What is a good SAT score? Part I.

This question has many answers. The 'score' question is one of the main questions I get asked by parents of juniors who are about to take the SAT for the first time, or college-bound seniors who are deep in the college admissions process. 
 
This is a tough question to answer because there are a lot of factors that come into play, and it’s a bit subjective. Most parents and students are less worried about the actual score itself, but more so about what that score means in context of their / their child’s chance at admission to certain colleges. Even though there is no cut-and-dried answer, we have data available to help give us some context.
 
We combed through the 2018 college admissions data from the College Board and did some calculations: The majority of students (over 75%) admitted to Ivy League colleges scored above a 1400 (out of 1600 total) on the SAT exam. This year’s average at Yale specifically, is a 1510. Harvard is 1520. The average SAT score at Caltech this year is a 1560. At USC, it's 1450. Stanford is 1500. San Diego State is 1110.
 
What about the UCs?
UC Berkeley: 1450
UC Davis: 1250
UC Irvine: 1250
UCLA: 1350
UC Merced: 1100
UC Riverside: 1100
UC San Diego: 1320
UC Santa Barbara: 1350
UC Santa Cruz: 1180
 
Remember, while SAT (or ACT) scores are a big part of the college admissions process, they are not the only part of it. GPA, work / internship experience, volunteer experience, sports and other extracurricular activities all play a huge part as well. Also, some schools like The University of Chicago are starting to do away with the SAT / ACT exam criteria for admissions decisions.
 
If you’re interested in our Admissions Consulting services, click here for more information. Click here for more information on our different SAT Prep packages. Let's get to work!
 
“Mora, what about ACT scores?”, you ask. I got you! Stay tuned for Part II, coming later this week.
 
-M

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