In short
The essentials
- The total score runs from 400 to 1600 and is the sum of the two sections
- Each section is scored separately from 200 to 800
- Percentiles show your position relative to other test takers
- Score requirements differ by university and major
Direct answers
Direct answers on SAT scores
We do not state required scores for specific universities, because each university sets and updates its own requirements.
How is the SAT scored?
An SAT score is made of two section scores — Reading and Writing, and Math — combined into a single total, reported alongside an indicator comparing you with other test takers.
The score is not simply your number of correct answers; it goes through an equating process that makes results from different administrations comparable. So do not compare your score with a classmate's error count from another date.
Official source: Understanding SAT scores
What SAT score do universities require?
There is no single required score: each university and each major defines what it considers sufficient or competitive, and the requirement can differ between programmes at the same university.
The right method is to open the official admissions page of every programme you target, record the published score, and make the highest number on your list your preparation target.
When are SAT results released?
Results appear in your College Board account a set period after each administration, and College Board publishes the release dates for each administration in advance.
Important exception: Also account for the time a score takes to reach a university after it is sent; release alone does not determine whether you meet an application deadline.
Official source: Understanding SAT scores
Do universities take the highest score if I retake?
It depends on the university's policy: some look at the highest total, some combine your best section scores across dates, and some ask for all results.
Important exception: Do not assume a policy before registering for a retake; read it on the target university's official admissions page.
What makes up the score
An SAT result has two section scores — Reading and Writing, and Math — each on a 200–800 scale, combined into a total from 400 to 1600. These ranges are published by the College Board and are the authoritative reference.
The score is not a raw count of correct answers: the digital SAT is adaptive, so your performance in the first module of each section sets the difficulty of the second, and your answers are converted to a scaled score that accounts for question difficulty.
Alongside the numbers, the score report shows percentiles that place your result relative to other test takers, plus a breakdown of skill performance within each section.
How to read your SAT results
Your score report shows the total, each section score, a percentile showing the share of test takers who scored at or below you, and your performance by skill area within each section. The percentile is what turns the number into meaning: the same score sits in a different position depending on the comparison group.
Read the skill breakdown before the total: it tells you where points are being lost, and that is what the next preparation plan is built on.
What is a good SAT score?
There is no single good score for everyone. A good SAT score is one that places you inside the published range of admitted students at the universities and programmes you are targeting; a decent score for one university can be uncompetitive at another. Start from your university list, then read each programme's official admissions page.
Setting a realistic target
Start from the requirements your target universities publish themselves, then compare them with your result on a full practice test. The gap between the two is the workload, and that is what we turn into a prioritised preparation plan.
Sending scores to universities
Scores are sent from inside your official account to the institutions you select. Sending policy, the number of free reports if any, and additional report fees are all defined officially by the College Board and can change, so verify them at the time of sending.
Official sources
Verify with the official source
Dates, fees and requirements change and are not ours to update. The links below open the official sources responsible for this information.
Student questions on this topic
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