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SAT score guide
The short answer: about 1050 is average, 1200+ is above average, and 1350+ puts you in roughly the top 10%. But the honest answer is that a good SAT score is one that’s competitive for the colleges youwant — here’s how the scale works and how to set your target.
The SAT is scored from 400 to 1600. It has two sections — Reading and Writing and Math — each scored from 200 to 800. Add them together for your total.
A percentile tells you the share of test-takers you scored above. These are approximate, rounded benchmarks summarized from the College Board’s annual percentile report — check it for the exact current figures.
| Total score | Approx. percentile | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| 1600 | 99+ | Top ~1% |
| 1500 | ~98 | Top ~2% |
| 1400 | ~94 | Top ~6% |
| 1350 | ~90 | Top ~10% |
| 1200 | ~74 | Top ~25% |
| 1050 | ~50 | About average |
| 900 | ~23 | Below average |
| 800 | ~10 | Bottom ~10% |
Approximate and rounded for illustration; percentiles are updated yearly by the College Board.
Roughly the 50th percentile — about half of test-takers score above, half below.
Around the top quarter of test-takers; competitive for many state universities.
Roughly the top 10%; competitive at selective schools.
Roughly the top 2%; in range for the most selective schools.
The honest answer
Every college publishes the middle-50% SAT range of its admitted students. Look those ranges up for the schools on your list and aim for the upper half. A 1300 can be excellent for one school and average for another — chase the target that fits your goals, not a single magic number.
It depends on where you're applying, but as a rule of thumb: about 1050 is the national average (around the 50th percentile), 1200+ is above average, 1350+ is roughly the top 10%, and 1500+ is roughly the top 2%. The best target is a score that lands in the middle-50% range of the colleges on your list.
The national average total score is approximately 1050 out of 1600, with section averages of roughly 530 for Reading and Writing and 520 for Math. Exact figures are published each year in the College Board's percentile report.
The SAT is scored from 400 to 1600. It has two sections — Reading and Writing, and Math — each scored from 200 to 800, which add together for your total.
There's no universal cutoff. Each college publishes the middle-50% SAT range of its admitted students — aim for the upper half of that range for your target schools. A 'good' score is simply one that's competitive where you're applying.
No — they're rounded approximations to show the shape of the scale. The College Board publishes exact, current percentiles each year in its Understanding SAT Scores report, which we link on this page and our sources page.
Koydo is an independent study aid and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the College Board. Score figures are approximate; confirm current scales and percentiles on the official College Board sources, listed on our sources page.