Average SAT Scores

College Admissions

What is the National Average SAT Scores?

When we talk about the national average SAT scores, there are two different groups we discuss. One is called that Nationally Representative Sample and the other is the SAT User Percentiles.

So what’s the difference?

The Nationally Representative Sample is the average for all juniors and seniors who take the SAT. SAT User Percentiles are the averages for college-bound students who typically take the SAT for the last time as juniors or seniors. With these differences in mind, let’s look at the variances.

The average SAT score from Nationally Representative Sample is 1020. And the average for the SAT User Percentiles is 1083. If you’re pulling in a score of 1100 or more then you’re well above the national average for SAT scores.

Because the College Board is very fixated on collecting data for its research purposes, you can look at the data on test-takers in multiple ways. I’ve included some of my favorites below.

What are the Average SAT Scores by Gender?

Up for a little battle of the sexes? Check out the table below for who scored better.

Gender	Total
Male	1110
Female	1080

What are the Average SAT Scores by Ethnicity?

When you fill out information at the beginning of the SAT, you fill out information used by College Board for research purposes and one of the things they examine is how each ethnic group performs. If you’ve been wondering how well you do compared to the rest of your group or you’re simply curious to see who performs the best, just take a look at the table below.

Ethnicity	Total
American Indian or Alaska Native	1020
Asian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander	1200
Black or African American	940
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander	960
Hispanic, Latino, or Latin American	990
White	1140
Two or More Races, non-Hispanic	1090
Other	1090
No Response	1030

What are the Average SAT Scores by State?

Curious about how your score stacks up against the average SAT scores for your state? Find your state on the table below and see how you rank.

State	Total
Alabama	1190
Alaska	1040
Arizona	1140
Arkansas	1210
California	1080
Colorado	1250
Connecticut	1090
Delaware	1000
District of Columbia	950
Florida	1040
Georgia	1070
Hawaii	1080
Idaho	1000
Illinois	1300
Indiana	1070
Iowa	1280
Kansas	1270
Kentucky	1280
Louisiana	1240
Maine	1050
Maryland	1070
Massachusetts	1120
Michigan	1270
Minnesota	1300
Mississippi	1260
Missouri	1290
Montana	1200
Nebraska	1260
Nevada	1100
New Hampshire	1140
New Jersey	1090
New Mexico	1170
New York	1070
North Carolina	1090
North Dakota	1250
Ohio	1190
Oklahoma	1230
Oregon	1120
Pennsylvania	1090
Rhode Island	1070
South Carolina	1060
South Dakota	1240
Tennessee	1250
Texas	1020
Utah	1230
Vermont	1120
Virginia	1120
Washington	1090
West Virginia	1120
Wisconsin	1290
Wyoming	1280

(via College Board)

Which Average SAT Scores Matter?

So now that you’ve glanced over all this data, you’re probably wondering which of theseaverage SAT scores actually matter to you? The honest answer is: none of the ones I’ve shown you today. Because while these numbers are fascinating to look at and kind of a nice ego boost, the SAT scores you really need to pay attention to are the ones from the colleges you’re looking to apply to. Specifically, you need to look at the average SAT scores for the students that have been accepted into the schools you’re looking at and use them as your guide.

How to Get Your Best SAT Score

You know now which SAT scores really matter when you’re applying to colleges. If you’ve looked and now realize you need to improve your score ASAP, I’m providing my three best tips for improving your SAT score.

Find a Tutor

To really get the most out of your SAT prep, you need to find a tutor to work with. The reason I suggest working with tutors is you can learn their tips and tricks for getting the highest score possible and because you’ll actually perform better on the SAT due to the personalized study sessions. I love a good test prep book as much as the next person, but using it with a tutor will improve your knowledge base of the exam. Make sure your tutor took home a top score of the SAT before you agree to work with them. Work with the best so you can be the best.

Analyze Your Mistakes….A Lot.

When you’re taking a practice SAT test, mark which questions you feel uncertain about answering correctly. This way you can check to see if your uncertainty was valid or just test nerves when you’re going back to score yourself. For the questions you answered incorrectly, write them down along with the correct answer in a notebook and apply the 5 Whys Technique to get to the root of why these questions are challenging you. Do this every time and look for patterns so you can see where you need to improve. Coordinate your findings with your tutor to really go the extra mile and improve your score.

Use Awesome Study Habits.

Studying for the SAT is time-consuming and you’re a busy person. Because of this, you need to make sure you schedule when you are going to study, hold yourself accountable, and set realistic expectations for yourself. Don’t plan to study for 80 hours a week if you spend at least 35 hours at school. Also trying to cram that much studying into a week will leave you frustrated and not encourage you to study at all. Be consistent and eliminate distractions by working in a quiet area. That means no phone, no music, and no friends. It doesn’t make sense to study with these things, because they will not be available on test day.

Knowing the average SAT scores for your gender, ethnicity, and state are fascinating, but the average scores you really need to pay attention to require a little research from you. That’s because you need the average SAT scores for the schools you’re applying to. Use them as your goal when you’re studying to increase your competitive edge come application time.

What are your thoughts on the SAT? Share them with us in the comments section below.

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