What is a good SAT score?
A good SAT score is one inside or above the middle 50% range of the colleges you want. As a national yardstick, the average for the class of 2025 was 1029 out of 1600. A score of 1200 or higher put you in about the top quarter of test takers, and 1400 or higher in the top 7%.
The SAT is scored from 400 to 1600, the sum of two sections that each run from 200 to 800: Reading and Writing, and Math. According to the College Board's 2025 annual report, about 2 million students in the class of 2025 took the SAT. Their average was 1029, with 521 in Reading and Writing and 508 in Math.
The College Board also sets readiness benchmarks: 480 in Reading and Writing and 530 in Math. Meeting a benchmark means about a 75% chance of a C or better in a related first-semester college course. In the class of 2025, 39% met both benchmarks.
National numbers only go so far. What counts is the range at your colleges. Most schools publish the middle 50% of admitted students, the 25th to the 75th percentile. At or above the 75th percentile, your score is a strength. Below the 25th, it works against you, and at a test-optional school you may be better off not sending it. Many students score higher on a second try.
| Total score | Share of test takers | Share at or above | Rough read |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1400-1600 | 7% | 7% | Excellent |
| 1200-1390 | 18% | 25% | Strong |
| 1000-1190 | 28% | 53% | Around average |
| 800-990 | 30% | 83% | Below average |
| 600-790 | 14% | 97% | Well below average |
| 400-590 | 3% | 100% | Lowest range |
- 1List the 5 to 10 colleges you are most likely to apply to.
- 2Look up each school's middle 50% SAT range on its admissions page or in its Common Data Set.
- 3Set your target at the 75th percentile of the most selective school on your list.
- 4Take a full timed practice test to get your starting score.
- 5Work out the gap and give your weakest section the most practice time.
- 6Plan a retake date in case you land below your target. Many colleges superscore.