What Is a Good SAT Score?

Understanding what is a good SAT score represents one of the most important questions for college-bound students. Your SAT score influences college admissions decisions, scholarship opportunities, and potentially your academic future. However, defining "good" isn't straightforward—it depends entirely on your goals, target schools, and how your scores compare to other applicants. The SAT remains a critical component of college applications despite recent shifts toward test-optional policies. Many elite universities have reinstated SAT requirements, recognizing standardized tests provide valuable benchmarks for academic readiness. Additionally, strong SAT scores unlock merit-based scholarships that can significantly reduce college costs. This comprehensive guide explains what constitutes a good SAT score in 2025, how to interpret your results, and strategies for achieving your target score.

Understanding SAT Scoring Basics

Before determining what is considered a good SAT score, you need to understand how the test is structured and scored. The SAT comprises two main sections, each contributing equally to your final composite score. The Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (ERW) section combines reading comprehension and grammar skills, while the Math section assesses mathematical reasoning and problem-solving. Each section is scored on a scale of 200 to 800 points, making the maximum possible SAT score 1600. The SAT is scored on a scale of 400 to 1600, with two section scores: Math and Evidence-Based Reading & Writing (each out of 800). Your total score represents the sum of these two sections—for example, scoring 750 in Math and 740 in Reading and Writing yields a composite score of 1490. Understanding percentiles helps contextualize your score. Your percentile indicates what percentage of test-takers scored lower than you. A score in the 75th percentile means you performed better than 75% of all SAT takers, positioning you competitively for many colleges and universities. The College Board reports detailed score breakdowns including subscores for specific skill areas like algebra and grammar. While colleges primarily consider your composite score, these subscores provide insight into your strengths and weaknesses, helping inform targeted preparation strategies.

What Is the Average SAT Score in 2025

Knowing the national average provides a baseline for evaluating your performance, though it shouldn't be your primary benchmark. According to the College Board's most recent data, the average 2025 SAT score was 1029 (out of a possible 1600). This represents a slight increase from 2024's average of 1024.

National Average Breakdown by Section

Breaking down by section, in 2025, the average SAT score by section was 521 for Reading & Writing and 508 for Math. These averages fluctuate slightly year to year based on the test-taking population and other factors. However, comparing your score to the national average doesn't provide much practical value for college planning. The Average SAT Score matters less than how your score compares to admitted students at your target institutions. A score above the national average might still fall short for competitive universities, while that same score could exceed requirements at less selective schools.

What Qualifies as Above Average

A score of 1350 and above is generally considered to be a very good SAT score as it puts you in the top 10% of test takers. This benchmark indicates strong performance that opens doors at many quality institutions, though elite schools typically require even higher scores. Understanding average scores helps establish context, but your focus should remain on the specific requirements of schools where you're applying. Every college has different expectations based on their selectivity, academic rigor, and applicant pool quality.

What Is a Good SAT Score for College Admissions

The most meaningful definition of what is a good score for the SAT depends entirely on your college list. A good score is one that makes you competitive at your target schools—nothing more, nothing less.

Highly Selective Universities

Looking at the 2025 U.S. News Top 20 universities, the middle 50% SAT ranges confirm this pattern. Harvard (1500–1580), MIT (1520–1570), and Stanford (1510–1570) admit students with almost exclusively 1500+ scores. These institutions represent the pinnacle of selectivity, where even perfect or near-perfect scores don't guarantee admission. For Ivy League and top-tier universities, typically looking for 1450-1600 represents the competitive range. Students admitted to top universities have an SAT score ranging from 1470 (25th percentile average) to 1550 (75th percentile average). Aiming for scores at or above the 75th percentile significantly strengthens your application.

Competitive Public Universities

Public flagship universities generally show more variation in admitted student scores. UCLA admits students between 1290–1510, while UC Berkeley ranges from 1340–1540, making 1400+ a strong position for UC admission, especially in competitive majors. These schools balance academic excellence with broader accessibility mandates. Competitive State Universities and Military Academies often want 1200-1400, positioning you well for admission if your scores fall within or above these ranges. State flagship universities in highly populated states tend toward higher score expectations than regional public institutions.

Less Selective Colleges

Most Public Universities typically look for scores around 1100-1300. Many regional state schools, liberal arts colleges, and specialized institutions have middle 50% ranges clustering around 1000-1200, making above-average national scores quite competitive. Understanding where your scores fall relative to each school's middle 50% range—the 25th to 75th percentile of admitted students—provides the clearest picture of your competitiveness. Scoring at or above the 75th percentile makes you a strong candidate, while scores below the 25th percentile require exceptional strengths in other application areas.

What Is a Good SAT Score for Harvard and Elite Schools

Students targeting the most selective institutions face the highest score expectations. Understanding what is a good SAT score for Harvard and peer institutions helps set realistic targets and preparation strategies.

Score Ranges for Top Universities

Harvard (1500–1580), MIT (1520–1570), and Stanford (1510–1570) admit students with almost exclusively 1500+ scores. Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Penn, and Northwestern cluster around 1470–1570. These ranges demonstrate that competitive applicants at top schools typically score in the 99th percentile or higher.

The Ivy League Benchmark

For Ivy League schools specifically, a good SAT score for Ivy League universities is typically around 1550, based on this data. This score would put you in the 75th percentile of all admitted students to the Ivy League. While scoring 1500 places you at the 25th percentile, remember that many students in that lower range possess exceptional achievements in other areas—recruited athletes, legacy admits, or students with extraordinary accomplishments.

Setting Your Target for Elite Schools

Aiming for 1550+ for Harvard and comparable institutions gives you the best chance of clearing the academic threshold. While SAT scores alone don't guarantee admission—these schools reject many applicants with perfect 1600 scores—a strong score ensures academics don't become the weak point in your application. Keep in mind that admissions committees at these universities often use SAT scores as one of the benchmarks to assess academic readiness and potential, alongside other factors such as GPA, essays, and extracurricular achievements. Your SAT score opens the door, but your overall application determines whether you walk through it.

What Is a Good SAT Score for Scholarships

Beyond admissions, SAT scores directly impact scholarship opportunities. Understanding what is a good SAT score for scholarships helps you maximize financial aid possibilities and reduce college costs.

Merit-Based Scholarship Tiers

Many universities offer merit-based scholarships tied directly to SAT scores. Some institutions provide guaranteed scholarships—automatic awards for students meeting specific score thresholds. These programs make high SAT scores directly convertible to thousands of dollars in tuition savings. Different scholarship tiers typically correspond to score ranges. A score of 1200 might qualify for basic merit aid at many schools, while 1350+ often unlocks more substantial scholarships. For the most competitive merit awards—full tuition or full rides—scores of 1450-1500+ are typically necessary.

National Merit and Competitive Scholarships

National Merit Scholarships, while based on PSAT/NMSQT scores, correlate with high SAT performance. Students scoring in the top 1% nationally often qualify for National Merit consideration, opening opportunities for substantial scholarship awards from colleges and corporations. When researching schools, investigate their merit scholarship programs and score requirements. Many institutions publish scholarship matrices showing guaranteed awards based on GPA and test scores. Tools like the SAT AI Solver can help you prepare effectively to reach these scholarship-qualifying scores.

External Scholarship Opportunities

Private scholarships from organizations, foundations, and corporations also frequently consider SAT scores as selection criteria. Strong scores complement other application elements, making you competitive for external funding opportunities beyond institutional aid.

SAT Score Percentiles: What Your Score Means

Understanding percentiles helps contextualize what is considered a good SAT score relative to all test-takers. Your percentile rank indicates how you performed compared to others who took the SAT.

Key Percentile Benchmarks

A score of 1200 places you approximately in the 75th percentile, meaning you scored higher than 75% of test-takers. This represents solid performance that makes you competitive at many four-year colleges and universities. Reaching 1350 positions you in the 90th percentile—the top 10% of all test-takers. This score opens doors at selective institutions and qualifies you for merit scholarships at many schools. Scoring 1450 puts you in approximately the 97th percentile, while 1500+ places you in the 99th percentile. These elite scores demonstrate exceptional academic preparation and make you competitive at the nation's most selective universities. Percentiles fluctuate slightly between test administrations based on the overall performance of each testing cohort. However, these variations remain small enough that percentile rankings stay relatively consistent year to year.

Using Percentiles to Set Goals

Rather than aiming for specific percentiles, focus on what colleges want. If your target schools admit students primarily in the 1400-1500 range, that becomes your goal regardless of what percentile it represents nationally. Percentiles help you understand where you stand relative to other applicants competing for the same spots. At highly selective schools, most applicants fall into similar high percentile ranges, meaning small score differences can matter more than they would at less competitive institutions.

The Digital SAT: What's Changed in 2025

The SAT transitioned to a fully digital format, bringing significant changes that affect testing experience and preparation strategies. Understanding these modifications helps you optimize your approach to achieving what is a good SAT score 2025. In 2024, the SAT transitioned to a digital format, bringing significant changes to improve the testing experience. The digital format offers faster scoring and fewer errors than old paper tests. This shift represents the most substantial change to the SAT in years.

Key Changes in the Digital SAT

The digital SAT is significantly shorter than its predecessor. Test duration decreased from three hours to approximately 2 hours and 14 minutes, reducing fatigue and improving the testing experience for many students. The new format uses adaptive testing within each section. Your performance on the first module determines the difficulty of the second module, allowing more precise measurement of your abilities across a wider range of skill levels. Questions appear one at a time on screen rather than in traditional test booklet format. You can mark questions for review and navigate freely within each module, though you cannot move between different sections. The digital SAT includes a built-in calculator available for all math questions, though you can still use your own approved calculator if preferred. Reading passages are shorter, though you'll encounter more passages overall.

Scoring Remains Consistent

Despite format changes, scoring: Still on a 400–1600 scale. The conversion from raw scores to scaled scores ensures comparability with previous SAT versions, meaning colleges interpret digital SAT scores the same way they evaluated paper SAT scores. Score ranges and percentiles remain comparable to the paper SAT, allowing direct comparison of results across different test formats. This consistency means advice about what constitutes good scores applies equally to the digital SAT.

How to Determine Your Personal SAT Goal Score

Rather than asking "what is a good SAT score" in abstract terms, calculate your personalized target based on your specific college list. This goal score represents the SAT result most likely to make you competitive at your target institutions.

Research Your Target Schools

Begin by creating a list of colleges where you plan to apply. Include reach schools (where admission is unlikely but possible), target schools (where your profile matches typical admits), and safety schools (where admission is very likely). For each school, research the middle 50% SAT range—the 25th to 75th percentile scores of recently admitted students. Most colleges publish this information on their admissions websites or in Common Data Sets. Many schools have specific pages detailing admitted student profiles. Search for "[School Name] admitted student profile" or "[School Name] freshman profile" to find this data. Some institutions report median scores rather than ranges—these medians typically fall near the midpoint of the 25th-75th percentile range.

Calculate Your Goal Score

Once you've gathered SAT ranges for all target schools, identify the highest 75th percentile score among them. This becomes your reach goal—achieving this score makes you competitive even at your most selective target school. For a more practical target, average the 75th percentile scores across your list. This balanced goal ensures you're competitive at most schools without setting an unnecessarily high bar based solely on your most selective option. If applying to highly selective schools where even 75th percentile scores don't guarantee admission, aim for scores at or above that threshold. At schools where admissions are extremely competitive, every point matters in helping your application stand out.

Adjust Based on Your Profile

If you have extraordinary achievements, leadership experiences, or unique talents in other application areas, you might be competitive with scores at or slightly below the 25th percentile of your target schools. However, this requires truly exceptional non-academic credentials. For students without hooks (recruited athletes, legacy status, etc.), aiming for 75th percentile scores or higher provides the clearest path to admission at selective institutions. Strong test scores help compensate for good-but-not-exceptional profiles in other areas.

Test-Optional Policies: Should You Submit Your SAT Score

Many colleges adopted test-optional policies in recent years, raising questions about whether and when to submit SAT scores. Understanding current policies helps you make strategic decisions about score submission. Over 80% of colleges and universities have test-optional or test-free admissions policies, meaning you don't have to submit SAT scores to get in. However, this landscape is shifting as selective schools reinstate testing requirements. Many selective colleges and universities are starting to require the SAT or ACT again. Over 50 colleges and universities (and growing) require test scores. This trend suggests standardized tests remain valued tools for assessing academic preparation.

When to Submit Scores

Submit your SAT scores if they fall within or above the middle 50% range for your target school. Scores at or above the 50th percentile generally strengthen your application, particularly if your GPA or course rigor doesn't fully demonstrate your academic abilities. Strong SAT scores can compensate for slight weaknesses elsewhere in your application—perhaps a lower GPA in freshman year or less rigorous course selection than ideal. Submitting scores gives admissions officers additional evidence of your academic capabilities. At test-optional schools, for test-optional schools, keep in mind that SAT scores are a helpful data point for us to use, but if your score is outside of the range, it might be worth considering that including it might hurt more than it would help. If your scores fall below the 25th percentile without compelling reasons, consider applying test-optional.

When to Go Test-Optional

If your SAT score falls significantly below the 25th percentile of admitted students at your target school, submitting it may hurt your application. Test-optional policies allow you to highlight strengths in other areas without drawing attention to relatively weaker test performance. Students with strong GPAs, challenging course loads, compelling essays, and meaningful extracurricular involvement can compete successfully at many test-optional schools without submitting scores. Focus on crafting applications that showcase these strengths comprehensively. However, recognize that choosing test-optional at schools with substantial score submission rates may create questions about your academic preparation. Research what percentage of admitted students at each school submit scores—if 70-80% submit, going test-optional places you in the minority.

Strategies for Achieving Your Target SAT Score

Understanding what is a good score on the SAT for your goals represents just the first step. Implementing effective preparation strategies helps you actually achieve that target.

Start Preparation Early

Give yourself adequate preparation time—ideally 3-6 months before your test date. Cramming for the SAT rarely produces optimal results since the test assesses skills developed over years of academic work. Early preparation allows you to identify weaknesses, target those areas systematically, and track improvement over multiple practice tests. You'll also have time to retake the test if your first attempt doesn't achieve your goal score.

Take Multiple Practice Tests

Official College Board practice tests provide the most accurate preparation. These released tests use actual SAT questions and scoring scales, giving you realistic performance expectations. Take practice tests under timed, realistic conditions—same time limits, minimal breaks, quiet environment. This simulation builds stamina and reduces test-day anxiety by making the experience feel familiar. After each practice test, analyze your mistakes thoroughly. Don't just check which answers were wrong—understand why you missed questions and what conceptual gaps or strategic errors led to those mistakes.

Focus on High-Impact Areas

Analyze your practice test results to identify patterns. Perhaps you consistently struggle with algebra questions, reading inference questions, or grammar rules about punctuation. Targeted practice on these specific weaknesses produces faster improvement than general studying. The SAT emphasizes certain content areas more heavily than others. Prioritize mastering high-frequency topics that appear on most tests rather than spending excessive time on rare question types.

Consider Professional Help

If self-study isn't producing desired improvement, consider SAT prep courses or private tutoring. Professional guidance helps you identify blind spots, learn effective strategies, and stay accountable to your preparation schedule. Many students improve their scores on second attempts, particularly when they've identified specific areas needing work. However, limit retakes to 2-3 attempts—excessive testing shows diminishing returns and can appear unfavorable to admissions offices.

Understanding Score Superscoring and School Policies

Many colleges superscore SAT results, potentially improving your composite score across multiple test dates. Understanding these policies helps you develop strategic testing plans.

What Is Superscoring

Superscoring means colleges consider your highest section scores across all test dates, even if those high scores occurred on different tests. For example, if you scored 720 Math/680 ERW on one test and 680 Math/740 ERW on another, superscoring yields a 1460 composite (720 Math + 740 ERW). This policy rewards consistent preparation and multiple testing attempts. Students who improve one section at a time can ultimately achieve higher composite scores than possible on any single test date.

School-Specific Superscore Policies

However, not all schools superscore. Some consider only your highest single-sitting composite score, while others review all scores you submit. Research policies at each target school to understand how they'll evaluate your results. Even at schools that don't officially superscore, admissions officers often note your highest section scores. This informal consideration means strong performance on any section benefits your application regardless of official superscore policies.

Conclusion

Determining what is a good SAT score depends entirely on your college aspirations and target schools. While national averages and percentiles provide context, the most meaningful benchmark is the middle 50% score range at institutions where you're applying. For highly selective universities like Harvard and other Ivy League schools, competitive scores typically fall between 1500-1580, while strong public universities often look for scores in the 1300-1450 range. The digital SAT maintains the same 400-1600 scoring scale, ensuring consistency despite format changes. Remember that your SAT score represents just one application component—colleges evaluate the complete picture of your academic preparation, achievements, and potential. Set realistic goals based on thorough research of your target schools, prepare strategically by focusing on high-impact areas and taking multiple practice tests, and understand each school's policies regarding test-optional admissions and superscoring. With dedicated preparation and clear goals, you can achieve SAT scores that open doors to your dream colleges and unlock valuable scholarship opportunities that make higher education more affordable.

Frequently Asked Questions

What SAT score do I need to get into top colleges?

For highly selective universities including Ivy League schools, competitive SAT scores typically range from 1470 to 1580, with many admitted students scoring 1500 or higher. The middle 50% at schools like Harvard, MIT, and Stanford clusters between 1500-1580, meaning most admitted students score in the 99th percentile nationally. However, remember that even perfect scores don't guarantee admission at these institutions—your overall application including GPA, essays, recommendations, and extracurricular achievements matters equally.

Is 1200 a good SAT score for college admissions?

A 1200 SAT score is solid and places you approximately in the 75th percentile nationally, meaning you scored higher than about 75% of test-takers. This score makes you competitive at many quality four-year colleges and state universities. However, whether 1200 is "good" for your purposes depends on your target schools. For selective universities with middle 50% ranges above 1300-1400, you'd need higher scores, while for many regional universities and less competitive institutions, 1200 exceeds their typical admitted student range.

How much can I improve my SAT score with preparation?

Most students improve 60-100 points with dedicated preparation, though improvement varies based on starting score and effort invested. Students scoring below 1000 often see larger gains—sometimes 200-300 points—because they're addressing fundamental skill gaps. Students already scoring 1400+ typically see smaller improvements since they're approaching the test's ceiling. The key factors determining improvement include: starting score baseline, preparation time invested (3-6 months recommended), quality of study materials and strategies, and number of practice tests completed under realistic conditions.

Should I retake the SAT if I'm not satisfied with my score?

Retaking the SAT makes sense if your score falls below the middle 50% range of your target schools and you believe you can improve with additional preparation. Most students improve on their second attempt, particularly if they've identified specific weaknesses to address. However, limit retakes to 2-3 attempts maximum. Beyond three tests, diminishing returns occur and excessive testing can appear unfavorably to admissions offices. Before retaking, analyze your previous test thoroughly to understand exactly what needs improvement and create a targeted study plan.

Do colleges prefer the SAT or ACT?

Colleges accept both tests equally and don't prefer one over the other. Your choice should depend on which test better suits your strengths and testing style. The SAT gives students slightly more time per question but emphasizes critical thinking and analysis. The ACT moves faster but features more straightforward questions and includes a science section focusing on data interpretation. Take practice tests for both to see which feels more comfortable, then focus your preparation on that test. Some students find they perform significantly better on one test versus the other due to format and content differences.