3 Important Aspects That Show You How to Determine SAT Score is High Enough
What is a Good SAT Score in 2024 Overall?An excellent SAT score in 2024 will get you into the universities you're applying to. That is, what you consider to be a "good" score will most likely differ from what another person considers to be a good score. For example, a good SAT score for someone who is not applying to competitive institutions will be lower than a good score for kids attempting to enter Ivy League schools.
Having stated that we may discuss what constitutes a "good" SAT score in general by examining national score averages. An excellent SAT score will exceed the national average SAT score.
We'll start by looking at the average SAT score for 2023. The average total SAT score for 2023 was 1023. If we split it down by part, the average Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (ERW) score was 520, while the average Math score was 510.
With that in mind, we may conclude that, based on previous years' trends, a decent SAT score in 2024 will most likely be close to a 1023.
Given that a good SAT score last year was 1023 or higher, what is a good SAT score for 2024? Typically, any score that places you in the top 50%, or top half, of SAT takers is considered "good." Your score improves when you score higher than the average! Scores lower than the national average SAT score, on the other hand, will make college applications less competitive.
1. Learn How to Use Percentiles to Determine Your Good SAT Score (2024)
Here's how you may use the average composite, or total, SAT score to compare your own SAT scores. If you achieved greater than the average SAT score of 1023, consider your score "good."
Percentiles can provide you with more information about how your scores compare to those of other test takers. Percentiles indicate what proportion of other test takers you scored the same as or higher than.
For example, suppose you take the SAT without studying and score in the 30th percentile. That indicates you outperformed 30% of the other exam takers. It also indicates you scored less than 1023, which is below average.
But suppose you study and use Masterclass Space's SAT Complete Online Prep classe by our SAT tutor in Singapore before your next SAT. This time, your score is in the 75th percentile! You now have a SAT score better than 75% of test takers, which is far above average!
To help you understand how to utilize percentiles to analyze your score, look at this chart showing the 2023 percentile scores for SAT takers:
| Percentile | EBRW | Math | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99th (Best) | 760 and above | 790 and above | 1530 and above | ||||
| 90th (Excellent) | 670-680 | 690 | 1350 | ||||
| 75th (Good) | 600-610 | 600 | 1200 and above | ||||
| 50th (Average) | 520-530 | 510-520 | 1050 and above | ||||
| 25th (Poor) | 440-450 | 430-440 | 870 | ||||
| 10th (Poorer) | 390-400 | 370-380 | 770 | ||||
| 1st (Poorest) | 330 and below | 310 and below | 670 and below |
As seen by the data above, a composite SAT score of 1350 or above places you in the 90th percentile, or top 10%, of test takers. In other words, you don't need a perfect 1600 to attain a high SAT score. Even if you only get 1350, you will be in a better percentile than most students!
If your composite score is 770, you'll be in the tenth percentile of test-takers. Unfortunately, the tenth percentile is regarded as very low. A 770 will only put you in the top 10% of test takers, which will not help your college applications.
But suppose you raise your score by 100 points, earning an 870 instead of a 770. While 100 points seem like a lot, it only gets you to the 25th percentile. That implies your score will remain below 75% of exam takers, placing you significantly below average.
Based on the SAT results for 2023, we may deduce that SAT scores in the 25th percentile or lower are not excellent scores.
2. What is a Good SAT Score for 2024 on the Digital SAT?
You now know what the average SAT score for 2023 test takers is. But what is a respectable SAT score in 2024, when the exam is all digital? At this stage, the College Board states that scoring will be the same on the digital SAT as it was on the paper and pencil SAT. That means that the digital SAT scores will be the same as the paper exam results. For example, a 1600 on the digital SAT will be identical to a 1600 on the paper SAT.
You may also compare your digital SAT results to those of other test takers using percentile statistics given by the College Board. For example, the College Board will continue to utilize a percentile range of one to 99 to assist students in understanding how their results relate to those of other test takers.
At this time, we do not know when the College Board will disclose its first wave of statistics on digital SAT score percentiles. We will find out later in 2024 how the College Board intends to distribute digitized SAT score data as a resource to test takers!
Finally, reviewing national percentiles will help you comprehend how your SAT scores relate to those of other recent test takers. However, as your ultimate objective is to get accepted to your best institutions, you should also examine how great your scores are for the schools you're applying to!
3. How Do Test-Optional Policies Influence What Is a Good SAT Score in 2024?
College admissions departments are increasingly using test-optional or test-blind policies, which means that test scores are not required as part of your application. But how do these exam restrictions affect you and your SAT scoring goals?
Test-optional colleges allow you to choose whether or not to submit your SAT results. Many institutions say that not submitting your scores would not jeopardize your chances of admission.
Test-blind institutions do not examine applicants' SAT/ACT results throughout the admissions process. If you submit your results, they will not be considered in your admissions decision.
The major impact of test optional and test blind rules on determining your SAT goal score is that they make it more difficult to discover current SAT score percentiles and averages for particular universities. Many colleges that employ test-optional or test-blind admissions no longer publicize their admitted students' SAT results. This might make it difficult to determine your desired SAT score.
However, test optional and test blind regulations do not apply to all areas of college admissions. In some circumstances, not having test scores available may place you in a tough position.
For example, while some colleges may not consider SAT scores when applying for admission, your departmental program may demand them. Test scores may also be used to determine whether students are excluded from entry-level courses, even in institutions that utilize test-optional or test-blind admissions. Furthermore, some scholarships use test results as part of the grant criterion.
That is why you should verify with your schools before selecting whether to take the SAT! You don't want to miss the exam only to discover that you need scores to get into your desired school or qualify for significant scholarships.
To understand more about these developments, check out our article on how test-optional rules impact the significance of SAT/ACT results in college admissions. Our SAT tutor in Singapore will teach you how to create SAT score targets if you're applying to colleges that do not need the SAT. Visit our page at www.masterclassspace.com.
