🌎 Central America: PAA Master Score Converter

1. The 200–800 Scaled Score

Each PAA component (Lectura, Matemática, Redacción Indirecta) is reported on a scaled range of 200 to 800 points, with a theoretical mean of 500 and a standard deviation of 100. Raw correct answers are not summed directly — College Board applies an equating procedure so that scores remain comparable across test forms and administrations.

2. The Official Rangos

College Board groups each component score into one of five qualitative ranges:

• Muy alto: 650–800
• Alto: 550–649
• Promedio: 450–549
• Bajo: 350–449
• Muy bajo: 200–349

A component below 450 typically blocks admission to STEM and health-science faculties regardless of how high your other components are — universities apply a per-component floor, not just a composite minimum.

3. Two-Component vs Three-Component Composites

The classic Central American composite sums Verbal and Matemática only (range 400–1600), mirroring the SAT 1600 model. Some universities — particularly in Costa Rica, Panamá and Honduras for communications and law programmes — also weigh Redacción Indirecta, yielding a 600–2400 composite. Always check the specific facultad's admission notice.

4. SAT 1600 Equivalence (Approximate)

College Board publishes a PAA–SAT concordance for the two-component composite. The mapping is effectively a 1:1 scale at the component level (PAA 200–800 ≈ SAT 200–800 per section), so the two-component PAA total is treated as approximately equal to an SAT total. This conversion is informational only — international universities may require the SAT itself.