What Does a 1200 SAT Score Mean?

Hey everybody. I recently took the SAT and ended up scoring a 1200. Any thoughts on what this signifies in terms of my college options, and if there are specific colleges I might have a better chance at?

In terms of general benchmarks, 1200 is a pretty solid SAT score. It's slightly above the national average, which is around 1060.

Your score can open doors to a range of colleges; however, the competitiveness of your score largely depends on the colleges you're interested in. For instance, your score would be competitive at a large number of state schools and private colleges. Schools like the University of Tennessee, University of Arizona, and Loyola University Chicago have average SAT scores around the 1200 mark.

However, that score might be on the lower end for highly selective institutions where the 25th percentile SAT score often starts at 1300 or even higher. Schools like Dartmouth College, Purdue University, and Brown University require standardized test scores and would view scores above the 1300s more favorably.

That said, remember that most colleges evaluate applications holistically. This means in addition to test scores, they also consider your GPA, course rigor, essays, letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, and other factors.

You might want to consider retaking the SAT if you're aiming for top-tier schools and believe you can score higher with further preparation. If your score is in line with the schools you're interested in, then focusing on other parts of your application like your grades, essays, and extracurriculars might be a better use of your time.

Remember, every student's journey is different and this advice is general in nature. It ultimately really depends on where you want to go and what those specific colleges are looking for. It's always a good idea to do research into the specific admission requirements of the colleges you're interested in.