SAT Score Percentiles: What Your SAT Score Means

The SAT is one of two national standardized college entrance exams. Published and administered by the College Board, the SAT is used by colleges and universities to determine eligibility for admission. But what do these scores mean? And what is a good score?

Your SAT score corresponds to a percentile rank, which is used to compare you to all other test takers. Your percentile rank is the percentage of other test-takers that you scored above. Thus a 74th percentile score means that you scored higher than 74% of others, placing you in the top 26%. A 99th percentile score puts you in the top 1%.

You can use this table to see what percentile an SAT score puts you in. For example, a total score of 1440 is approximately 95th percentile, and a 1530 is the 99th percentile.

SAT percentile rank by score

Total score

Total Score	Percentile
1600	99+
1590	99+
1580	99+
1570	99+
1560	99+
1550	99
1540	99
1530	99
1520	98
1510	98
1500	97
1490	97
1480	97
1470	96
1460	96
1450	95
1440	95
1430	94
1420	94
1410	93
1400	93
1390	92
1380	91
1370	91
1360	90
1350	89
1340	88
1330	88
1320	87
1310	86
1300	85
1290	84
1280	83
1270	82
1260	81
1250	80
1240	79
1230	78
1220	77
1210	76
1200	75
1190	74
1180	72
1170	71
1160	70
1150	69
1140	67
1130	66
1120	65
1110	63
1100	62
1090	60
1080	59
1070	58
1060	56
1050	55
1040	53
1030	52
1020	50
1010	48
1000	47
990	45
980	44
970	42
960	41
950	39
940	38
930	36
920	35
910	33
900	32
890	30
880	29
870	27
860	26
850	24
840	23
830	21
820	20
810	18
800	17
790	16
780	14
770	13
760	12
750	11
740	10
730	9
720	8
710	7
700	6
690	5
680	5
670	4
660	4
650	3
640	3
630	3
620	2
610	2
600	2
590	2
580	2
570	1
560	1
550	1
540	1
530	1
520	1
510	1
500	1
490	1-
480	1-
470	1-
460	1-
450	1-
440	1-
430	1-
420	1-
410	1-
400	1-

Section scores

Section Score	Reading & Writing Percentile	Math Percentile
800	99+	99+
790	99+	99
780	99+	98
770	99	97
760	99	96
750	98	95
740	97	95
730	96	94
720	95	93
710	94	92
700	92	91
690	91	90
680	89	88
670	88	87
660	86	85
650	84	84
640	82	82
630	80	81
620	77	79
610	75	77
600	72	75
590	70	73
580	67	71
570	65	69
560	62	66
550	59	64
540	56	61
530	53	59
520	50	56
510	47	53
500	43	50
490	40	48
480	37	45
470	34	42
460	32	40
450	29	37
440	26	34
430	24	31
420	21	28
410	19	24
400	16	21
390	14	18
380	11	15
370	9	12
360	8	10
350	6	8
340	5	6
330	4	5
320	3	4
310	2	3
300	2	2
290	2	2
280	1	2
270	1	1
260	1	1
250	1	1
240	1	1
230	1	1
220	1	1
210	1	1
200	1-	1-

Each number is the percentile rank for that score: the percent of test-takers who scored at or below it. 99+ means above the 99th percentile, and 1- means below the 1st. These are the SAT user group percentiles, based on recent high school graduates who took the SAT. Source: College Board.

Of course, although your SAT (or ACT) score is a major factor colleges use to determine admission, there are many others, including GPA, the rigor of your high school courses, personal essays, letters of recommendation, etc.

What is a good score? Well, whatever score gives you an excellent chance at admission to the schools you’re applying to (or gets you a great scholarship). Check out a few different examples of schools at different score ranges.

Example schools by SAT score

SAT score	Schools
1140–1280	University of Kansas Lawrence, KS University of Missouri Columbia, MO DePaul University Chicago, IL High Point University High Point, NC
1290–1430	Florida State University Tallahassee, FL Auburn University Auburn, AL Baylor University Waco, TX Gonzaga University Spokane, WA
1440–1520	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL William & Mary Williamsburg, VA Boston University Boston, MA Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
1520+	Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis, MO Yale University New Haven, CT Princeton University Princeton, NJ Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Cambridge, MA

SAT Score Percentiles

SAT percentile rank by score

Total score

Section scores

Example schools by SAT score

Want to raise your SAT score?