What is a Good SAT Score?
If you’re a high school student looking to apply to college, it’s important to understand what is a good SAT score. Getting a good SAT score can help you get into the college of your choice and even receive additional merit scholarship money!
The SAT is a national standardized test that tests your knowledge of academic subjects. It is a rigorous test that can take up to three hours to complete.
What is the SAT?
The SAT is a standardized test created and administered by the College Board to help high school students get into four-year colleges and earn academic scholarships. It tests reading, writing, and math skills and What is a Good SAT Score.
Currently, it is administered seven times per year: March, May, June, August, October, November, and December. It is important to plan ahead and consider your testing schedule when registering for the SAT.
It’s also helpful to understand what the SAT measures so that you can prepare accordingly. The College Board has a FAQ page explaining the exam’s content, which includes the two main sections: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) and Mathematics.
EBRW asks questions about complex passages that require critical thinking and reading skills. It also assesses a student’s vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure.
What is a Good SAT Score?
A good SAT score is one that helps you get into the college of your choice. This is not just because of the standardized test’s overall score; it also depends on how well your scores align with the averages of your target universities.
A high SAT score is crucial for the application process because it can improve your chances of admission to selective colleges and open the door to merit aid at a vast majority of schools. Plus, it can save you money on college tuition and fees.
The SAT is an extensive standardized test with multiple choice and essay questions in math and reading/writing. SAT scores are graded on a point scale, with the highest possible score being 1600.
To get a good score, you should study hard and take the SAT at least twice — once during your junior year and again as a senior. You should also practice taking the SAT with an SAT tutoring service or practice test.
What is a Superscore?
A superscore is a combination of your best SAT section scores from two or more test dates. It’s a good way to show colleges that you’ve improved your test-taking skills and can meet their academic goals.
To calculate a superscore, you select your highest scores from each of the two primary sections—Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) and Math. For example, you could have a 1200 in EBRW and 650 in Math.
Colleges usually use your superscore to calculate your composite score. Alternatively, some schools will consider your single highest total score from any SAT or ACT test date.
In addition, many colleges give students the option of sending a score report from specific test sittings using the Score Choice method instead of reviewing all SAT score reports. However, it’s important to review a college’s score use policy before applying and send only those score reports that they accept.
What is a Benchmark Score?
A benchmark score is a standardized measure of your performance against other test-takers. It’s a guide to whether or not you’re on track for college readiness.
When a student’s section score meets or exceeds the benchmark, it indicates that they’re college and career ready. For example, if you score a 510 on Math or 460 on EBRW, it means that you have a 75% chance of earning at least a C in a first-semester credit-bearing college math course.
SAT score reports provide color-coded benchmarks for each of your section scores to help you gauge your future SAT performance. Green is for scores that meet or exceed the benchmark, yellow indicates that you were close to meeting it and are likely to improve within one year, and red signifies that your score will need significant growth to reach the benchmark.
Your SAT score will also come attached to a percentile ranking that’s based on the average scores of students who have taken the same SAT test in the past three graduating classes. This helps you quickly understand where your SAT score ranks against other test-takers.