What Is a Good SAT Score? It Depends Where You're Applying

There's no single "good" SAT score. A good score is one that puts you comfortably within range for the universities on your list. Here's how to read your score, and how to set the right target.

How the SAT is scored

The SAT is scored from 400 to 1600: 200–800 for Reading & Writing and 200–800 for Math. Your score report also shows a percentile, the share of test-takers who scored at or below you.

Scores and percentiles

Approximate percentiles among recent SAT takers:

• Around 1030: roughly the average score
• 1200: around the 75th percentile
• 1400: around the 93rd–94th percentile
• 1500 and above: around the 98th percentile and higher

Percentiles shift slightly each year; the College Board publishes the current figures, and your own score report shows yours.

What universities expect

The most selective US colleges

Admitted students at the most selective US colleges commonly score in the 1500s. For these colleges, aim as high as your preparation time allows; a score in that range keeps you competitive, and the rest of your application does the deciding.

Universities outside the US

• Bocconi: at least 1040 overall, with at least 520 in each section
• IE University: a published minimum of 1200
• University of Melbourne: entry scores from about 1250 to 1400, depending on the degree
• ANU: indicative SAT scores from 1170 to 1470, depending on the programme
• University of Edinburgh: an SAT route from 1290 with AP scores for some science and engineering courses

Remember that a minimum is the floor, not the target. Competitive applicants usually score well above it.

How to set your target

1. 1List your universities and note the published minimum or typical range for each.
2. 2Set your target at or above the highest range on your list.
3. 3Take a full diagnostic test to find your starting point.
4. 4Compare the gap with the weeks you have, and plan your test dates around it.

Entry scores change each admissions cycle, so check each university's current requirements before relying on these figures.