What is a "Good" Score?

This simple question isn't as easy to answer as you think.

On test day, know you’re being scored compared to everyone else in the same room and across the world. Photo by MChe Lee on Unsplash

What’s a good score on the SAT® or ACT®?

I’ve led hundreds of information sessions for high schoolers, parents, and counselors about testing and admissions. This question is always met with the kind of awkward silence that feels like someone is about to speak up. It should be simple to answer. The SAT is a on a 400-1600 scale, the ACT uses a 1-36, and college admissions offices tell students what scores their students submitted.

There is one obvious answer that breaks the silence. A 1600 or a 36 is a good score! But saying the perfect scores is a small joke. Not a funny joke, but a way to lighten the mood. Everyone knows a perfect score is a good score, but also that most students won’t come close to sniffing a perfect score.

Answers don’t come easy when anyone is faced with “What’s a good score on the SAT or ACT?” in a group setting. The answer is actually …