SAT Percentiles and Score Rankings (Updated 2022) (2024)

SAT Percentiles and Score Rankings (Updated 2022) (1)

Have you taken the SAT recently and need help deciding whether you should retake the test? Or maybe you haven’t taken the SAT yet but want to develop a target score.

One of the best ways to understand your SAT scores is to understand your SAT score percentiles. You can learn to maximize your study time, find the biggest score gains, and impress your dream school by understanding percentile rankings. Read on for a guide to maximizing your SAT score—and your college admissions chances—by using SAT score percentiles.

Bonus: Want to get a perfect SAT score? Read our famous guide on how to score a perfect 1600 on the SAT. You'll learn top strategies from the country's leading expert on the SAT, Allen Cheng, a Harvard grad and perfect scorer. No matter your level, you'll find useful advice here - this strategy guide has been read by over 500,000 people.

Read the 1600 SAT guide today and start improving your score.


What Are SAT Score Percentiles?

In addition to the composite score you get on the SAT (i.e., that number between 400 and 1600), you'll get a percentile ranking, ranging from 1 to 99. The SAT gives you a percentile ranking for your overall composite score as well as for each of the twosection scores: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) and Math.

Your percentile tells you how you did on the SAT compared with everyone else who took the test. For example, if you got a composite percentile of 76, this means you scored higher than 76% of students on the whole test. If you got a percentile of 47 on the Math section, you did better than 47% of students on SAT Math.

SAT Percentiles and Score Rankings (Updated 2022) (2)

An example of an SAT score report with percentiles.

Your percentile score is not like a grade out of 100. For instance, if you get a percentile of 90, this doesn't mean you got exactly 90% of the questions right. It just means that compared with everyone who took the SAT, you scored higher than 90% of them. (For more info on how the SAT is scored, see our scoring guide.)

So, why do percentiles matter? Colleges use percentiles to compare you with other students. If you got, say, an SAT score in the 90th percentile, this would make you competitive for many schools since you scored better than 90% of students nationwide.

Paying attention to your percentile ranking, as well as your composite score, can give you the best idea of your performance and help you make strategic choices about which colleges to apply to.

What Are the Percentile Ranges for the SAT?

OK, so you get that percentile rankings are important. But if you haven’t taken the SAT yet or have taken it and plan to retake it, what composite SAT score should you shoot for in order to get a certain percentile ranking?

Luckily, the College Board releases data about composite scores and matching percentile rankings to help you figure this out. These numbers change slightly from year to year, but we have the most recent info from 2022.

We've summarized the SAT percentile ranges here in a percentile chart. Just find your score to see your estimated percentile.

SAT Composite Score RangePercentile Score
1550-160099 to 99+
1500-155098 to 99
1450-150096 to 98
1400-145093 to 96
1350-140090 to 93
1300-135086 to 90
1250-130081 to 86
1200-125075 to 81
1150-120068 to 75
1100-115061 to 68
1050-110051 to 61
1000-105043 to 51
950-100035 to 43
900-95027 to 35
850-90019 to 27
800-85013 to 19
750-8007 to 13
700-7503 to 7
650-7001 to 3
600-6501- to 1
550-6001-
500-5501-
450-5001-
400-4501-

Something to note about these percentile ranks is that they change the fastest with the middle scores. For example, the difference between 1450 and 1600—the highest possible score—is only 4 percentile points, 96 to 99.

However, the same point gap between 1100 and 1250 has a vast percentile difference—61 to 81. This means that if you scored 1100 or lower, increasing your overall composite by just 150 points would give a vast boost to your percentile rank and your admissions competitiveness!

Need more help with SAT Prep? Send your parent or guardian our guide to the SAT to get them thinking about the test prep process.

SAT Percentiles and Score Rankings (Updated 2022) (3)

SAT Percentile Charts by Section

We also have data on percentile rankings for score ranges in EBRW and Math. Check out the chart below to see how your scores stack up.

Section Score RangeSAT EBRW PercentilesSAT Math Percentiles
780-80099+98 to 99+
760-78099 to 99+96 to 98
740-76097 to 9994 to 96
720-74096 to 9793 to 94
700-72093 to 9691 to 93
680-70091 to 9389 to 91
660-68087 to 9186 to 89
640-66083 to 8783 to 86
620-64078 to 8379 to 83
600-62073 to 7875 to 79
580-60067 to 7370 to 75
560-58061 to 6764 to 70
540-56055 to 6158 to 64
520-54049 to 5551 to 58
500-52042 to 4944 to 51
480-50035 to 4238 to 44
460-48029 to 3532 to 38
440-46023 to 2927 to 32
420-44017 to 2322 to 27
400-42012 to 1716 to 22
380-4007 to 1212 to 16
360-3804 to 77 to 12
340-3602 to 44 to 7
320-3401 to 22 to 4
300-32011 to 2
280-3001- to 11
260-2801-1- to 1
240-2601-1-
220-2401-1-
200-2201-1-

Source: SAT Understanding Scores 2022

Again, note that the percentile ranks change dramatically toward the middle scores: 500 in EBRW is only 42%, but 600 is 73%. In other words, a 100-point improvement—which is very manageable with some smart studying—could transform your score from poor to good.

Note that the Math curve is more competitive near the top than the EBRW curve is. A 760 is in the 96th percentile on Math but in the 99th percentile on EBRW, and a 700 is in the 91st percentile on Math but in the 93rd percentile on EBRW. This means that if you were aiming for the same percentile on both sections, you'd have to get a higher score on Math than you would on EBRW.

For more info on SAT scores and rankings, check out our guide to average SAT scores in which we also look at score breakdowns by gender and ethnic group.

How Can Knowing Your SAT Percentile Help You?

We know that percentiles are important and that, in some cases, a relatively small composite score increase can have a huge effect on your percentile ranking.

However, your target composite score for the colleges you want to apply to is the most important. While percentiles help college admissions officers compare your scores, schools also have their own score ranges that typically don’t change much from year to year.

To find a college’s SAT score ranges, search "[School Name] SAT scores PrepScholar" on Google to find our Admission Requirements page with its SAT/ACT score ranges and info on GPA ranges and overall competitiveness. For more tips on how to use this strategy (and for a table you can fill out for your specific colleges), see our guide on what a good SAT score is.

If you're applying to schools this year and aren't sure if they've gone test-optional due to COVID-19, you can read more about that here.

SAT Percentiles and Score Rankings (Updated 2022) (4)

Maximize your study time by setting a personal SAT target score.

Finally, SAT percentile rankings can be a useful tool for you. Especially if you’re deciding whether or not to retake the SAT, percentiles really help put your SAT scores in context. For example, the difference between your 700 in EBRW and 600 in Math might not seem enormous, but that EBRW score is in the 93rd percentile, while that Math score is in the 75th percentile. A huge difference!

This means you can get more bang for your buck if you focus on the Math section for your retake. Increasing your Math score by 100 points can raise your percentile from 75 to 91. However, raising your EBRW score from 700 to 800, though super impressive, only improves your percentile ranking by 5%.

Of course, this doesn’t mean you should ignore EBRW—in fact, a gain of just 50 points would put you in the 99th percentile! But recognizing that you stand to gain more with Math can ultimately help you prioritize your study time better.

What’s Next?

Now that you know the ins and outs of national SAT percentiles, check out what the average SAT scores are, and take a look at the average SAT scores in your state.

Trying to figure out your SAT target score? Or maybe you took the SAT but aren't sure whether your score is competitive. Our guide can help you develop a personal SAT target score based on the colleges you're applying to.

Reaching for the stars? Check out what a good SAT score for the Ivy League looks like.

Ready to go beyond just reading about the SAT? Then you'll love the free five-day trial for our SAT Complete Prep program. Designed and written by PrepScholar SAT experts, our SAT program customizes to your skill level in over 40 subskills so that you can focus your studying on what will get you the biggest score gains.

Click on the button below to try it out!

SAT Percentiles and Score Rankings (Updated 2022) (5)

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Halle Edwards

About the Author

Halle Edwards graduated from Stanford University with honors. In high school, she earned 99th percentile ACT scores as well as 99th percentile scores on SAT subject tests. She also took nine AP classes, earning a perfect score of 5 on seven AP tests. As a graduate of a large public high school who tackled the college admission process largely on her own, she is passionate about helping high school students from different backgrounds get the knowledge they need to be successful in the college admissions process.

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SAT Percentiles and Score Rankings (Updated 2022) (2024)

FAQs

What is considered a good SAT score 2022? ›

A good score is in the range of 1300 to 1500 (Math: 650 to 750, Reading/Writing: 650 to 750). Colleges like Emory University with a 25.2 percent acceptance rate list accepted student SAT scores in the range of 1330 to 1520.

Is 95th percentile good for SAT? ›

If you get a composite SAT score of 1083 or more, you are above average. The 75th percentile composite SAT test score is 1215, the 90th percentile is 1340 and the 95th percentile is 1410.
...
See what other scholarships you're eligible for.
Composite Score (Out of 1600)Percentile Rank
141095
140094
135091
134090
23 more rows

Is 98th percentile good SAT? ›

While many high achievers strive to reach a 1600, in reality any score above a 1500 typically falls within the 99th or 98th percentile. This means that if you've scored a 1500 on the SAT, it may not be in your best interest to retake the test when you could work on other parts of your application.

How many people get 1600 SAT? ›

A 1600 is only achieved by around 300 test takers per year and makes you eligible and highly competitive for admission at every college. Looking at this from another angle, a 1600 SAT score is in the 99nth percentile, which means you scored higher than 99% of all other 2 million+ test takers.

Should I retake a 1480 SAT? ›

1480 SAT Score Standings

Out of the 2.13 million test-takers, 32833 scored the same or higher than you. You can apply to 1478 colleges and have a good shot at getting admitted. You have a very low chance of getting into 20 schools with this score.

What's the lowest SAT score someone got into Yale with? ›

Yale has no official cutoff or minimum SAT score that they require from applicants. However, most students who are accepted to Yale have SAT scores above the 95th percentile nationally. A high SAT score can be a valuable asset on your application.

Can I get into Stanford with 1400 SAT? ›

In order to be considered for admission to Stanford University, you will need a SAT score of at least 1440.

Can I get into an Ivy League with a 1400 SAT? ›

One of the only reasons to consider retaking the SAT would be if you're interested in attending institutions that are very selective or in the Ivy League. While a 1400 makes you eligible to apply to places such as Harvard, Yale, and the University of Pennsylvania, it won't make you a competitive candidate.

Is 1450 the 99th percentile? ›

Is a Score of 1450 (96th Percentile) Good? Earning a score of 1450 indicates an exceptional performance on the exam and places you in the upper 95th percentile of all students nationwide.

Is 1560 a good SAT score for MIT? ›

Score Range

This tells us that it is possible to be admitted to MIT with a composite SAT score in the range of 1300-1380, although most students are within the 1510-1580 range. We do recommend, however, that you strongly consider retaking the SAT if your composite score is beneath 1550.

Should I retake a 1550 SAT? ›

Should I Retake the SAT With a 1550 SAT Score? At this score level, there are very few reasons to retake the SAT. The only consideration would be for the most selective or elite institutions, such as those in the Ivy League, whose average acceptance score is 1540.

Do colleges look at SAT percentiles? ›

Colleges use percentiles to compare you with other students.

If you got, say, an SAT score in the 90th percentile, this would make you competitive for many schools since you scored better than 90% of students nationwide.

What was Mark Zuckerberg SAT score? ›

Ans: Mark Zuckerberg achieved the highest SAT score possible, 1600.

What did Bill Gates get on his SAT? ›

Bill Gates has an impressive SAT score

Gates scored a 1590 out of 1600 on his SATs.

Did Will Smith get a 1600 on the SAT? ›

Ben Affleck attended the University of Vermont and Occidental College and allegedly earned a flawless 1600 on his SATs. Will Smith: According to his Biography channel profile, the actor also earned 1600 on his SATs.

How many questions can you miss to get a 1500 on SAT? ›

To get to a 1500 minimum, for instance, you need to get at least 48 questions right out of 52 on the Reading section. 41 out of 44 on the Writing & Language section. 55 out of 58 on the Math section.

Can I get into Yale with a 1480 SAT? ›

Yale University Typical SAT Scores

Average SAT score for Yale University is 1498. Half of the admitted students have SAT scores from 1480 to 1600. Top 25% of admitted students has SAT score higher than 1600.

Can I get into Stanford with a 1500 SAT? ›

There's no absolute SAT requirement at Stanford, but they really want to see at least a 1440 to have a chance at being considered.

What is the easiest Ivy to get into? ›

Based on the information provided above, you probably noticed that Cornell University has the highest acceptance rates out of all the Ivy League schools and can therefore be classified as the easiest Ivy league school to get into.

What is the lowest SAT score to get into Harvard? ›

There's no absolute SAT requirement at Harvard, but they really want to see at least a 1460 to have a chance at being considered. If you're just a ride on the T away from Harvard, we've collected information for finding tutors in the Boston area to help bring you even closer to getting in.

What is the minimum SAT score for Stanford? ›

What GPA does MIT take? ›

Aim high. Even though there are no official MIT GPA requirements, you should aim for a 4.17 weighted GPA. If you're already a junior or senior figuring out how to get into MIT and your GPA is lower than 4.17, know that scores close to the average MIT SAT scores or ACT scores can counterbalance a lower GPA.

Is 1540 good enough for Stanford? ›

1540 is a 75 percentile score at Stanford. The reason people get rejected with higher scores is that there are other criteria besides SAT scores. 1540 sufficiently checks the test score box at any school.

What SAT score is required for UCLA? ›

GPA and test scores of middle 25%-75% students
High School GPA4.18 - 4.32
SAT Evidence Based Reading & Writing670 - 760
SAT Mathematics690 - 790
SAT Essay16 - 19
2 more rows

Should I retake a 1390 SAT? ›

Is a 1390 a good SAT score? Yes, a score of 1390 it is extremely good. It places you in the top 95th percentile nationally out of the 1.7 million test takers of the SAT entrance exam.

Is New SAT easier? ›

The digital SAT will be easier to take, easier to give, and more relevant,” Priscilla Rodriguez, vice president of College Readiness Assessments at the College Board, said in a news release. The test will start online in the U.S. in 2024, and internationally in 2023.

What is the lowest SAT score to get into an Ivy League? ›

College admissions information reveals that students hoping to get accepted into the Ivy League should have at least 1470 on the SAT. At a minimum, you should aim to score between the 75th and 25th percentiles of any given university. If you score above the 75th percentile, you're doing excellent!

What is top 1% SAT score? ›

The top 1% of all test-takers comprises those scoring in the range of 1550-1600 on the SAT scoring scale. That top 1% of 2.2 million test-takers comprised nearly 22,000 test-takers from the Class of 2020. This suggests that there are some few thousand (at a maximum) who received a perfect score.

Does the 100th percentile exist? ›

You can't score better or worse than yourself so 0th and 100th percentile doesn't exist. There is no such a thing. If you scored best out of 100, you would be in the 99th percentile because you beat 99/100 scores. If you scored best out of 1000, you would be in the 99.9th percentile because you beat 999/1000 scores.

What is a 97th percentile SAT score? ›

Your SAT percentile score tells you how well you did compared to other students who took the SAT. If you scored in the 97th percentile, then you scored higher than 97% of the people who took the test. If you scored in the 50th percentile, you did better than 50% of the people who took the test.

Is a 1450 SAT score of 2022 Good? ›

Is a Score of 1450 (96th Percentile) Good? Earning a score of 1450 indicates an exceptional performance on the exam and places you in the upper 95th percentile of all students nationwide.

Is a 1300 SAT score of 2022 Good? ›

Is a 1300 Sat Score (87th Percentile) Good? Yes. It indicates good performance in all sections of the exam and places you around the 87th percentile of all test takers, meaning you scored higher than 87% of all test takers.

Does SAT Matter 2022? ›

The importance of SAT and ACT scores is not a thing of the past. While there are a select number of colleges, or test blind schools, that do not look at test scores, there are far more schools that will take your test scores into account if you submit them.

Is 1240 a good SAT score in 2022? ›

Yes, a score of 1240 is very competitive. It places you in the top 81st percentile nationally out of the 1.7 million test takers of the SAT entrance exam. The score indicates you've done a well above above average job answering the questions on the Math and Evidence-Based Reading & Writing sections of the test.

Can I get into MIT with a 1450 SAT? ›

You must at least have an SAT score of 1500 to have a chance of being considered for admission to MIT. If we investigate the data of previously admitted students to MIT, the lowest SAT math score was in the 700-740 range. The lowest SAT ERW score in the 600–640 range was obtained by 1% of the accepted students.

Can I get into Stanford with a 1450 SAT? ›

Stanford University

Moreover, the admission officers accept students whose SAT score falls between 1420-1570, 3.96 GPA and 31 to 35 ACT score.

Is 1560 a good SAT score for MIT? ›

Score Range

This tells us that it is possible to be admitted to MIT with a composite SAT score in the range of 1300-1380, although most students are within the 1510-1580 range. We do recommend, however, that you strongly consider retaking the SAT if your composite score is beneath 1550.

Can you get into Harvard with a 1300 SAT? ›

Harvard applicants with a combined SAT score of 1300-1400 and an average GPA of 3.5-4.0 have a better chance of being accepted to Harvard University.

Can I get into an Ivy League with a 1300 SAT? ›

IVY league are considered to be elite colleges that give admission to students who excel in studies and are also contributing to society. They accept students who achieve an SAT score of 1400. A 1400 SAT score is the minimum requirement of admission to an IVY league college.

How many questions do I need to get right to get a 1400 on the SAT? ›

You can miss around 10–12 questions on math and reading each and still get a 1400.

Are colleges looking at SAT scores 2022? ›

More than two-thirds of colleges and universities won't require the SAT for 2022 admission. That includes elite institutions such as Harvard and Stanford as well as the University of California system, which has dropped the test as an admission requirement permanently.

Will not submitting SAT scores hurt 2023? ›

2022-2023 Admissions Cycle

Though test submission at many of these schools is strongly encouraged or likely to correlate with higher admissions rates, it is not a requirement of application. 5.5% of colleges have announced test required policies.

Does test optional hurt your chances? ›

If the college does not require the test, then generally NO, it will not hurt your application. But know that without test scores other parts of your application will become more important. This includes your GPA, your college essay, awards and achievements, references, and any extracurricular activities you include.

Should I retake a 1370 SAT? ›

Is a 1370 a good SAT score? Yes, a score of 1370 is excellent. It places you in the top 94th percentile nationally out of the 1.7 million test takers of the SAT entrance exam.

Is 1500 SAT good for Harvard? ›

The 25th percentile New SAT score is 1460, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1580. In other words, a 1460 places you below average, while a 1580 will move you up to above average. There's no absolute SAT requirement at Harvard, but they really want to see at least a 1460 to have a chance at being considered.

Should I retake SAT with 1510? ›

Is a 1510 a good SAT score? Yes, a score of 1510 is awesome. It places you in the top 99th percentile nationally out of the 1.7 million test takers of the SAT entrance exam.

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