SAT Percentile Calculator

Understanding SAT Percentiles

Your SAT percentile rank tells you the percentage of test-takers who scored lower than or equal to you. For example, if you are in the 75th percentile, you scored better than 75% of all students who took the SAT. This is a more meaningful way to understand your score than the raw number alone.

Percentiles are calculated using data from the entire population of test-takers for a given year. The College Board publishes updated percentile tables annually based on the most recent testing cohort.

What is a "Good" Percentile?

"Good" is relative to your college goals. A score in the 50th percentile means you are exactly average — not bad, but not standing out either. Here are benchmarks for different admissions levels:

• 99th Percentile (1520+): Top tier. Competitive for Ivy League and the most highly selective universities (Harvard, MIT, Stanford, etc.).
• 90th Percentile (1350+): Excellent. Competitive for most top-50 universities, strong for merit scholarships.
• 75th Percentile (1200+): Strong. Above average and solid for many state flagship universities and competitive four-year colleges.
• 50th Percentile (~1050): Average. Exactly in the middle of the national distribution. Sufficient for many open-admission and moderately selective colleges.
• 25th Percentile (~900): Below average. May limit options at four-year institutions but does not preclude admission to many colleges.

SAT Score Percentile Chart (2025-2026 Estimates)

Percentiles are based on the latest available College Board data for college-bound seniors and may vary slightly year to year.

How Percentiles Are Calculated

The College Board calculates percentile ranks using data from the entire cohort of SAT test-takers in a given year. There are two types of percentiles reported:

• Nationally Representative Sample Percentile: Based on a sample designed to represent all US students, including those who did not take the SAT. This tends to show higher percentiles for the same score.
• SAT User Percentile: Based only on students who actually took the SAT. This is the more commonly referenced figure and the one shown in the table above.

Both percentiles appear on your score report. The SAT User Percentile is more useful for college admissions context because it compares you to other applicants who are actually submitting test scores.

Section-Level Percentiles

In addition to your total score percentile, the College Board provides separate percentiles for each section. This can reveal important imbalances:

If your section percentiles are significantly different (for example, 95th in Reading but 70th in Math), it highlights a clear area for improvement. Raising your weaker section is typically the fastest way to increase your total score and overall percentile.

Using Percentiles for College Planning

Percentiles are valuable for setting realistic college targets. Most colleges publish the middle 50% range of admitted students' SAT scores. For example, if a school's middle 50% range is 1350-1500:

• Scoring above 1500 puts you in the top 25% of admitted students — a strong position.
• Scoring 1350-1500 means you are in the typical range — competitive but not a standout on scores alone.
• Scoring below 1350 means you are in the bottom 25% of admits — your application will need to be strong in other areas (GPA, essays, extracurriculars).

Frequently Asked Questions