SAT Score Percentiles — College Board's Official Table, 400–1600

Every Total Score, 1600 Down to 400

A percentile of 75 against a 1200 means 75 percent of that group scored 1200 or lower. It is a rank among people who took the SAT, not among all students, which is the comparison that matters when the other applicants to a college took it too.

The third column is a different study: the ACT Composite each total concords to in the official 2018 tables. It is not a percentile and it is not a conversion. Each figure links to the concordance row it came from, which explains what a concorded score does and does not mean.

SAT Total Score Percentiles

SAT total score against its User Group percentile, from College Board — SAT Nationally Representative and User Percentiles: students who took the SAT and graduated in the past three school years. Not dated by College Board; transcribed as published in October 2026. 99+ means above the 99th percentile and 1- below the 1st. The ACT equivalent column is the ACT Composite the total concords to in the official 2018 ACT/SAT concordance, a separate study by both agencies.
SAT total	Percentile	ACT equivalent
1600	99+	36
1590	99+	36
1580	99+	36
1570	99+	36
1560	99+	35
1550	99	35
1540	99	35
1530	99	35
1520	98	34
1510	98	34
1500	97	34
1490	97	34
1480	97	33
1470	96	33
1460	96	33
1450	95	33
1440	95	32
1430	94	32
1420	94	32
1410	93	31
1400	93	31
1390	92	31
1380	91	30
1370	91	30
1360	90	30
1350	89	29
1340	88	29
1330	88	29
1320	87	28
1310	86	28
1300	85	28
1290	84	27
1280	83	27
1270	82	27
1260	81	27
1250	80	26
1240	79	26
1230	78	26
1220	77	25
1210	76	25
1200	75	25
1190	74	24
1180	72	24
1170	71	24
1160	70	24
1150	69	23
1140	67	23
1130	66	23
1120	65	22
1110	63	22
1100	62	22
1090	60	21
1080	59	21
1070	58	21
1060	56	21
1050	55	20
1040	53	20
1030	52	20
1020	50	19
1010	48	19
1000	47	19
990	45	19
980	44	18
970	42	18
960	41	18
950	39	17
940	38	17
930	36	17
920	35	17
910	33	16
900	32	16
890	30	16
880	29	16
870	27	15
860	26	15
850	24	15
840	23	15
830	21	15
820	20	14
810	18	14
800	17	14
790	16	14
780	14	14
770	13	13
760	12	13
750	11	13
740	10	13
730	9	13
720	8	12
710	7	12
700	6	12
690	5	12
680	5	11
670	4	11
660	4	11
650	3	11
640	3	10
630	3	10
620	2	10
610	2	9
600	2	9
590	2	9
580	2	—
570	1	—
560	1	—
550	1	—
540	1	—
530	1	—
520	1	—
510	1	—
500	1	—
490	1-	—
480	1-	—
470	1-	—
460	1-	—
450	1-	—
440	1-	—
430	1-	—
420	1-	—
410	1-	—
400	1-	—

Reading and Writing, and Math

Each section is scored from 200 to 800 and ranked on its own, against the same group. The same score can rank differently in each: a 500 is at 43 in Reading and Writing and at 50 in Math.

SAT Section Score Percentiles

SAT section score against its User Group percentile in Reading and Writing and in Math, from College Board — SAT Nationally Representative and User Percentiles: students who took the SAT and graduated in the past three school years. Not dated by College Board; transcribed as published in October 2026. 99+ means above the 99th percentile and 1- below the 1st.
Section score	Reading and Writing	Math
800	99+	99+
790	99+	99
780	99+	98
770	99	97
760	99	96
750	98	95
740	97	95
730	96	94
720	95	93
710	94	92
700	92	91
690	91	90
680	89	88
670	88	87
660	86	85
650	84	84
640	82	82
630	80	81
620	77	79
610	75	77
600	72	75
590	70	73
580	67	71
570	65	69
560	62	66
550	59	64
540	56	61
530	53	59
520	50	56
510	47	53
500	43	50
490	40	48
480	37	45
470	34	42
460	32	40
450	29	37
440	26	34
430	24	31
420	21	28
410	19	24
400	16	21
390	14	18
380	11	15
370	9	12
360	8	10
350	6	8
340	5	6
330	4	5
320	3	4
310	2	3
300	2	2
290	2	2
280	1	2
270	1	1
260	1	1
250	1	1
240	1	1
230	1	1
220	1	1
210	1	1
200	1-	1-

What Counts as a Good SAT Score

The table is the honest answer. The middle of the scale is around 1020, which ranks at 50: about half of the people who take the SAT score at or below it. A 1200 ranks at 75, a 1300 at 85, a 1400 at 93 and a 1500 at 97.

The top of the scale is compressed. Every total from 1560 to 1600 prints as 99+, because the percentages are whole numbers and very few students score that high, so near the top the percentile stops telling scores apart and the score itself says more.

College Board's own yardstick is its college and career readiness benchmarks: 480 in Reading and Writing and 530 in Math. Meeting one, College Board says, means “a 75% likelihood of achieving a C or higher in related first semester, credit-bearing college courses”. Among SAT takers, a 480 in Reading and Writing ranks at 37 and a 530 in Math at 59.

None of that says what score you need. That depends on the colleges on your list, each of which publishes the middle 50 percent of the scores it admitted, and a percentile is only useful next to those numbers.

Where These Numbers Come From

Source: College Board — SAT Nationally Representative and User Percentiles
Who is in it: The User Group percentiles: students who took the SAT and graduated in the past three school years. College Board also publishes Nationally Representative percentiles, which compare a score with every US 11th and 12th grader whether or not they take the SAT. This page leaves those out, because the students a score is weighed against in admissions are the ones who took the test.
Which edition: Not dated by College Board; transcribed as published in October 2026
Benchmarks: College Board — SAT School Day: Understanding Scores for Students and Families(Fall 2026)

College Board does not date this table. Last checked against it on October 6, 2026.

Section score	Reading and Writing	Math
800	99+	99+
790	99+	99
780	99+	98
770	99	97
760	99	96
750	98	95
740	97	95
730	96	94
720	95	93
710	94	92
700	92	91
690	91	90
680	89	88
670	88	87
660	86	85
650	84	84
640	82	82
630	80	81
620	77	79
610	75	77
600	72	75
590	70	73
580	67	71
570	65	69
560	62	66
550	59	64
540	56	61
530	53	59
520	50	56
510	47	53
500	43	50
490	40	48
480	37	45
470	34	42
460	32	40
450	29	37
440	26	34
430	24	31
420	21	28
410	19	24
400	16	21
390	14	18
380	11	15
370	9	12
360	8	10
350	6	8
340	5	6
330	4	5
320	3	4
310	2	3
300	2	2
290	2	2
280	1	2
270	1	1
260	1	1
250	1	1
240	1	1
230	1	1
220	1	1
210	1	1
200	1-	1-

Section score	Reading and Writing	Math
800	99+	99+
790	99+	99
780	99+	98
770	99	97
760	99	96
750	98	95
740	97	95
730	96	94
720	95	93
710	94	92
700	92	91
690	91	90
680	89	88
670	88	87
660	86	85
650	84	84
640	82	82
630	80	81
620	77	79
610	75	77
600	72	75
590	70	73
580	67	71
570	65	69
560	62	66
550	59	64
540	56	61
530	53	59
520	50	56
510	47	53
500	43	50
490	40	48
480	37	45
470	34	42
460	32	40
450	29	37
440	26	34
430	24	31
420	21	28
410	19	24
400	16	21
390	14	18
380	11	15
370	9	12
360	8	10
350	6	8
340	5	6
330	4	5
320	3	4
310	2	3
300	2	2
290	2	2
280	1	2
270	1	1
260	1	1
250	1	1
240	1	1
230	1	1
220	1	1
210	1	1
200	1-	1-