Free SAT Tool

What Is a Good SAT Score?

Drag the slider or scan the benchmark table below to see any SAT score's official percentile, ACT equivalent, and plain-language verdict, all sourced straight from College Board.

  1. Drag the score slider, or find your score in the benchmark table
  2. Read your percentile, ACT equivalent, and verdict band
  3. Set a goal and build a study plan toward it

A good SAT score is one in a high percentile compared to other test takers, and College Board reports two percentiles for every score. A score of 1000 is higher than about 47% of the user group of recent test takers (about 48% of the nationally representative study group); A score of 1200 is higher than about 75% of the user group of recent test takers (about 81% of the nationally representative study group); A score of 1400 is higher than about 93% of the user group of recent test takers (about 97% of the nationally representative study group). Nationally representative percentiles are derived from a research study of U.S. students in 11th and 12th grade and are weighted to represent all U.S. students in those grades, regardless of whether they typically take the SAT. User group percentiles are based on the actual SAT scores of students that graduated in the past three school years.

  • SAT 1000: user 47% / national 48%
  • SAT 1200: user 75% / national 81%
  • SAT 1400: user 93% / national 97%
On this page
  1. Check your percentile
  2. Benchmark table
  3. Colleges by score
  4. Section scores
  5. How to raise your score
  6. FAQ

Check your percentile

Move the slider to any SAT total from 800 to 1600 to see its percentile, ACT equivalent, and verdict instantly.

Drag to any score from 800 to 1600.
National percentile
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User group percentile
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ACT equivalent
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Open the 1200 page Full percentile, ACT, and college matches for this score Set this as your goal Build a study plan toward this score See the full percentile chart Every SAT total and section score percentile

SAT score benchmark table

Percentiles come from College Board's official SAT percentile tables. Click a score to see its full page with a percentile, ACT equivalent, and matching colleges.

SAT total score benchmarks (1600 to 800)
SAT Total National Percentile User Group Percentile ACT Equivalent Details
1600 99+ 99+ 36 Is 1600 good?
1550 99+ 99 35 Is 1550 good?
1500 99 97 34 * Is 1500 good?
1450 99 95 33 Is 1450 good?
1400 97 93 31 * Is 1400 good?
1350 94 89 29 Is 1350 good?
1300 91 85 28 Is 1300 good?
1250 86 80 26 Is 1250 good?
1200 81 75 25 Is 1200 good?
1150 74 69 23 Is 1150 good?
1100 67 62 22 Is 1100 good?
1050 58 55 20 Is 1050 good?
1000 48 47 19 Is 1000 good?
950 38 39 17 Is 950 good?
900 29 32 16 Is 900 good?
850 21 24 15 * Is 850 good?
800 14 17 14 * Is 800 good?

Source: College Board SAT percentiles, https://research.collegeboard.org/reports/sat-suite/understanding-scores/sat (checked 2026-09-23). ACT equivalents from the official 2018 College Board / ACT concordance tables. See the full SAT percentile chart.

A good score depends on your colleges

The most useful definition of "good" is relative to the schools you actually want to attend. Compare your score, or a target score, against the middle-50% SAT range each college publishes. Use our College Finder to see schools that match a given SAT score.

Colleges for 1100 SAT Colleges for 1200 SAT Colleges for 1300 SAT Colleges for 1400 SAT Colleges for 1500 SAT Colleges for 1600 SAT

Section scores

Your SAT total is the sum of two section scores, Reading and Writing plus Math, each scored from 200 to 800. Section percentiles can differ from your total percentile. For example, a section score of 700 is higher than about 92% of the user group in Reading and Writing, and about 91% of the user group in Math. See the full section percentile table for every score from 200 to 800.

How to raise your SAT score

  1. Follow a study plan

    A structured plan targets your weak areas instead of reviewing everything equally. See our SAT study plan.

  2. Practice with real question types

    Work through our SAT question bank to build familiarity with the exact question formats you'll see on test day.

  3. Check your target score

    Use the Digital SAT score calculator to see how many correct answers map to a given score.

Frequently asked questions

What SAT score is considered good?

There is no single official cutoff for a "good" SAT score. A common way to judge it is by percentile: a score in the 75th percentile or higher, roughly 1200 and up, is generally considered strong, and a score in the 90th percentile or higher, roughly 1350 and up, is generally considered excellent. What counts as good for you depends most on the SAT ranges published by the colleges on your list.

What is the difference between the two percentiles shown for each score?

Nationally representative percentiles are derived from a research study of U.S. students in 11th and 12th grade and are weighted to represent all U.S. students in those grades, regardless of whether they typically take the SAT. User group percentiles are based on the actual SAT scores of students that graduated in the past three school years.

What is the average SAT score?

The average (50th percentile) total SAT score is around 1050-1060 in the user group of recent test takers, according to College Board percentile data. See the full SAT percentile chart for the exact figures at every score.

Is a 1200 SAT score good?

A 1200 SAT total is higher than about 75% of the user group of recent test takers, and about 81% of the nationally representative study group, according to College Board percentile data. That puts a 1200 in the "above average" to "strong" range depending on which percentile group you compare it to.

How can I raise my SAT score?

Focus on your weakest section first, practice with real, full-length digital SAT questions, and track which question types you consistently miss. A structured study plan and a large, realistic question bank both help more than general review.

More questions

What Is the SAT Out Of, and How Is It Scored? What Percentile Is a 1400 on the SAT? What Colleges Accept a 1100 SAT Score? What Colleges Accept a 1200 SAT Score? What Colleges Accept a 1300 SAT Score? What Colleges Accept a 1400 SAT Score? How to Get a 1200 on the SAT: Targets, Percentiles and a Plan How to Get a 1300 on the SAT How to Get a 1400 on the SAT How to Get a 1500 on the SAT How Many Hours Should You Study for the SAT? What Is the Average SAT Score? Is the SAT Curved? How SAT Scoring Works How to Ace the SAT: A Study Method That Works What Is the SAT? What It Tests, How Long It Takes and Who Takes It SAT Myths Students Still Believe SAT Terms Explained: A Digital SAT Glossary

What to do next

SAT Percentile Chart Every total and section score, 400 to 1600 Digital SAT Score Calculator Turn raw answers into a projected score SAT to ACT Conversion Official 2018 concordance tables College Finder Colleges that match your SAT score