Question: My brother took the SAT a couple of years ago and was admitted to the state university. I want to know what are considered good scores on both the SAT and the ACT. -- Wondering
Answer: The experts at the Princeton Review on preparing students to take both the SAT and ACT have spelled out what good scores are. Of course, the higher your scores are, the better, because this opens the door to more selective schools and to possible scholarship money.
The national average score according to the Princeton Review on the SAT is 1500 (out of a possible 2400), and for the ACT, it's between 20 and 21 (out of a possible 36). If you are close to these scores, you will be admitted to a lot of colleges if you also have good grades. Scores below an 1100 on the SAT or 15 on the ACT are considered low at most four-year colleges.
It's very easy to see if you have received a score on either test that may lead to admission to a specific college. Almost every college will publish admission data on test scores of the previous year's freshman class. You can check out the range of scores on college websites.
There is almost always room for improving your scores. Students who prepare adequately and retake these tests typically receive higher scores.