Do you know what SAT percentiles are? Do you wish to understand them so that you can come up with an excellent target score? If you recently sat for the SAT, you might want to understand the SAT score percentiles to decide if you will retake the test. 

Understanding the percentiles is also vital in helping you maximize your study time. Engaging with experienced SAT tutors can significantly enhance your understanding and performance in these critical areas.You may also want to understand the types of SAT scores and which ones are important for you if you are aiming for the perfect score on the SAT

Getting a high percentile in the SAT is not easy. In this post, we recommend the best prep book that you can use to ace the test. 


What Are SAT Percentiles? 

Apart from looking at your overall SAT score, you can also look at your SAT percentiles to evaluate your performance. The SAT scores percentiles show the number of people who did the test and scored lower or higher than you.

In the SAT scores, the higher the numbers, the better your performance. The same applies to the percentiles where higher numbers indicate you had a better performance. 

The ranking of percentiles for SAT scores ranges from 1 to 99. You will receive a ranking for the overall SAT score and two sections, including Math, Evidence-Based Reading, and Writing. 

Your percentile is an indication of how best your performance is compared to other test-takers. 

For instance, if you get a composite percentile score of 90, it means only 9% of other test-takers performed better than you. If your percentile score is in the 30th percentile, 30% of other students who took the test would have lower scores. On the other hand, 70% of students got a higher score than you. 

If you get 51st percentile in the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, you will have performed better than 51% of the other test-takers. 

Note, your percentiles for SAT are not an indication of your score on a grade out of 100. For instance, if you are in the 76th percentile, it doesn’t mean that you got 76% of the questions correct. It means you performed better than 76% of the other students who took the test. 

Are percentiles important in looking for your desired college?

You should put the effort in preparation for the test to ensure both your SAT scores and percentiles are high. Here are our reviews of the best prep courses that could help raise your score. 

Colleges and universities will compare your percentile with that of other students to decide on your admission. 

If you are in the 90th percentile, you are better positioned to get admission as you performed better than 90% of other test-takers. 

What Are the Percentile Ranges for the SAT?

Percentile scores are just as important as the overall composite scores. 

If you are taking the SAT or wish to retake it, which composite score should you aim to get the percentile you want? 

The College Board releases composite scores with matching percentiles so that you can figure out your score. The percentiles in the SAT percentiles chart give two digits of precision. 

For instance, you will get that people with a composite score ranging from 1510 to 1600 are in the 99th percentile. 

Also, the percentiles change fast with the middle scores. For example, for the composite score between 1450 to 1600, the percentiles’ difference is 4 points from 96 to 99. But, the difference between 1100 to 1250 composite scores ranges from 58 to 81 percentiles. So, check out here if 1100 SAT score should be enough for most parts.

Even in the subject test percentiles, there is a dramatic change in the percentile ranks towards the middle scores. For instance, a 500 score in the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing is 39%. On the other hand, a 600 score is 73%. Thus, with the right strategies and smart studying, you can achieve 100 points that can affect your SAT subject test percentiles dramatically. 

Also, note that if you want to get the same percentile in both Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, you’ll have to work harder in math.

For example, a 750 score is in the 99th percentile in EBRW but in the 96th percentile in math. 

As it is evident, the two-digit percentile is not very precise. It doesn’t contain decimals or fractions. 

The following is a table with some samples of 6-digits high precision percentiles:

Old SAT ScoreNew SAT ScorePercentile
2400160099.9826
2390160099.9581
2380159099.9411
2370159099.9157
2360159099.8801
2350158099.8413
2340158099.7950
2330157099.7354
2320157099.6664
2310156099.5923
2300156099.5141
2290152799.4276
2280155099.3395
2270155099.2459
2260154099.1397
2250154099.0273
2240153098.9104
2230153098.7855
2220152098.6515
2210152098.5063
2200151098.3528
2190151098.1924
2180151098.0238
2170150097.8469
2160150097.6597
2150149097.4642
2140149097.2555
2130148097.0358
2120148096.8045
2110147096.5559
2100147096.2958
2090146096.0276
2080145095.7529
2070145095.4650
2060144095.1588
2050144094.8398
2040143094.5099
2030143094.1634
2020142093.7955
2010141093.4120
2000141093.0201
1990140092.6195
1980140092.2101
1970139091.7854
1960138091.3402
1950138090.8779
1940138090.3975
1930137089.9012
1920136089.3846
1910135088.8429
1900135088.2867
1890134087.7155
1880134087.1305
1870133086.5287
1860132085.9086
1850132085.2697
1840131084.6085
1830130083.2498
1820130083.2498
1810129082.5362
1800129081.7995
1790128081.0451
1780127080.2791
1770127079.4952
1760126078.6945
1750125077.8770
1740125077.0333
1730124076.1735
1720123075.3036
1710123074.4108
1700122073.4994
1690121072.5711
1680121071.6280
1670120070.6719
1660120069.7021
1650119068.7169

Methodology: How Did We Calculate These High-Precision SAT Percentiles?

In calculating the new SAT score percentiles, we used the exact number of students who got a particular score and not an estimate. The precise number of test-takers was then summed with data from the College Board. 

With this percentile, a 400 score doesn’t correspond to a 0.0000 percentile; neither does 1600 correspond to 100.0000 percentile. 

Do SAT Percentiles Change From Year to Year?

There are no new SAT score percentiles every year. The last time the College Board released charts with details of the exact numbers of students who did the SAT was 2015. 

Since the SAT subject tests scores percentiles don’t change much from year to year, you can use 2013, 2014, and 2015. 

It is also essential to note that the SAT underwent a significant shift in 2016. The shifting was from the old SAT with 2400 as the top score in the scale to the new SAT with 1600 as the top score. 

Throughout the years, the SAT percentiles haven’t undergone much change, and you can still use the high percentile table to estimate your target percentile. 

How Can Knowing Your SAT Percentile Help You?

The SAT is vital in your college or university admission. Therefore, making an effort to increase your ranking is essential.

Your percentile ranking puts you in a competitive position, especially when you want admission in top colleges. Sometimes, all you need is an effort to improve your composite SAT score to increase your percentile ranking.

Some schools also have their score range for admission. Being able to calculate your percentile will help you target your college of choice. 

If you have already taken the SAT and you wish to retake it, your percentile ranking can come in handy. For instance, assuming you had a score of 620 in maths and 700 in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing. The 620 composite scores will put you in the 79th SAT math percentiles, while the EBRW will be in the 94th percentile.

If you put effort and increase your composite math score with 100 points, which is possible, you will go to a 720 score, which is the 94th percentile. Therefore, during your retake, you can concentrate on math, and you will be more competitive. 

What is a Good Score Percentile For SAT in 2020? 

The best score is one that will allow you to get admission to your college of choice. Ordinarily, a good score should put you on the upper half of all the students who sat for the test. 

For instance, the College Board puts the average composite score for 2019 at 1059. A good score should, therefore, put you above the average 1059. 

Let’s have a look at the following table to see what would be considered a good score. The table is prepared using data from the 2019 percentile. 

PercentileEBRWMathTOTAL
99th (Best)750 and above790 and above1510 and above
90th (Excellent)670680-6901340
75th (Good)6106001200-1210
50th (Average)530520*1050-1060
25th (Poor)460*450*910
10th (Poorer)400380-390800
1st (Poorest)330 and below310 and below680 and below

With this data, if you get a 910 score, you will have a poor score as you will have 85% of other students who have performed better than you.

At the same time, you may not need to get the 1600 perfect score. With 1340, you have an excellent score, and you are ahead of 90% of your competitors.

Final Thoughts  

Percentiles, whether they are the SAT essay score percentiles or the overall percentile, are vital when you are preparing for your SAT, or you wish to retake. The higher the percentile number, the more competitive you are, and the better your chances of getting admission to a college of choice. You should strive to be in the top percentile so that you will be among the best. 

Getting a high percentile in the SAT is not easy, but it’s certainly achievable with the right tools and guidance. In this post, we have recommended the best prep book to help you ace the test. Additionally, for personalized and effective preparation, consider exploring Learner, an online tutoring company known for tailor-matching students with world-class tutors. With resources like Prep Expert‘s comprehensive SAT courses and Learner’s expert tutoring, you’re well-equipped to achieve your SAT goals

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Drawing on her experience as a middle and high school teacher, Margaret Lipman strives to provide valuable insights for students when writing about scholarships and college application strategies in her articles for Scholarship Institute.

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