Placement of a 1200 SAT score in 2024

I'm planning to take the SAT soon and aiming for a score around 1200. I was wondering what percentile a 1200 SAT score might fall into for the year 2024? It's kind of tough to gauge where I stand nationally with all the changes recently. If anyone has insights or resources that could give me an idea of how competitive that score might be for college admissions, please share. I'm trying to figure out what schools I should be focusing on. Thanks!

Hi there! A score of 1200 on the SAT generally corresponds to roughly the 74th percentile nationally. This means that if you score 1200, you've scored better than approximately 74% of test-takers nationwide.

As for how competitive that score may be for college admissions, it's important to note that different schools have varying SAT score expectations, associated largely with their selectivity and the competitiveness of their applicant pool. For instance, with a 1200 score, you will generally be competitive for many state schools and some private colleges. However, the most selective colleges often have a much higher SAT score range for admitted students, frequently in the range of 1400-1600.

That being said, the SAT score is just one component of your college application. While it can offer an indication of your academic readiness, schools also pay significant attention to your grades, course rigor, extra-curricular activities, essays, and letters of recommendation. So a slightly lower SAT score might not be a deal-breaker if other aspects of your application are strong.

You can also use resources like CollegeVine's College Search to identify schools whose accepted students had similar SAT scores. With a score of around 1200, you might want to focus on colleges where that score falls within the middle 50% for admitted students in terms of SAT scores. This will give you a high chance of admission based on the SAT score alone. Make sure to further research the other aspects of your college applications to make your overall profile as strong as possible! Good luck with your upcoming test!