Anonymous
Post 04/30/2025 10:46     Subject: What’s considered the cutoff for a “good” SAT score these days?
Advice here? DD considering ED to Wash U. We went to admissions presentation and AO said don’t submit below 1500. DD has 1490 (twice!!). Will try one more time in June to get 10 more points but geez seems like unnecessary stress. Do you submit 1490 in this case?
Anonymous
Post 04/29/2025 17:15     Subject: What’s considered the cutoff for a “good” SAT score these days?
Son had a 1470, skewed very heavily toward reading, and got into an Ivy. He's very spiky in humanities and will clearly have no need in life to study math beyond the calculus he already took, so the school seemed to see a lower (but not terrible) math score as being just fine for him. Everyone is different in holistic admissions. (And no, no hooks.)
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2025 23:57     Subject: What’s considered the cutoff for a “good” SAT score these days?
1400+
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2025 19:53     Subject: What’s considered the cutoff for a “good” SAT score these days?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:There are only about 20 schools where the median SAT score is greater than 1500.


Between 30 and 40 schools. 10 SLACs and about 25 Universities

This is my source. What's yours?
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/slideshows/colleges-with-the-highest-sat-scores


Individual schools CDS or reporting. Pomona, Middlebury, and Colby are all 1500 or above (Colby self reported other 2 CDS) I am sure that I've missed others.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2025 19:48     Subject: What’s considered the cutoff for a “good” SAT score these days?
1550
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2025 19:43     Subject: What’s considered the cutoff for a “good” SAT score these days?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:As others have said, it is a part of a larger portfolio of work, so hard to pin it down to a specific number. But I would look at the CDS for the schools you're interested in and aim for the 25th percentile score as the floor of what you want to aim for. If going for merit aid at not-as-competitive schools, aim for the 75th percentile or better. Higher is better, to a point, but there's also a point of diminishing returns. The time spent moving a 1520 to a 1560 would be better spent on making sure grades are as high as possible, or, if that's covered, working at a job, serving the community, becoming a better human, working out, etc.


This is the answer. Also check whether the college reports its range as a total or separately by verbal/math. If the latter, you should use the separate scores for comparison, which often look quite different from the total.


The problem is that at test optional schools the scores are SO skewed.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2025 19:01     Subject: What’s considered the cutoff for a “good” SAT score these days?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I realize there are other attributes but 1560 earned a waitlist at UVA and NEU and denials from Penn and Harvard for HS class of 23. Rigor (9 APs, 2 DE but NO Lang or Lit) and GPA (3.98/4.5-FCPS) are more important.

Same. HS class of 2025, 1560, 12 AP/DE, 3.99 uw, waitlisted at Mich, Tufts, NEU, NYU, denied Brown Columbia BU UCs Georgetown USC.

I agree with the PP that a high score can help with merit offers, but at less selective schools.


I am following colleges and admissions pretty closely as I have a junior - this still made me say WTF. I’m sorry poster. I hope your kid was accepted to a school they like. There is no doubt they will be very successful!
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2025 17:58     Subject: What’s considered the cutoff for a “good” SAT score these days?
1400
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2025 17:58     Subject: What’s considered the cutoff for a “good” SAT score these days?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:There are only about 20 schools where the median SAT score is greater than 1500.


Between 30 and 40 schools. 10 SLACs and about 25 Universities

This is my source. What's yours?
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/slideshows/colleges-with-the-highest-sat-scores
Anonymous
Post 04/26/2025 19:52     Subject: What’s considered the cutoff for a “good” SAT score these days?
Anonymous wrote:First develop a list of schools your DC is interested in and look at the 50% (or 25-75%) SAT score they report on the Common Data Set. A “good” score is above that number.

Rule of thumb might be: anything above a 1500 is good for top schools. Anything above a 1400 is good for the next band.



Do you know the definition of cutoff?

1500 and above.

Fixed it for you.

Anonymous
Post 04/26/2025 18:33     Subject: What’s considered the cutoff for a “good” SAT score these days?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:There are only about 20 schools where the median SAT score is greater than 1500.


Between 30 and 40 schools. 10 SLACs and about 25 Universities
.


Are those numbers at test optional or test required schools?


It must be both. I don't think there are even 20 colleges in America that are test mandatory this year.
Anonymous
Post 04/26/2025 18:10     Subject: What’s considered the cutoff for a “good” SAT score these days?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:There are only about 20 schools where the median SAT score is greater than 1500.


Between 30 and 40 schools. 10 SLACs and about 25 Universities
.


Are those numbers at test optional or test required schools?
Anonymous
Post 04/26/2025 18:09     Subject: What’s considered the cutoff for a “good” SAT score these days?
Anonymous wrote:There are only about 20 schools where the median SAT score is greater than 1500.


Between 30 and 40 schools. 10 SLACs and about 25 Universities
.
Anonymous
Post 04/26/2025 10:45     Subject: What’s considered the cutoff for a “good” SAT score these days?
Anonymous wrote:Another thing to remember - test scores for admits to T20s in recent years have soared - why? Because the only kids submitting were the ones that did very well, so the "average" score results for admitted students was highly skewed. As more schools require standardized test scores again, those numbers should come back down over time.


Yes - this. With OP’s DC only being in 9th grade you have time to look at the median reporting SAT scores for class of ‘25 and ‘26 with a greater number of schools requiring scores that will provide a much better sense.
Anonymous
Post 04/26/2025 10:43     Subject: What’s considered the cutoff for a “good” SAT score these days?
First develop a list of schools your DC is interested in and look at the 50% (or 25-75%) SAT score they report on the Common Data Set. A “good” score is above that number.

Rule of thumb might be: anything above a 1500 is good for top schools. Anything above a 1400 is good for the next band.