Written by Chris Hernandez
One crucial aspect of preparing for the SAT is to establish a score target.
It is advisable to take the SAT and submit your score to your desired university. Despite the lack of compulsion due to COVID-19-related changes, having a strong SAT score may be the deciding factor for admission officers who receive thousands of applications. It allows them to compare you to other prospective students.
To ensure success in gaining admission to your preferred school, it is crucial to have a comprehensive understanding of the SAT exam and its scoring system. It is important to know what score is satisfactory for your academic goals and how to improve your score if necessary.
This article will provide an overview of the SAT exam and its scoring system, including percentile scores. Additionally, we will provide a list of schools that accept a score of 1200 and those where admission is most likely.
If your desired score is higher than 1200, we will also provide guidance on how to increase it. Take the first step towards achieving your academic goals and gaining admission to your dream school.
The scoring for the SAT exam is based on a 1600-point grading scale, which is divided into two sections â Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing.
Both of these sections are scored between 200 and 800, while the optional essay section is scored separately. Your score report is determined by the number of questions you answered correctly, and there is no penalty for incorrect answers. It is not possible to score zero in the exam.
The 2020 SAT Annual Report by the College Board disclosed that out of 2.2 million high school graduates who took the exam, the average composite score was 1051, with the average Reading & Writing score being 528 and the average Mathematics score being 523. However, it is not enough to just consider the average score.
Percentile scores are also important as they indicate how well a student performed compared to other test-takers on the same day.
For instance, scoring in the 90th percentile means that a student performed better than 90% of test-takers, while scoring in the 18th percentile means that a student only outperformed 18% of test-takers.
Therefore, percentile score is a better measure of a student's performance on the SAT exam. The table below provides an idea of what is considered great, good, and bad SAT scores. However, your chosen schoolâs requirements play a significant role.
 |
SAT COMPOSITE SCORE |
PERCENTILE SCORE |
---|---|---|
Great |
Between 1350 and 1600 |
Between 90th and 100th |
Good |
Between 1050 and 1350 |
Between 50th and 90th |
Bad |
Between 600 and 1050 |
Anything below 50th |
Although a score of 1200 puts you right in the middle between bad and great, youâll see on the following lists of schools and the average SAT scores of students they enrolled, your list of universities is limited. Improving by a small amount, even to just a 1300 SAT score, can have a solid impact.
Although some universities and colleges may require SAT scores above 1200, other factors such as impressive academic records, positive letters of recommendation, and involvement in sports and extracurricular activities can also contribute to gaining admission to these institutions.
The following institutions accept 1200 SAT scores, but based on the average acceptance scores you can see that the likelihood of admission is low. If your goal is to go to any of these schools, working to get a higher SAT score will improve your chances.
SCHOOL |
SAT Average |
Location |
1270 |
Oxford, Ohio |
|
1270 |
Davis, California |
|
1250 |
Tucson, Arizona |
|
1250 |
Hempstead, New York |
|
1250 |
Oxford, Ohio |
|
1245 |
Tempe, Arizona |
|
1240 |
Fort Worth, Texas |
|
1231 |
South Orange, New Jersey |
|
1230 |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
Getting into the following schools could also be challenging, especially those with average SAT scores exceeding 1220. If you can increase your SAT score, you will have a significantly better chance at getting accepted.
SCHOOL |
SAT Average |
Location |
1225 |
Houston, Texas |
|
1220 |
New York, New York |
|
1220 |
Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
|
1213 |
Washington, DC |
|
1210 |
East Lansing, Michigan |
|
1210 |
Norman, Oklahoma |
Having a 1200 SAT score puts you in a great position to be accepted to the following schools. It is very probable that you will be admitted if you apply. If you can increase your SAT score, the schools you can apply to as your 'safety' schools will become even more favorable.
SCHOOL |
SAT Average |
Location |
1180 |
Fort Collins, Colorado |
|
1174 |
Eugene, Oregon |
|
1170 |
Athens, Ohio |
|
1160 |
Denton, Texas |
|
1160 |
Boca Raton, Florida |
|
1145 |
San Jose, California |
|
1140 |
Normal, Illinois |
|
1125 |
Pullman, Washington |
|
1095 |
San Marcos, South Texas |
If you learn that your dream college requires a higher SAT score than what youâve achieved, donât give up. Improving your SAT score can be daunting, but it neednât feel like a mountain to climb. Amikka Learning will have your back. Their ultimate goal is to help their students get into their top universities. For this reason, Amikka offers 1-on-1 tutoring for a variety of courses.
Check out Amikkaâs website for a FREE TRIAL to help you prepare for the SAT, including hundreds of video lessons, practice tests and even one-on-one tutoring.
Amikka Learning's blog is a great source of knowledge about taking the exam again to get a better score, from advice and approaches to test organization and more.
The SAT is an exam that high schoolers take to demonstrate their academic abilities and decide if they are ready for college. It is a nationally recognized assessment, but the content and difficulty of the exam change from year to year, so adequate preparation for the three sectionsâReading, Writing & Language, and Math (No Calculator & Calculator)âis essential for a successful score.