What is a Good SAT Score?

To answer the question “What is A Good SAT Score?" we are going to walk you through a few things. The number one thing to keep in mind is that a “good” SAT score will mean something different to every person that reads this article. Your main goal is to get a SAT score that gets you into the college of your choice and earns you the most or necessary amount of scholarship money you need to attend that college.

Throughout this article we are going to discuss how SAT scores are calculated, how those scores compare nationally (percentiles), the average accepted SAT scores at universities across the country, and tips and tricks for improving your score.

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The SAT: Why take it, what is it, how much does it cost…

For some, the SAT has proved to be increasingly useful for getting into the college of their dreams. There are most likely 2 main reasons for taking the SAT:

Your school requires (or prefers) the SAT to that of the ACT.
You did not do well on the ACT.

For some, the SAT proved to be much easier and reaped a much better score compared to when they took the ACT. One reason may be is that you are given more time to complete the SAT - being rushed is why many felt that they scored poorly on the ACT. You have 3 hours to complete a math and evidence-based reading and writing section. An extra 50 minutes is allotted if you choose to write the optional essay.

The test costs $46 ($60 with the essay) and is offered nationally in August, October, November, December, March, May, and June. The highest you can score is a 1600. The average score is a 1060.

Click here to register for the SAT: SAT Registration

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SAT Scoring – Understanding How the Scoring Actually Works

So, let’s say you take the SAT. You anxiously await your results for 3 weeks and then suddenly they are available… except you have NO idea what they mean! Is this an average score? A bad one? A “good enough” one?

Click here to access you score: Access Your SAT Score

The SAT is scored on a scale ranging from 400 – 1600 for your total score and 200 – 800 for each of your two section scores. It does not take a genius to assume that the higher you score the better you did, but is there a certain score on the scale that separates the exceptional from the good to the bad? Let’s go over a detailed explanation of how the scoring works.

The score from 200 – 800 is converted from the raw score you earn on each section. Your raw score essentially means the number of questions you answered correctly. Questions that were answered incorrectly or skipped do not subtract from your raw score.

Your raw score becomes your scaled score through a process that the College Board refers to as “Equating”. In short, equating makes sure that each given test is of equal difficulty to the next test given. For example, a student taking the test in October should be taking a test that shows an equal ability level of another student taking the test in November. Basically - the tests are of equal difficulty.

Important to note is that equating is not curving your score relative to other students taking the same test on the same day but rather offering slight variations for different test dates. Say the November SAT proved to be more difficult than the October SAT - the raw-score to scaled-score variation will be adjusted so that the two tests are scored fairly.

That being said, because of equating and the formula varying from test to test, there is no way to consistently calculate your raw score to your scaled score. It ranges from test to test. The College Board does however release raw score to scaled score ranges to give you the closest idea of what your scaled score could be.

The reading test is comprised of 52 questions.
Writing is comprised of 44 questions.
Math is comprised of 58 questions.

So, if you got 44 questions right out of the 58 for math - that would be your raw score. You then compare that on a conversion table to understand what your scaled score would be.

Listed below is a raw score conversion table:

Raw Score Conversion

Source: PrepScholar

To calculate your scaled score for the evidence-based reading and writing is a tad bit more complex. Follow these steps:

Count the number of answers you got correct (no penalty for wrong answers) for Section 1 (the reading test).
Look in the raw score column for the reading test (above) and match it to the number in the reading section column.
Do the same thing with Section 2 (the writing test).
Add your reading and writing score together.
Multiply that number by 10 and that is your Evidence-based reading and writing score.

Example: Sophia got 44/52 right on the reading test. She matches that number (46) to the conversion table above and discovers that her reading score is a 45. She does the same thing with section 2, the writing test. She scored a 28/44 on the writing test. She matched that number (24) on the raw scale score to a 25 on the writing and language test score column. Sophia then adds 35 + 25, equaling 60. She multiplies 60 by 10 and is left with her Evidence-based reading and writing score of 600.

So, overall, say you got a 460 on math and a 600 on the reading and writing sections. That would mean you scored overall a 1060 on the SAT: the average score as of 2018.

Let’s get into what a good score could mean for you…

Understanding Percentiles and Where You Fall Nationally

Much like the ACT, the SAT uses percentiles to showcase where you fall nationally amongst other students who took the test that year. Percentiles are not meant to discourage you if you fall below the average but rather create a means of measurement to understand what is average, above average, and below.

Your percentile score tells you how you scored compared to the rest of the population. Here is a percentile chart from the 2018 SAT, take a look:

Sat score percentiles

SAT Composite Score Range	Percentile Score
1550-1600	99+
1500-1550	99 to 99+
1450-1500	97 to 99
1400-1450	94 to 97
1350-1400	91 to 94
1300-1350	87 to 91
1250-1300	81 to 87
1200-1250	74 to 81
1150-1200	67 to 74
1100-1150	58 to 67
1050-1100	49 to 58
1000-1050	39 to 49
950-1000	31 to 39
900-950	23 to 31
850-900	15 to 23
800-850	10 to 15
750-80	5 to 10
700-750	2 to 5
650-700	1 to 2
600-650	1- to 1
400-600	1-

Source: CollegeBoard

As you can see, there is not much of a difference between percentile scores from about 1300 and up (the differences become even smaller as one reaches a perfect score of 1600). Where it gets interesting is around the average score (1060). For example, even a difference in scores as little as 100 points from 1000 to 1100 is a 19-percentile increase!

This is crucial to understand as you will most likely take the SAT a couple of times. If you are able to raise your score by just 100 points that can be the small push you need to differentiate yourself from another candidate.

SUMMARY OF AVERAGE, GOOD, AND EXCELLENT SAT SCORES

Poor: 900 or lower (bottom 25% of test-takers)
Average: 1060 (exactly in the middle!)
Good: 1200 (top 75% of test-takers)
Excellent: 1350+ (90%+ higher than all test-takers)

While we have provided you with some raw data of what makes a “good” score we want to dive in further to help you understand what a good score can and should mean for you!

WHAT A GOOD SAT SCORE SHOULD MEAN FOR YOU

So, we’ve already discussed the average score on the SAT as well as the highest, but what is important to us is for you to understand exactly what you need on your SAT for you to feel good about your score.

A good score to you should not only mean the acceptance into your top university but all the bells and whistles that come with it… aka scholarships.

Here is a compiled list of the Top 100 Public & Private Universities and their corresponding averagely accepted SAT Score:

SAT Scores of top 100 public universities

Institution name	SAT I Reading and Writing 25th Percentile	SAT I Reading and Writing 75th Percentile	SAT I Math 25th Percentile	SAT I Math 75th Percentile
Texas A & M University-College Station	570	670	570	690
University of Central Florida	580	660	570	660
Ohio State University-Main Campus	610	700	650	750
Florida International University	550	630	530	610
University of Florida	620	710	620	690
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities	620	720	650	760
The University of Texas at Austin	620	720	600	740
Arizona State University-Tempe	560	670	560	680
Michigan State University	550	650	550	670
Rutgers University-New Brunswick	590	680	600	720
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	630	710	710	790
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus	580	660	580	680
The University of Texas at Arlington	530	630	530	640
University of Washington-Seattle Campus	590	690	600	730
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	660	730	670	770
University of Houston	560	640	550	640
University of California-Los Angeles	620	710	600	740
Indiana University-Bloomington	570	670	570	680
University of South Florida-Main Campus	580	650	570	660
University of Wisconsin-Madison	620	690	660	760
Purdue University-Main Campus	570	670	580	710
University of California-Berkeley	630	720	630	760
Florida State University	600	670	590	660
California State University-Northridge	460	570	450	550
California State University-Fullerton	510	590	510	590
University of Maryland-College Park	630	720	650	750
Texas State University	510	610	510	590
The University of Alabama	530	640	520	640
University of North Texas	540	640	520	620
California State University-Long Beach	510	610	510	620
University of Georgia	610	690	590	680
University of California-Davis	560	660	570	700
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus	560	660	560	680
Texas Tech University	540	620	530	620
Iowa State University	600	700	560	710
George Mason University	560	650	540	640
Kennesaw State University	550	630	530	610
San Jose State University	500	600	500	610
University of California-San Diego	600	680	610	730
University of Colorado Boulder	580	660	570	680
University of California-Irvine	580	650	590	700
San Diego State University	550	640	540	650
University of South Carolina-Columbia	590	660	580	670
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	590	670	590	690
North Carolina State University at Raleigh	610	680	620	710
Colorado State University-Fort Collins	560	650	540	650
Georgia State University	530	620	510	600
University of Utah	560	670	550	680
University of Iowa	570	680	570	690
California State University-Sacramento	470	570	470	570
Oregon State University	540	650	530	650
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College	530	640	530	650
University of Missouri-Columbia	570	680	550	670
The University of Texas at San Antonio	520	610	510	600
Virginia Commonwealth University	550	640	520	620
University at Buffalo	520	610	560	650
Washington State University	510	610	510	610
University of Illinois at Chicago	530	650	550	680
University of Nevada-Las Vegas	520	620	510	620
University of Massachusetts-Amherst	590	670	590	690
Florida Atlantic University	540	620	520	600
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	640	720	630	740
Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis	500	600	495	590
Auburn University	570	650	560	660
San Francisco State University	480	580	470	570
University of Kentucky	550	660	530	670
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus	370	730	720	790
Ohio University-Main Campus	550	640	530	620
University of North Carolina at Charlotte	560	630	550	640
East Carolina University	520	590	510	590
Kent State University at Kent	530	620	510	600
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus	620	700	620	718
California State University-Los Angeles	450	540	440	540
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus	580	690	570	690
West Virginia University	510	610	510	600
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	580	660	560	650
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley	480	570	470	550
Utah State University	490	600	510	620
The University of Texas at Dallas	600	700	620	730
University of Connecticut	600	680	610	710
University of Arkansas	560	640	550	640
Wayne State University	500	610	500	600
Portland State University	500	620	490	600
University of New Mexico-Main Campus	460	590	470	580
University of Nebraska-Lincoln	550	680	550	700
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona	500	610	510	620
Stony Brook University	590	680	620	730
California State University-Fresno	460	560	450	550
Oklahoma State University-Main Campus	540	630	530	630
The University of Texas at El Paso	460	570	460	560
University of California-Santa Barbara	600	680	590	720
Grand Valley State University	530	620	520	610
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus	540	640	520	640
Clemson University	620	690	600	700
Old Dominion University	500	610	480	590
University of Virginia-Main Campus	660	740	650	760
Boise State University	470	580	470	580
University of Delaware	570	660	560	670
Missouri State University-Springfield	510	625	510	620
University of California-Riverside	550	640	540	660
Central Michigan University	510	610	500	590

Source: National Center for Eduction Statistics

sat scores of top 100 private universities

Institution name	SAT I Reading and Writing 25th Percentile	SAT I Reading and Writing Verbal 75th Percentile	SAT I Math 25th Percentile	SAT I Math 75th Percentile
Liberty University	530	640	510	600
Brigham Young University-Idaho	500	600	490	580
New York University	650	730	640	760
University of Southern California	650	730	650	770
Brigham Young University-Provo	610	710	600	700
Boston University	640	720	660	760
Harvard University	730	790	730	800
Columbia University in the City of New York	700	780	710	790
George Washington University	640	720	640	720
University of Pennsylvania	700	770	720	790
Johns Hopkins University	720	770	730	800
Drexel University	580	670	580	690
Cornell University	690	760	700	790
Syracuse University	580	670	580	680
Northwestern University	700	770	720	790
Northeastern University	680	750	690	770
St John's University-New York	540	620	520	630
Nova Southeastern University	550	640	530	640
Georgetown University	680	760	670	760
Stanford University	690	760	700	780
Baylor University	600	680	590	680
University of Miami	620	700	610	720
Loyola University Chicago	570	660	550	650
Rochester Institute of Technology	590	680	600	700
University of Chicago	730	780	750	800
Duke University	670	750	710	790
Fordham University	620	700	610	710
Washington University in St Louis	720	770	750	800
Boston College	660	760	660	730
Saint Louis University	590	690	580	700
Emory University	670	740	680	780
Carnegie Mellon University	700	760	730	800
American University	610	690	570	660
Savannah College of Art and Design	530	630	500	600
Saint Leo University	430	520	480	600
Pace University-New York	530	620	510	600
Yale University	730	780	730	800
Webster University	530	648	510	605
Vanderbilt University	710	770	730	800
University of Notre Dame	680	750	690	770
Tulane University of Louisiana	670	740	660	750
Case Western Reserve University	650	740	690	780
Southern Methodist University	630	710	640	730
University of Rochester	640	720	660	770
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	720	770	770	800
Tufts University	700	760	710	780
University of Denver	590	680	570	670
Marquette University	570	660	560	650
Hofstra University	570	660	560	650
University of San Francisco	560	640	540	650
Villanova University	620	710	630	730
University of Dayton	550	650	550	660
Texas Christian University	570	660	560	670
The New School	570	660	530	650
Quinnipiac University	550	630	530	630
University of the Cumberlands	450	570	460	560
Brown University	705	780	700	790
Lindenwood University	380	520	480	610
California Baptist University	500	600	480	590
Azusa Pacific University	480	610	510	610
University of St Thomas	540	650	550	680
Seton Hall University	570	640	570	640
Loyola Marymount University	600	680	580	680
Regent University	500	610	430	580
Chapman University	600	680	590	680
Howard University	550	650	540	640
Duquesne University	570	640	550	630
University of San Diego	590	670	590	680
The University of Tampa	540	620	530	610
Creighton University	520	640	550	650
Mercer University	590	670	580	670
Santa Clara University	630	710	640	730
University of the Incarnate Word	480	570	460	550
LIU Post	530	620	525	620
Regis University	550	643	520	623
University of New England	520	610	510	600
Princeton University	710	780	720	790
Saint Joseph's University	560	640	550	650
Belmont University	590	670	550	640
Adelphi University	530	620	530	620
Indiana Institute of Technology	470	580	460	570
Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus	500	600	502	600
Pepperdine University	600	690	600	700
Maryville University of Saint Louis	485	615	498	650
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	640	730	680	770
Gonzaga University	590	670	590	680
New York Institute of Technology	510	610	520	620
Barry University	470	560	410	500
Seattle University	570	670	560	660
MCPHS University	520	620	520	650
Campbellsville University	460	553	470	540
Suffolk University	500	600	500	580
Illinois Institute of Technology	580	680	650	730
Southeastern University	490	600	460	570
Rice University	730	780	760	800
Lehigh University	620	700	650	730
University of New Haven	510	610	500	600
LIU Brooklyn	500	610	500	630
Stevens Institute of Technology	640	710	680	760
Elon University	580	670	560	660
Xavier University	540	620	520	620

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

Note: All universities, both public and private were selected based on enrollment numbers.

FINDING WHAT A GOOD SAT SCORE IS FOR YOUR SCHOOL

To find the average SAT scores for schools you are interested in, try searching on Google for: your school choice freshman profile

For example, if you Google: University of Michigan freshmen profile, you will get the following results:

Search for SAT Scores

Clicking on the Student Profile link will lead to:

SAT Student Profile

which will show you the SAT score ranges (25th to 75th percentiles) for the incoming freshman class.

How Do I Improve My SAT Score if I am Unsatisfied with it?

We’ve taken the time to compile some key tips/tricks to improve your SAT score. Take a look:

Become familiar with the SAT

In other words, practice, practice, practice! Become comfortable with the types of questions they are going to ask as well as completing as many questions as you can under the time restraint. There are an overwhelming amount of resources, test preps, classes, and tutors specifically designed to raise your score- take advantage of them! Use our free SAT practice questions to become more familiar with the SAT.

Re-take the test!

You have as many chances to take and re-take the test as you want, so do it! Many students gradually increase their score as the number of attempts increase and as you become more used to the test. If you don’t have the time to re-take the test and your score puts you at risk for acceptance into your top university, consider adding several “safety” schools.

You can super-score you score

Many universities allow you to super-score all you SAT’s which essentially means picking and choosing the highest scores from various attempts at the SAT. So, say your second attempt you had your highest math score and your first attempt you had the highest reading/writing score- you can combine them. All the more reason why taking the test multiple times is beneficial.

Use your time to the BEST of your ability

There will be trick questions and there will be questions you have absolutely no clue what the answer is. The great thing about the SAT? Wrong answers do not count against you! If you don’t know the answer, make an educated guess and move on. It does not serve in your best interest to waste 10 minutes on a question and then not be able to answer all the other questions in that section.

One great way to use your time better is to enroll in a SAT prep course. We reviewed the best SAT prep courses to help our users find the best fit for them.

Go into the test fully prepared and well-rested

You are given short breaks in between sections- utilize them! Bring a snack, quickly decompress, and then get ready to dive back in. When you are well-rested and feel great before going into the exam, chances are that you will score better. This applies to your mentality too. If you go in unsure of yourself with poor confidence chances are you will doubt yourself and score lower.