difficulty between modules. Each section's second module is served at a harder or easier difficulty tier depending on how you performed on the first module, and the harder module 2 has a higher scoring ceiling. In practice, hitting the top score bands generally requires qualifying for that harder module 2 — module 1 accuracy isn't just about raw questions right, it also determines which module 2 you get.