That last part matters more than any single cutoff. College Board says it plainly in its own guide: a good SAT score is one that helps you get admitted to a college you want to go to (College Board, What Is a Good SAT Score?). The rest of this page gives you the numbers to judge your score both ways, against everyone and against your own list.
The SAT scale and the national average
The SAT total runs from 400 to 1600, built from two section scores of 200 to 800 each: Reading and Writing, and Math (College Board, Understanding SAT Scores).
For the class of 2026, more than 1.95 million students took the SAT at least once. Their mean total score was 1045, with an average of 528 in Reading and Writing and 517 in Math (College Board newsroom, September 29, 2026). If you want a simple national benchmark, that is it. The average SAT score guide covers the trend and the averages by state. Scores above roughly 1050 are above average; scores well above it start to stand out.
SAT percentiles: what your score beats
A percentile tells you the percentage of students with scores equal to or lower than yours (College Board). Your score report shows two versions, and they answer different questions.
- User percentile. Based on the actual SAT scores of students who graduated in the past three school years. This compares you with people who really sat the test.
- Nationally representative percentile. Drawn from a research study of U.S. 11th and 12th graders, weighted to represent all students in those grades whether or not they usually take the SAT.
Both definitions come from College Board's percentile page. The nationally representative number is usually higher for the same score, because it includes students who never planned to test. When you are comparing yourself to the people you are actually competing with, the user percentile is the more honest one.
| Total score | User percentile | Nationally representative | ACT concordance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1550 | 99 | 99+ | 35 |
| 1500 | 97 | 99 | 34 |
| 1400 | 93 | 97 | 31 |
| 1300 | 85 | 91 | 28 |
| 1200 | 75 | 81 | 25 |
| 1100 | 62 | 67 | 22 |
| 1050 (near the 2026 average) | 55 | 58 | 20 |
| 1000 | 47 | 48 | 19 |
| 900 | 32 | 29 | n/a |
Percentiles from College Board. ACT column from the 2018 ACT/SAT Concordance Tables, Table A1; 900 was not looked up and is left blank.
Rather than reading across the table, you can type your exact score into our Is My SAT Score Good? checker. It shows both percentiles, how you compare with the class of 2026 average, your ACT equivalent, and, if you enter a school's range, where you land inside it.
Section scores tell part of the story too
Colleges see your two section scores, not only the total. A 700 in Reading and Writing is the 92nd user percentile, and a 700 in Math is the 91st. At 600, Reading and Writing is the 72nd user percentile and Math is the 75th (College Board). If you are applying to programs where one section carries more weight, such as engineering and Math, look at that section on its own.
Why "good" really depends on your colleges
National percentiles tell you how you compare with everyone. Admissions decisions compare you with a much smaller group: the students who applied to and enrolled at a specific school. A score that is unremarkable at a highly selective school can sit near the top at another (College Board).
The best place to find a school's real range is its Common Data Set. The Common Data Set is a standard report that colleges fill out, developed jointly by the College Board, Peterson's, and U.S. News & World Report (Common Data Set Initiative). Section C9 lists the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile SAT scores for enrolled, degree-seeking, first-time, first-year students who submitted scores (see, for example, Reed College's 2025 to 2026 CDS, Section C). Search the school's name plus "Common Data Set" and open the most recent year.
Two cautions when you read C9. First, it only covers students who submitted scores, which at a test-optional school can be a self-selected group. Second, it describes enrolled students, not everyone admitted.
A simple way to judge your own score
Once you have the 25th and 75th percentile numbers for each school on your list, sort your score into one of three zones. This is a rule of thumb, not an admissions prediction.
- At or above the 75th percentile. Your score is a strength at that school. If the school is test-optional, it is usually worth sending.
- Between the 25th and 75th. You are within the typical range of enrolled students. The score is unlikely to be the deciding factor on its own, and the rest of your application carries the weight.
- Below the 25th percentile. The score is below most enrolled students who reported one. At a test-optional school, you might apply without it; at a test-required school, a retake may be worth considering if you have time to prepare.
Testing policies change and vary by school, so confirm each college's current policy on its admissions site. If you are weighing a test-optional application, our Should I Submit My SAT Score? tool walks through this comparison with the school's range you enter. If your score falls short of where you want it, the Should I Retake the SAT? tool helps you think through attempts, timing, and which section to focus on. Neither can promise a specific score change, and no honest tool can.
Working from a practice test instead of an official score? Estimate where you stand with the SAT score calculator, and remember a practice result is an estimate.
Is getting a 1200 hard? Is 1500 top 1%?
A 1200 is 155 points above the class of 2026 average. On the user scale it is the 75th percentile, meaning 75% of recent test takers scored at or below it; on the nationally representative scale it is the 81st (College Board). So it is clearly above the middle of the pack, and most test takers do not reach it. How hard it is for you depends on where you start, which no table can tell you.
A 1500 is the 99th percentile on the nationally representative scale but the 97th on the user scale (College Board). Among students who actually take the SAT, that is closer to the top 3% than the top 1%. On the user scale, the 99th percentile starts at 1530 in College Board's table. A perfect score is far rarer: only 691 students in the class of 2026 scored 1600.
What a good SAT score looks like on the ACT
If your colleges accept both tests, the official 2018 concordance links SAT totals to ACT composites. A 1200 corresponds to a 25, a 1300 to a 28, a 1400 to a 31, and a 1500 to a 34 (ACT/College Board 2018 Concordance Tables). The tables were built statistically from two different tests, so treat the match as approximate. Our SAT to ACT converter runs the full table for any score.
What students are saying
We read recent threads in r/Sat, r/ApplyingToCollege, and College Confidential while researching this page. No individual comments are quoted here; these are recurring themes.
- Retaking at already strong scores. Students scoring roughly 1320 to 1550 often ask whether another attempt is worth it and how many sittings is too many (for example, this r/Sat thread and this one). The replies tend to come back to the same point this page makes: compare the score to the schools you want.
- Submit or go test-optional. Applicants and parents usually decide by comparing a score to a school's middle 50% and to their own high school's typical scores (r/ApplyingToCollege, College Confidential). Commenters disagree on how much a below-range score hurts, which is part of why the decision feels so stressful.
- Practice versus real scores. Some students report real scores 100 points or more away from their practice results (r/Sat). These are individual reports, not measured data, but they are a good reminder to treat a practice score as a range.