I’ve just joined the USCF, and I have a newbie question; please bear with me:
Is the USCF rating calculated the same as ELO; in other words, are they the same or no?
If by ELO you mean FIDE, they use similar formulas because both are built upon the work of Arpad Elo, but there are a number of mathematical and procedural differences that have developed over the years.
The USCF Ratings Committee did a study a couple of years ago of players who were active in both USCF and FIDE rated events. Based upon that they updated the formula we use when converting a FIDE rating to a USCF rating (for players who have a FIDE rating but do not have a USCF rating yet.)
For full details, I refer you to the white paper that describes the USCF rating system, math.bu.edu/people/mg/ratings/rating.system.pdf
For information on the FIDE rating system, go to fide.com