What Is a Good SAT Score?
There is no single "good" SAT score — only scores that are competitive for the schools you want to apply to. This page walks through the national averages, tier cutoffs, and target scores for every major group of US colleges.
The honest answer
A good SAT score is the score that gets you admitted. That depends entirely on where you want to apply. A 1200 is a fine score for many schools; at an Ivy it would land in the bottom 25% of admitted students.
By tier of college
- Ivy League and peers: 1500+ is competitive; 1550+ is the 50th percentile of admits.
- Top-30 private schools (Duke, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, etc.): 1450+ is competitive.
- Top state flagships (UVA, UNC, UT Austin, UCLA): 1350+ is competitive for out-of-state; 1250+ in-state.
- Mid-tier state universities (Penn State, Ohio State, etc.): 1150+ is competitive.
- Open-admission and regional colleges: any score above 900 is accepted.
National benchmarks
The current Digital SAT national average is approximately 1050. A score at the 75th percentile (~1200) is above average; the 90th percentile is ~1340; the 99th percentile is ~1520.
Put your percentile target into practice
How to turn this score target into a weekly plan
| Weekly check | What it tells you | Next move |
|---|---|---|
| Section split | Whether Math or Reading and Writing is limiting the total. | Drill the weaker section before another full module. |
| Miss pattern | Which skills repeat across practice sets. | Create a narrow bank set for the repeated skill. |
| Timed-module score | Whether drills are transferring under real pacing. | Keep the plan if timing improves; narrow it if misses repeat. |
FAQs
What is considered a good SAT score?
A score above the national average (currently ~1050) is statistically good. But "good for college" depends on where you apply — 1200+ for most state universities, 1400+ for selective private schools, 1500+ for top-20 schools.
Is 1200 a good SAT score?
College Board's current SAT-user table places 1200 in the 76th percentile. Whether it is useful for admission depends on each college's current range and testing policy.
Is 1400 a good SAT score?
College Board's current SAT-user table places 1400 in the 93rd percentile. Compare that score with the current range and policy at every target college.
Is 1500 a good SAT score?
College Board's current SAT-user table places 1500 in the 98th percentile. It is a strong national result, but selective-college ranges and admission decisions vary.
Start practicing now
Run a timed Digital SAT module, drill targeted skills in the question bank, or estimate your current score with the SAT score calculator.