Hey folks, I've been stressing a bit about the SATs. Can anyone provide some insight on what can be considered a decent, or even above average, SAT score? I'm kinda in the dark about scoring systems and ranges.
Hey there! It's important to understand that what counts as a "good" SAT score can depend a lot on your personal goals and the schools you're aiming to get into. But to give you a general idea, as of the 2024 changes when the SAT went fully digital, the test is scored on a scale of 400-1600, with 1600 being the perfect score.
On average, a score of 1000 is considered average, meaning you've scored better than about 50% of test takers. A score of roughly 1200 places you in the 75th percentile, meaning you scored better than 75% of test takers, while a score of about 1400 lands you in the 95th percentile, outperforming 95% of test takers.
When it comes to more competitive and selective colleges, they typically look for scores in the higher end of the scale. For instance, the 25th-75th percentile of admitted students at schools like Duke or UPenn often ranges between 1450-1560. To best understand how your score stacks up, look at the middle 50% SAT scores at your desired colleges. You'll ideally want to fall within or above this range. But remember, test scores are only one piece of the application puzzle!
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