What Is a Good SAT Score?

Every year, high school juniors and seniors line up at the crack of dawn at test-taking sites around the country to take part in standardized test season. The two standardized tests most often used by colleges and universities to gauge a student's abilities are the SAT and the ACT. Each university has its own standards in terms of what constitutes a "good" score, and while it used to be true that some schools preferred the ACT over the SAT, all schools now accept scores from either test. Colleges often translate your ACT score to an SAT score equivalent. The SAT test has been around since 1901 and is the more "popular" standardized test among high school students preparing to enter college.

SAT Basics

What Is a Good SAT Score? The SAT consists of three parts--writing, mathematics, and critical reading. Each section of the test is worth between 200 and 800 points, making your final possible score on the exam anywhere from 600 to 2400. According to the College Board, the organization that puts the SAT together and is in charge of administering it and releasing SAT scores, the average SAT test in 2010 earned a score of 1509. That means an equal number of tests made a score lower than 1509 as made a score higher than 1509. A score of 1509 puts you at about the 49th percentile, meaning you scored better than 48% of other students taking the test.

An average score on the SAT wouldn't impress the admissions departments of most colleges. That doesn't mean that a score of 1509 would keep you from getting into college. Admissions departments take a holistic approach to admissions. That means they don't just see you as an SAT score. An average score on the SAT combined with well-written essays, a decent GPA, and good recommendations may be enough to get you into some colleges.

Good SAT Scores

If you're applying to competitive colleges, such as in the Ivy League or one of the more prestigious private schools, an average SAT score probably won't get you in the door. Take a look at the preferred SAT scores for admission to Harvard:

Critical Reading: 690 - 780
Mathematics: 700 - 780
Writing: 690 - 780

One interesting feature of Harvard's SAT preferences is that they're looking for a similar score for all three test parts, with slightly higher expectations for mathematics. These scores put students in the 95th percentile for all three test parts, indicating that Harvard is looking for the best and brightest across all three test parts. Obviously, scoring inside the range of Harvard's SAT score expectations means you have earned a good SAT score, but not every college has such high expectations.

Here are the SAT score requirements for UCLA:

Critical Reading: 560 - 680
Mathematics: 590 - 720
Writing: 580 - 700

By these standards, a student scoring a total of 1730 has a good shot at getting into UCLA. 1730 puts you at about the 70th percentile compared to all other students. It's clear that UCLA puts less of an emphasis on standardized test scores and looks at more than just a student's raw test scores when it comes to admissions.

So what is a good SAT score? A cumulative SAT score of 2000 puts you in about the 90th percentile among all students taking the SAT. Regardless of where those points come from, scoring better than 89% of all other test-takers is sure to get you noticed. Really, a good SAT score is any score that qualifies you to enter the college of your choice.

Good Colleges for Bad Test Scores

Some people just don't perform well on standardized tests. If you've tried both the SAT and ACT tests and can't score high enough to enter the school of your choice, consider these colleges that are more forgiving when it comes to poor SAT scores:

Holy Cross - Featuring SAT optional admissions, Holy Cross is known for a 10:1 faculty to student ratio. The average Holy Cross student scored about 1700 on the SAT.

Mount Holyoke - One of the top women's colleges in the world, Mount Holyoke makes the SAT test optional for admissions.

George Mason University - This relatively young college is known for its pre-professional undergraduate majors. The average George Mason student scored about a 1650 on the SATs, though the test is optional for admissions.

Hampshire College - The Harvard of non-conformists, Hampshire College is another SAT-optional school that has made a name for itself by bucking trends in higher education.

There's no such thing as a good SAT score. Your ideal SAT score is whatever meets the requirements for the colleges and universities you're applying for. Since you can retake the SAT if you're disappointed by your first results, don't spend too much time fretting about your first SAT test's score.