What is considered a good SAT score?
One of the most common questions that students ask about the SAT is, ‘What is a good SAT score?’ The answer is often tricky, as it primarily depends on the admission requirements of your preferred university.
One thing about the SAT is that the higher your SAT score, the better your chances of getting into a top-notch university.
You’ve certainly landed in the right place if you’re new to the SAT term and interested in knowing more because, in this informative blog, you will learn everything relevant about the SAT and also the answer to ‘What is considered a good SAT score?’
So, without any further ado, let’s go!
What is SAT?
SAT stands for Scholastic Assessment Test. It is a computer-based standardised test that is widely accepted in the USA for college admissions. It evaluates a student’s literacy, numeracy, and writing skills. High school juniors and seniors typically take it.
The SAT is entirely owned by the College Board, which is a non-profit educational institution. You can take the SAT exam seven times a year if you are a USA citizen; international students can take it four times a year.
Structure and scores of SAT
The SAT has two main sections. The first one is the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW), and the second one is the Math. Both of these sections have four sections each: Reading, Writing and Language, Math (with calculator), and Math (without calculator).
Both of these sections range from 200 to 800; therefore, the total score ranges from 400 to 1600. The good news is that there is no negative marking on the SAT.
SAT score percentiles
Many students think that the percentile term indicates a comparison in percentage to the SAT score. Well, it’s a bit complicated. Let me break it down for you.
SAT percentiles indicate how a student performed on the test compared to the total number of students who took the test. Suppose, a student is awarded an 80% percentile based on the score, which means that the student has performed better than 80% of the students overall.
SAT percentile scores range from 1 to 99. There are two types of percentile scores. The College Board defines both of them. These are:
- Nationally Representative Sample Percentile: It is a comparison of all the 11th and 12th graders combined in the USA. It doesn’t matter whether they took the test or not. They’ll still be counted.
- SAT User Percentile: This is based on an actual comparison of all the students who took the SAT in the past three years. For example: In the year 2019-2020, the SAT User Percentile was based on the scores of graduate students of 2018 and 2019 who took the SAT in high school.
Percentiles for total scores in the USA:
| SAT score (400 - 1600) | SAT User Percentile | Nationally Representative Sample Percentile |
| 1600 | 99+ | 99+ |
| 1550 | 99 | 99+ |
| 1500 | 98 | 99 |
| 1450 | 96 | 99 |
| 1400 | 93 | 97 |
| 1350 | 90 | 94 |
| 1300 | 86 | 91 |
| 1250 | 81 | 86 |
| 1200 | 75 | 81 |
| 1150 | 68 | 74 |
| 1100 | 60 | 67 |
| 1050 | 51 | 58 |
| 1000 | 43 | 48 |
| 950 | 35 | 38 |
| 900 | 27 | 29 |
| 850 | 19 | 21 |
| 800 | 13 | 14 |
| 750 | 7 | 8 |
| 700 | 3 | 4 |
| 650 | 1 | 1 |
| 400 - 640 | -1 | -1 |
What is considered a good SAT score?
Actually, what is a good SAT score depends on the university you want to enrol in. Each university has its own admission requirements. If you opt for the top universities, then you better aim for an above-average SAT score.
According to the college board, the average SAT score in 2023 was 1028, the average Math score was 508, and the average reading and writing score was 520. Getting a high SAT score doesn’t always mean that you’ll be accepted into a university, but it will undoubtedly make you more competitive.
A score between 1300 and 1400 is considered a good SAT score, but it could be very low for MIT, Princeton, Duke, and more. Indeed, with a score of 1050, you can get admission into many universities in the USA. But remember this: the more prestige an institution holds, the more SAT scores it will require.
Good SAT score for top universities in the USA
The table below demonstrates the SAT scores of the top universities in the USA.
| University | 25th Percentile SAT Score | 75th Percentile SAT Score | Acceptance Rate |
| MIT | 1520 | 1580 | 4.80% |
| Stanford University | 1500 | 1570 | 3.68% |
| Duke University | 1510 | 1560 | 5.10% |
| Johns Hopkins University | 1530 | 1560 | 6.20% |
| Northwestern University | 1500 | 1560 | 7.50% |
| University of Chicago | 1510 | 1560 | 4.77% |
| UC Berkeley | 1350 | 1570 | 16.4% |
| UCLA | 1370 | 1570 | 12.4% |
| Rice University | 1500 | 1560 | 7.51% |
| Vanderbilt University | 1480 | 1570 | 5.09% |
| University of Notre Dame | 1410 | 1550 | 11.10% |
| University of Michigan Ann Arbor | 1350 | 1530 | 17.94% |
| Georgetown University | 1440 | 1560 | 12.33% |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 1350 | 1510 | 18.39% |
| Carnegie Mellon University | 1490 | 1570 | 11.00% |
| Emory University | 1470 | 1560 | 14.49% |
| University of Virginia | 1400 | 1540 | 16.38% |
| Washington University in St. Louis | 1500 | 1570 | 11.44% |
Good SAT score for Ivy League universities
Ivy League is a group of top 8 universities in the USA. These institutions are renowned worldwide as elite colleges. It is the dream of countless students to carry out their academic life at these universities.
The SAT score for the Ivy League universities is given below:
| University | 25th Percentile SAT Score | 75th Percentile SAT Score | Acceptance Rate |
| Brown University | 1470 | 1550 | 5.16% |
| Columbia University | 1500 | 1560 | 3.85% |
| Cornell University | 1470 | 1550 | 7.00% |
| Dartmouth College | 1480 | 1560 | 5.32% |
| Harvard University | 1490 | 1580 | 3.59% |
| University of Pennsylvania | 1510 | 1569 | 5.80% |
| Princeton University | 1540 | 1580 | 5.80% |
| Yale University | 1370 | 1590 | 3.70% |
Tips to get a good SAT score
The SAT can often be seen as a stern test to crack. Despite this, countless students sit for this exam because it’ll help open the door to many prestigious universities. If you’re planning to sit for the SAT, then these tips might be of immense help to you.
- Explore instead of studying: Don’t just read and write. Delve down to whatever you are studying. Think about what they could have thought of while inventing the topic you are studying.
- Increase reading habits: Your vocabulary should be strong. If you just learn new words, you might forget them. Instead, read something that you like. Once you’ve had fun reading, there’s a high chance that you won’t forget that.
- Practice model tests: The more model tests you write, the more they’ll be familiar to you. In the exam, this helps a lot, as you’ll feel that you’ve already done this before, and it’ll give you more confidence.
- Don’t overthink: Think of this test as just a mere test. Don’t get nervous. If you get nervous, it might not end up good for you. What will happen if you don’t ace this test? Not a thing will happen, as you can retake it anytime.
- Write everything: Instead of solving everything in your mind, especially math, just write it down. It will give you a clearer picture and might stay in your head for quite some time.
- Answer the easy questions first: Suppose the first question happens to be a hard one on your SAT. Instead of staying and solving that question, jump to the second one. Complete the easy ones first, and then aim for the hard ones. It will boost your confidence.
- Don't leave any questions blank: Since there are no negative markings on the SAT, don’t ever leave any questions blank. Take a good guess and pick one. It could be right, and even if it wasn't, what’s the big deal?
Final note
It looks like we’ve hit the bottom. Studying at your dream university can shower you with immense happiness, and without any pain, there’s no gain. The efforts you’ll put in for your SAT exam are nothing compared to the life you’ll have once you get selected at your dream university.
So, study hard, and we hope that after reading this blog, the answer to the question of ‘What is considered a good SAT score?’ is pretty clear to you.
Well, it’s farewell time, and we wish that you achieve great things in your life. Good luck!
FAQs
What is a good SAT score for the Ivy League?
A good SAT score for Ivy League universities would be 1560.
What is a good SAT score for Harvard?
A good SAT score for Harvard would be 1520.
What is the average SAT score in 2024?
According to The College Board, the average SAT score in 2024 was 1024.
Is a 910 as a SAT score good?
A 910 as a SAT score is considered below average.
Is 1100 a good SAT score?
An 1100 SAT score is around the average, so it’s not that bad.
Is 1200 a good SAT score?
A 1200 SAT score is slightly above average, and for some universities, it’s a pretty good score.
Is 1300 a good SAT score?
A 1300 can be considered a strong score, as it’ll place you in the 87th percentile of all test takers.
Is 1400 a good SAT score?
A 1400 SAT score is definitely good, as, with this score, you can get admission into many top universities.