SAT Percentiles: Understand Your Standing

SAT percentiles indicate the percentage of test takers you scored higher than. Use percentile context with score targets and GPA to guide admissions strategy.

Percentile Bands (Illustrative)

SAT ScoreApprox PercentileContext
1530–160099th+Top competitive
1400–152095th–98thHighly competitive
1230–139080th–94thCompetitive
1050–122060th–79thBroad-access

Planning with Percentiles

  • Compare your percentile to target colleges’ middle-50% ranges
  • Use percentile plus GPA/rigor to decide test submission
  • Focus prep on sections limiting percentile growth

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