What is a Good SAT Score?
It’s test season, everyone! You’ve probably already taken your SATs or you are in preparation to take them – Either way, you’re always anticipating what a good SAT score is. Depending on the schools you are looking to get into, SAT scores can be quite imperative to your chances of being accepted. Let’s go over what constitutes a “good” SAT score.
A GOOD SAT Score:
If you remember from one of our earlier posts about the changed, new SAT scoring, the new scale is at the highest, 1600. An average score based on this new scale is 1000. Scoring 1200 and above puts you at a higher than average score – This however, does not mean it is the best score for you to better your chances at being accepted into the colleges of your choice.
For the old SAT scale of 2400, a 1500 is considered an average score. Scoring 1260 and below based on the old SAT scale will greatly lessen your chances of getting into the college of your choice.
Check out College Board’s chart of percentiles for some exact calculations of what a good SAT score constitutes.
Again, a “good” SAT score is ultimately dependent on where you stand in comparison to your peers at the college you are looking to get into. You can look up the average test scores at the college of your choice to see where you stand.
As an example, an IVY League school such as MIT or Stanford typically sees near perfect scores as a “good” SAT score, where other colleges may consider a score far less than perfect, competitive. Some students consider a lower average SAT score of their peers at a certain school unfulfilling, so they opt to choose a school with more competitive SAT scores to give themselves a more fulfilling educational/higher education experience. Some schools use SAT scores as a way to be selective with the types of students they want to admit to their institution.
To earn the best SAT score you can get, it has been tested by students that increased incremental study sessions, followed by taking practice tests can increase your overall score by 200 points or more. The upper end of studying for SATs is between 40-80 hours cumulative. You can also use Socrato’s learning software to help you study and give yourself a better chance at scoring high on the SATs.
All together, if you’re aiming to score in the 75th percentile of SAT scores, you would add your math scores and reading scores and then divide by two to get your composite score (1200 is above average, 1000 is average). If you’re aiming for the 25th percentile, your score should be around 840.
