Hey there! I managed to score a 1200 on my SAT and have been a little edgy over whether it's considered 'good' or not. I mean, is a 1200 SAT score competitive enough for most colleges?
Your SAT score's competitiveness depends a lot on the specific schools you are aiming for. For context, a 1200 SAT score puts you around the 76th percentile nationally, meaning you scored higher than around 76% of test takers.
For less selective colleges, a 1200 SAT score may indeed be considered competitive. However, for more selective or prestigious institutions, the median scores for admitted students tend to be significantly higher. For instance, many highly-selective schools have median SAT scores well above 1400.
It's a good practice to investigate the average SAT scores of admitted students for any colleges you're interested in. These scores are often available on the school's admissions website or on college data profiles. If your SAT score is within the middle 50% for SAT scores (i.e, between the 25th and 75th percentile) at those colleges, you're in the competitive range!
Keep in mind though, test scores are just one part of your application. It's also important to build up other aspects such as your GPA, AP coursework, essays, and extracurricular activities. Admissions offices are looking for well-rounded students who can contribute to their campus community in diverse ways. Good luck with your college application process!
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