What does your SAT score really mean?
A score only matters relative to everyone else's. Slide to any score and see the estimated share of test takers nationwide you would outscore.
A 1200 scores at or above an estimated 72% of test takers in a nationally representative sample.
Percentiles are estimates derived from published College Board national percentile data and rounded to whole numbers. The College Board updates official percentiles each year.
The full score-to-percentile table
| Total score | Estimated percentile |
|---|---|
| 1600 | 99+ |
| 1550 | 99+ |
| 1500 | 98 |
| 1450 | 96 |
| 1400 | 93 |
| 1350 | 90 |
| 1300 | 85 |
| 1250 | 79 |
| 1200 | 72 |
| 1150 | 65 |
| 1100 | 58 |
| 1050 | 49 |
| 1000 | 40 |
| 950 | 31 |
| 900 | 23 |
| 850 | 14 |
| 800 | 8 |
| 750 | 4 |
| 700 | 2 |
| 600 | 1 |
| 400 | 1 |
How to read these numbers
A percentile tells you the share of test takers who scored at or below your score. A 1200 sits around the 72nd percentile: roughly 7 in 10 students score lower. The average total score lands near 1050, so anything above that already puts you in the top half.
Notice how the curve compresses at the top. Climbing from 1000 to 1100 moves you about 18 percentile points, while climbing from 1450 to 1550 moves you only about 3. Those last few points are scarce, which is exactly why selective colleges pay attention to them: a 1500+ puts you in roughly the top 2% of all test takers.
Two caveats. First, these are national percentiles across a representative sample of all US students, not just the self-selected group who take the SAT, so the College Board also publishes a slightly tougher “SAT user” percentile. Second, percentiles shift a little each year as the testing population changes. Treat the table as a reliable map, not a guarantee.
The most useful question is not “what percentile am I?” but “what percentile do my target colleges expect?” Our score targets by college guide covers that next step.
Not sure where you stand today?
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