SAT score chart: percentiles

A score-to-percentile chart for the digital SAT's 400–1600 scale, so you can see exactly where any total score ranks against other test-takers across the country.

This chart maps each SAT total score (400–1600) to its approximate percentile — the share of test-takers you'd score above. A 1600 is the 99th+ percentile, 1400 is around the 97th, 1200 about the 81st, and the national average near 1030 sits around the 50th. Percentiles are approximate and nationally representative; College Board publishes the official tables each year.

Score-to-percentile chart: Turn this planning or scoring concept into a clear physical or editorial visual metaphor rather than a generic dashboard
1600The top of the scale — the 99th+ percentile.
1400Around the 97th percentile of test-takers.
1200About the 81st percentile.
1030Near the national average — about the 50th percentile.
The full chart

SAT total score to percentile

Read down the scale to find your score, then across to see roughly what share of students you'd rank above. These figures are approximate and nationally representative — the official tables shift slightly year to year.

SAT total scoreApprox. percentile
160099th+
155099th
150098th–99th
145097th–98th
1400~97th
1350~93rd–94th
1300~90th
1250~86th
1200~81st
1100~68th
1050~58th
1000~48th
950~40th
900~31st
800~17th
How to read it

Three things a percentile tells you

A percentile turns a raw number into a rank — a quick way to understand how a score actually compares.

What a percentile is

It's a rank, not a percent correct.

Your percentile is where you land against other test-takers — a 90th percentile means you scored higher than about 90% of them. It has nothing to do with how many questions you got right.

Section percentiles

Reading & Writing and Math rank separately too.

Beyond the total, each 200–800 section has its own percentile table, so you can see whether your strength leans toward Reading & Writing or Math.

Why it matters

Colleges read percentiles to compare you.

Admissions teams use percentiles to weigh applicants on a common scale — a higher percentile widens the range of schools where your score is competitive.

See where your score could land.

Answer a few real-format questions and get a practice estimate you can map onto this chart.

Try free questions
FAQ

SAT percentile questions

What percentile is a 1400 SAT score?
About the 97th — higher than roughly 97% of test-takers. See what makes a score competitive →
What percentile is a 1200 SAT score?
About the 81st percentile.
What percentile is a 1500 SAT score?
Around the 98th–99th percentile.
What is the average SAT percentile?
The national average (~1030) is about the 50th percentile.
How are SAT percentiles calculated?
From a nationally representative sample of students, so they estimate how you'd rank against all US test-takers.

Know the ranking. Now work toward your number.

Start free, answer a few real-format questions, and get a practice estimate toward your target score.

What counts as a good score, by schoolScore targetsBrowse by state →309
Adelphi University Alabama A & M University American University Angelo State University Appalachian State University Arkansas State University Arkansas Tech University Auburn University Augusta University Austin Peay State University Ball State University Baylor University Belmont University Binghamton University Boston College Boston University Bowling Green State University Bridgewater State University Brigham Young University Brigham Young University-Idaho Brown Caltech Case Western Reserve University Central Connecticut State University Central Michigan University Chapman University Clemson University Coastal Carolina University College of Charleston College of Staten Island CUNY Colorado Mesa University Colorado School of Mines Columbia Columbus State University Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania Cornell CUNY Bernard M Baruch College CUNY Brooklyn College CUNY City College CUNY Hunter College CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice CUNY Lehman College CUNY New York City College of Technology CUNY Queens College DePaul University DeVry University-Illinois Drexel University Duke Duquesne University East Carolina University East Tennessee State University East Texas A&M University Eastern Kentucky University Eastern Michigan University Elon University Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide Emory Fairfield University Farmingdale State College Fayetteville State University Ferris State University Florida Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Florida Atlantic University Florida Gulf Coast University Florida International University Florida State University Fordham University Fort Hays State University George Mason University George Washington University Georgetown Georgia College & State University Georgia Southern University Georgia State University Georgia State University-Perimeter College Gonzaga University Grand Canyon University Grand Valley State University Harvard High Point University Hofstra University Howard University Illinois State University Indiana University-Bloomington Indiana University-Indianapolis Indiana University of Pennsylvania Iowa State University Jacksonville State University James Madison University Kansas State University Kean University Kennesaw State University Kent State University at Kent Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Lamar University Lehigh University Long Island University Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Louisiana State University at Alexandria Louisiana Tech University Loyola Marymount University Loyola University Chicago Marist University Marquette University Marshall University McNeese State University Metropolitan State University of Denver Miami University-Oxford Michigan Michigan State University Michigan Technological University Middle Georgia State University Middle Tennessee State University Millersville University of Pennsylvania Mississippi State University Missouri State 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Institute of Technology Rowan University Rutgers University-New Brunswick Saginaw Valley State University Salisbury University Sam Houston State University Santa Clara University Savannah College of Art and Design Seton Hall University Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania South Dakota State University Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Southern Methodist University Southern University and A & M College Saint Cloud State University St. John's University-New York Saint Louis University Stanford State University of New York at New Paltz State University of New York at Oswego Stephen F Austin State University Stockton University Stony Brook University SUNY Brockport SUNY Buffalo State University Syracuse University Tarleton State University Tennessee Technological University Texas A & M International University Texas A&M University-College Station Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi Texas A&M University-San Antonio Texas Christian University Texas Southern University Texas State University Texas Tech University The College of New Jersey The University of Alabama The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga The University of Tennessee-Knoxville The University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Dallas The University of Texas at El Paso The University of Texas at San Antonio The University of Texas at Tyler The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Towson University Troy University Tufts Tulane University of Louisiana UChicago UIUC UNC–Chapel Hill University at Buffalo University of Akron Main Campus University of Alabama at Birmingham University of Alabama in Huntsville University of Arizona University of Arkansas University of Central Arkansas University of Central Florida University of Cincinnati University of Colorado Boulder University of Colorado Colorado Springs University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus University of Connecticut University of Dayton University of Delaware University of Denver University of Georgia University of Hawaii at Manoa University of Houston University of Houston-Clear Lake University of Houston-Downtown University of Idaho University of Illinois Chicago University of Iowa University of Kansas University of Kentucky University of Louisiana at Lafayette University of Louisiana at Monroe University of Louisville University of Maryland-Baltimore County University of Maryland-College Park University of Massachusetts-Amherst University of Massachusetts-Boston University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth University of Massachusetts-Lowell University of Memphis University of Miami University of Michigan-Dearborn University of Minnesota-Duluth University of Minnesota-Twin Cities University of Mississippi University of Missouri-Columbia University of Missouri-Kansas City University of Missouri-St Louis University of Nebraska-Lincoln University of Nevada-Las Vegas University of Nevada-Reno University of New Hampshire University of New Mexico University of North Carolina at Charlotte University of North Carolina at Greensboro University of North Carolina at Pembroke University of North Carolina Wilmington University of North Florida University of North Georgia University of North Texas University of Northern Colorado University of Northern Iowa University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus University of Oregon University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus University of Rhode Island University of Rochester University of San Francisco University of South Alabama University of South Carolina-Columbia University of South Dakota University of South Florida University of Southern Indiana University of St Thomas University of Toledo University of Utah University of Vermont University of West Florida University of West Georgia University of Wisconsin-Madison UPenn Utah State University UVA Valdosta State University Vanderbilt Villanova University Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia State University 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