SAT Scores that Colleges Require?

I'm definitely feeling the SAT pressure now, haha. Do most colleges require a specific SAT score or is it more like a range that they look at? Any insight will be appreciated. Not strictly looking for 'minimums', but a kind of score that will give me a fair shot at decent colleges.

Most colleges do not explicitly require a specific SAT score but they usually provide a range, often referred to as the 25th-75th percentile range. This range tells you the middle 50% of SAT scores from admitted students. For instance, if a college's 25th-75th percentile SAT range is 1300-1450, that means that 25% of admitted students scored below 1300, 25% scored above 1450, and the middle 50% of scores fell between 1300 and 1450.

It's helpful to aim for a score within or above this range to be competitive at a given college, but remember that standardized test scores are just one part of your application. Admissions officers also consider your GPA, classes you’ve taken, essays, recommendations, extracurriculars, and more.

For schools that have become test-optional, you can choose whether or not to submit your SAT/ACT scores. Some students opt not to if their score is lower than the average at their target schools, and they feel their other application components are strong.

Do remember though, with highly selective schools like Dartmouth, Harvard, Yale, UT Austin, and Caltech now requiring SAT/ACT scores again for the 2024-2025 application cycle, having a score to submit has regained its importance in the application process.

But don’t stress too much over this one factor! Every piece of your application plays a role in presenting you as a prospective student and while test scores are important, they're not the deciding factor.