SAT Score Percentiles

October 25, 2018

Applying to a prestigious undergraduate program or university is chockfull of essential to-dos. Not only do you need to assemble your academic transcripts, in addition to your GPA and letters of recommendation, but a high SAT score is usually needed for admittance to elite schools. Frankly, sorting students out by their SAT (or ACT) scores is a way of organizing the thousands of applications schools receive every year. Can you imagine being on the admissions committee at a school like Harvard with all of the essays and transcripts you would have to look at? Just the thought is headache-worthy!

It's because of this organization of student scores that percentiles come into play as important factors in undergraduate admissions. For example, many universities and colleges will publish percentiles in the 25th and 75th categories. This article will explore percentiles in an effort to shed some light on a sometimes confusing topic. Hopefully, you will understand the way percentiles come into play with undergraduate admission and should you have a projected SAT score of your own handy you will probably be able to determine your own percentile.

Finally, we will also explore percentiles with particular schools in the 25th and 75th categories. Should any of these elite schools be on your list, you will see for yourself the type of competition you will be up against. Ready to learn more about this process? Hopefully, we break it down for you in an easily understood manner so you can absorb all that's necessary and then get back to your rigorous course of SAT study!

SAT Composite Percentiles

Most percentiles with the SAT are published or categorized in terms of a composite or total score. Below you will see score ranges in the left-hand column and then a percentile on the right. Again, this is utilizing the updated SAT scoring rubric, where a 1600 is considered a perfect score, so if you are starting at an older score with a very different range, you might want to convert that, which is easily done online. Take a look at these ranges and see where you might line up—or where you hope to line up when it comes time to send that application off in the mail. 

SAT Percentiles by EBRW & Math Sections

Sometimes schools will publish percentiles based on the EBRW and Math sections. Again, a composite or total score percentile is more common and streamlined, but if your undergraduate discipline requires more of a focus in math or verbal skills, then this may be of use to you. It never hurts to find out where we rest in terms of a percentile with each section. 

SAT Percentiles by School

This is probably the information you have been waiting for, as it reveals the 25th and 75th percentiles for each school. While there are many other schools that publish this information, these are just a handful and some of the more elite ones. Notice the acceptance rate is also included in this table, which sheds more light on the process and odds of acceptance as a whole. Is your school listed on here? If so, where do you line up in terms of a percentile? 

SAT Percentiles: The Takeaway

In the end, raising your percentile is dependent on a higher score. So instead of worrying about where you may line up in terms of a percentage, try instead to focus on effective test day strategies and techniques that will increase and expand your already impressive score. Below is a table featuring SAT section averages from 2014-2016. Ideally, you want to try to surpass these averages, as it will increase your chances of admission. 

Our advice? Study hard, stay the course, and don't forget that knowledge is power. Knowing your percentile and checking in with it every so often as you take mock SAT exams will help bring you insight and clarity into your path forward.