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What is a High SAT Score?

By Lisa Freedland

Lisa Freedland is a Scholarships360 writer with personal experience in psychological research and content writing. She has written content for an online fact-checking organization and has conducted research at the University of Southern California as well as the University of California, Irvine. Lisa graduated from the University of Southern California in Fall 2021 with a degree in Psychology. Full Bio

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and Cait Williams

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Maria Geiger is Director of Content at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement. Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania. Full Bio

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Updated: September 18th, 2023

So, what is a high SAT score? Ultimately, there’s not one clear answer. While there are a set of scores people will often say are “high,” there are no official standards to go by. When looking at your SAT scores, it’s more important to consider how they fit into the range of scores commonly accepted by your prospective colleges. Keep reading to find out what a “high” SAT score is, what score you should aim for, and how you can boost your score!

Related: SAT reading section tips

What is the highest score you can get on the SAT?

Let’s do a really quick breakdown to answer that question:

• The SAT is divided into two sections, the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section and the Math section
• Each section is worth 800 pts, meaning a perfect score is a 1600 for both parts
• The lowest score you can receive is a 400, meaning you score only 200 points on each section (scoring a 400 is only possible if you 1) miss every question or 2) don’t answer any questions)

Luckily, there is no penalty for wrong answers on the SAT. Instead, you are only awarded points for questions answered correctly, and simply receive 0 points for incorrect answers or skipped questions. Thus, we highly recommend you answer each question on the SAT, even if you’re unsure about your answer (or if it’s a complete guess).

Interpreting your SAT score(s)

Now that we have the basics covered, how do you interpret your SAT score? It’s first important to note that each section (Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, and Math) is scored between 200 and 800. This is where the 400 minimum and 1600 maximum on the test come from.

When you receive your scores, you will also receive a set of subscores for each section. Namely, for the Reading and Writing section, the subscores will include: 

• Command of Evidence
• Words in Context 
• Expression of Ideas 
• Standard English Conventions 

Similarly, for the Math section, the subscores are: 

• Heart of Algebra
• Problem Solving and Data Analysis
• Passport to Advanced Math 

For each of these subscores, you can receive a minimum score of 1 and a maximum of 15. These scores are simply telling you how well you performed in specific subcategories of each test section, so don’t worry too much about these (except to see what you may need to practice if you want to re-test).

Lastly, you may notice Cross-Test Scores for “Analysis in History/Social Studies” and “Analysis in Science.” These scores can range from 10 to 40 and the scores are determined from questions throughout the entirety of the test. If you need any more help interpreting your SAT scores, the College Board provides this handy guide to help you out: Interpreting your SAT scores.

What is a good SAT score?

There’s no official threshold for what a good score is, but we can provide you with some percentiles to give you an idea of how you compare to other students. You should be able to find what percentile your score falls into on your scoresheet (under “Nationally Representative Sample Percentile” and “SAT User Percentile”). 

If you’re not sure how percentiles work, a percentile rank is simply a number between 1 and 99 that represents what percentage of students whose scores fall at or below yours. A student in the 79th percentile of test-takers scored higher than or equal to 79% of test-takers. If you are aiming for higher-tier schools (think Boston University, NYU, etc.), but not “Ivy League” schools, you will likely need a score around the 90th percentile (1350) or above. Below is not a full list of scores, but it should at least give you a visual of some of the top scores.

Scores from Coursera 

Generally, the higher the acceptance rate for colleges, the lower SAT percentile rank you will need to meet. This is not always true, but is a good general rule to note.

However, do not think that you have to score above the 90th percentile to have a “decent score.” Any score above the 50th percentile (1050) means you have scored higher than the majority of test-takers. We recommend aiming for around the 75th percentile (1200) or higher.

Essay scores

You may have noticed that we skipped over mentioning essay scores in the “Interpreting Your SAT Score(s)” section – there’s a reason for this. This is because after June 2021, the SAT Essay portion will largely be discontinued. 

After that, the SAT essay portion will only be available in select states when included in SAT School Day administrations. Check with your school if you’re curious about whether the essay will be part of your SAT school day. 

What SAT score should I aim for based on my schools?

It makes most sense to aim for a score that falls within the range normally accepted by the schools you’re applying to. Each university has a unique range of SAT scores that they usually accept. Usually, you can search for “*insert university name* average SAT.” What will typically show up is the middle 50% of accepted SAT scores for that college (think the 25th-75th percentile). 

If you’re set on that particular school, we highly recommend aiming for a score within this range (and on the higher end, if possible). While a score below this range does not mean rejection, it may lower your chance of admission.

Do you want more information about your dream college’s accepted applicants average stats (GPA, SAT, etc.)?  Look up “*insert college name* student profile” and try to find the one for the most recent class. 

For those of you high-achievers, it’s now time to learn how to earn the highest SAT score possible (a 1600)!

Also see: SAT math section tips

Earning the highest SAT score

How many questions can you miss to get a perfect score on the SAT? As it turns out, not very many! 

On both the Math (58 questions) and Writing (40 questions) sections, you cannot miss a single question if you want a perfect score. The reading section, however, is a tiny bit more lenient. For reading, you can miss one question (out of 52) for a perfect score.

We want to make it clear that getting a perfect 1600 is an extremely difficult feat – so don’t beat yourself up if you can’t. In fact, according to the 2023 SAT percentile ranks, only about 5% of SAT-takers get above a 1400. 

Remember it’s most important to get a score that will get you into your prospective colleges, and remember, practice makes perfect! Also, thousands of students across the country and internationally do very well on the test each year (and you can too).

If you’re looking for some great SAT practice resources, check out these links:

• Khan Academy Official SAT Practice
• College Board SAT Practice Tests
• PSAT to SAT score conversion
• How to pick the best test prep tutor
• Free SAT prep resources

Superscoring your SAT

Perhaps, you’ve already taken the SAT, and more than once too. If so, we have a tip for you! Superscore your exam! Superscoring allows you to take your best scores from multiple tests and combine to create one superscore! Look at our example below:

While test 2 has an overall higher score than test 1, your superscore of the two tests would still be far higher. 

If you’re applying to a college which allows “superscoring,” these colleges will automatically take your highest scores for each section, even if they came from different exams. We definitely recommend that you submit all your SAT scores, so that they can consider your highest total SAT score when looking over your application. If you’re not sure whether or not your prospective colleges allow superscoring, we recommend checking out their admission websites, under the “application requirements” section.

Related: College admissions guide for low test takers

Final thoughts

By now, we hope all this has helped you figure out what a good SAT score is for you. If waiting for your SAT scores or the test itself is stressing you out, just remember that it is certainly not the only admission factor. Your GPA, extracurriculars, application essay, and a number of other factors are important as well.

With that, remember to practice, and good luck!

Learn more: ACT vs SAT: How to decide which test to take

Key Takeaways

• A good SAT score depends on the school you are attending and what the average applicant scores are
• When possible, and if you’ve taken the test multiple times, you should superscore your SAT to receive the highest possible score
• Ivy League and other highly regarded schools typically require that you have a much higher than average SAT score 
• Keep in mind that more and more schools are becoming test-optional, which means if you score poorly on the SAT, you may not be required to send scores at all

Frequently asked questions about SAT scores