Are you planning to take the SAT exam in 2025 to get into your preferred school? Then you must be wondering what a good SAT Score is. While some universities may disclose cutoffs, others may assess applicants based on the competitive level of their peers. However, ideally, there is a minimum SAT score that is considered for admission. Check out what a good SAT score is and what an ideal SAT score is.
SAT is a standardised test required to get into colleges and universities worldwide for undergraduate admissions. Globally, colleges and universities accept SAT exam for giving admission to college applicants. In this article, we will answer this query. What is a good SAT Score, which is not only a grave concern of students but also of parents. Check out what a good SAT score is and how trends help in assessing it across universities globally.
- How the Digital SAT is scored?
- What is a Good SAT Score?
- SAT Score Percentiles
- What is a Good SAT Score for College Admissions?
- Average SAT Scores for 20 Popular US Colleges
- How to improve SAT Scores?
How the Digital SAT is scored?
Before starting with SAT preparation, students should know when they should actually start studying for the SAT Exam. We need to understand the SAT score range for determining a good SAT score.
The SAT exam pattern is divided into two sections - 1. Reading & Writing, and 2.Mathematics. These two sections are scored on a 200-800 point scale, for a maximum score of 1600 i.e. total score.
According to the College Board, the average SAT score for 2024 was 1024. So, anything above 1080 can be considered a good SAT score. The maximum anyone can score on the SAT is the perfect score of 1600. As candidates receive scaled scores, they should be familiar with SAT scaled scores and percentiles.
Check: SAT Exam Syllabus
What is a Good SAT Score?
A good SAT score aids an applicant in his/her admission to the college of choice. Be it meeting the SAT cutoff (minimum requirements mentioned on the university website) or scoring above other competing applicants is any day a good SAT score for an applicant. So, how are SAT scores considered good or bad? Check out the section below:
- The average SAT score was 1024 (approximately, as per the College Board) for 2024. So any SAT score above 1030 would be considered an above-average score.
- A SAT score of 1200 would put the applicants in the top 10% of test takers and help them make their admission applications even more competitive at more selective schools.
- A good SAT score falling in the category of 90th percentile and above is, anyway, a good score.
The concept of what is a good SAT score will vary per university and country - US, Canada or UK. Though there is no concrete answer to what is a good SAT score, but yes any SAT score above 1450 is a good score
SAT Score Percentiles
When talking about a good SAT score, there is always mention of the percentiles. The percentiles based on SAT scores correspond to a comparative study, which shows how an applicant performed in comparison to other applicants. So once applicants get their SAT scores, to understand if they are at par or not, they must consider percentile scores as well. Check out the table below to understand how SAT scores correspond to percentile scores:
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| SAT Composite Score | Percentile Score | SAT Composite Score | Percentile Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1530–1600 | 99+% | 1150–1180 | 69–73% |
| 1500–1520 | 98% | 1080–1130 | 58–66% |
| 1450–1490 | 96–97% | 1030–1060 | 50–56% |
| 1410–1440 | 94–95% | 970–1020 | 40–48% |
| 1380–1400 | 92–93% | 900–960 | 29–39% |
| 1350–1370 | 90–91% | 830–890 | 19–28% |
| 1310–1340 | 87–91% | 770–820 | 10–17% |
| 1240–1300 | 80–86% | 680–760 | 2–9% |
| 1190–1230 | 74–79% | 660 or lower | 1% or lower |
Percentile scores would help applicants understand how they performed and if their SAT score is good or not for admissions abroad. Based on percentiles, a good SAT score can be categorised into three broad spectrums:
-
90th percentile (SAT score of 1350): Makes an applicant's profile stronger and increases the selection rate at many selective schools.
-
97th percentile (SAT score of 1400): This is a highly competitive SAT score and actually a good one. Ca easily increase chances of selection.
-
99th percentile (SAT score of 1450+): This is definitely an elite-tier level score; a target score of 1450 and above can increase chances of getting into the Ivy League schools.
Thus, what is a good SAT score is assessed and collated with percentiles in the final result.
What is a Good SAT Score for College Admissions?
There are different tiered universities, each accepting a different set of SAT scores, check out below which type of university accepts how much SAT score:
- A score of 1400 or more on the SAT for Ivy League colleges can be considered good.
- For a mid-level university, anywhere between 1200 - 1400 can be considered as good.
- And for those who want to attend a community college, a score of 1000 – 1200 can also work.
The College Board themselves have clarified that a good SAT score is not a guarantee for admission to a good college or university. Your complete application should align with the college's complete requirements, including your overall profile, admission essays, GPA, and other relevant details.
Average SAT Scores for 20 Popular US Colleges
The following is a list of top US universities accepting SAT scores for undergraduate admissions for the year 2023-24 and scoring around the given scores is what is a good SAT score for these universities:
| US Universities Accepting SAT Scores | Average Composite SAT Score | Competitive Level |
|---|---|---|
| Princeton University | 1518 | Extremely Competitive |
| Harvard University | 1580 | Extremely Competitive |
| Columbia University | 1524 | Extremely Competitive |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 1543 | Extremely Competitive |
| Yale University | 1530 | Extremely Competitive |
| Stanford University | 1520 | Extremely Competitive |
| University of Chicago | 1545 | Extremely Competitive |
| University of Pennsylvania | 1525 | Extremely Competitive |
| California Institute of Technology | 1555 | Extremely Competitive |
| Johns Hopkins University | 1515 | Highly Competitive |
| Northwestern University | 1520 | Highly Competitive |
| Duke University | 1505 | Highly Competitive |
| Dartmouth College | 1500 | Highly Competitive |
| Brown University | 1515 | Highly Competitive |
| Vanderbilt University | 1525 | Highly Competitive |
| Rice University | 1530 | Highly Competitive |
| Washington University | 1530 | Highly Competitive |
| Cornell University | 1505 | Highly Competitive |
| University of Notre Dame | 1480 | Highly Competitive |
| University of California, Los Angeles | 1405 | Highly Competitive |
Since a lot of US universities choose to be test-optional it may or may not be mandatory for international students to submit an SAT score while applying for undergraduate admissions. Students must check the minimum SAT cut-off if applicable and prepare for SAT exam accordingly. Check out the Top 10 SAT Accepting Colleges in USA.
How to improve SAT Scores?
Even if you are not scoring up to your expectations, there is always a scope for betterment. You can sit for SAT exam again, but only if you have enough time between applying for SAT exam again and applying to your desired university. Check the SAT exam dates and then register for SAT and appear for the test if required. You can take SAT multiple times in a given year. Check out the following tips as to how to score well on SAT exam:
1. Focus and Practice More:
Candidates can start taking SAT Practice Tests: Tips and Resources formulate essential SAT Tips and Strategies and make an appropriate study plan which they can follow and improve their scores.
2. Give SAT again:
Generally, candidates who attempt the SAT exam a second or third time score high on their previous tests. If you prepare well, you can improve your scores exceptionally well. Apart from making a perfect study plan, go for the Best books and resources for SAT and prepare systematically.
3. Consider Colleges Taking SAT Superscores
Superscoring takes your highest Math and highest RW from different test dates and sums them into a higher number. Colleges often welcome it, so if a sectional weakness hampers your scoring prowess, then SAT superscoring will work to your advantage. Multiple attempts can yield the best composite without scrapping the rest.
4. Good vs Very Good SAT Score
Not all good scores feel equally good. Most counsellors mark 1200 a sweet spot for the upper 25 per cent of test takers, “good” since the Federal Morse Code would allow it. Beyond 1400, however, remains the loftier world of "very good," the level selective admissions offices hang their hats on. Again, anything above 1210 is louder than the crowd.
What is a good SAT Score also depends on the target college to which the candidate wants to go. Good SAT Score for applicants depend on their targeted schools!
Thus, we can conclude by saying that there is no good SAT score; rather, SAT scores depend on the university's admission criteria, if at all they provide SAT cutoffs or a range of scores to fall back on. Students must check out the university requirements and plan accordingly based on their key areas of strength and weakness, and then prepare for the SAT. In case the choice of university accepts both ACT and SAT, then applicants can have a look at this article too for more details - SAT vs ACT: Which Test is Easier and How to Choose the Right Test?
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Check when you are going to take the SAT test. The SAT syllabus is vast hence it cannot be covered in a couple of hours. If you have a good amount of time say six months then you need to give fewer hours daily, on the other hand, if you have less amount of time for SAT test then you need to study more hours. Go through the SAT syllabus and understand how much it will take you to cover each and every topic and prepare a study plan accordingly. Thus, this completely depends on the applicant and how he/she wishes to cover the SAT exam syllabus.
As in the case of the SAT, there are no restrictions set by the College Board, students can take the SAT exam as many times as they want. SAT is administered now eight times a year in India from 2025. The test is usually conducted in March, May, June, August, September, October, November and December.
However, it is recommended that applicants appear for SAT twice - in Spring and one before Fall. This is because the highest SAT scores among the two will be considered by universities for admission. Since in a lot of cases, SAT scores improve in the second time, it is recommended to take the SAT exam twice.
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As such there are no limits to take the SAT exam, or prescribed by College Board as such. The applicants can take SAT exam as many times as they wish to. Usually, as per College Board, the applicants take SAT exam once or twice before app;ying for admissions, the reason being that colleges pick the highest score from either of the two attempts. Since SAT is conducted seven times a year, applicants can choose their preferred dates for taking the SAT once or for the second time as well.