Is 1050 a Good SAT Score?

A 1050 is average: the 55th percentile of SAT takers. Here is what it means and what to do with it.

SAT score
1050
Percentile
55th
Rating
Average
ACT equivalent
20

What a 1050 SAT score means

A 1050 is average. On College Board’s current tables it sits at the 55th percentile of students who took the SAT, so you scored at or above roughly 55% of test-takers (top 45%). Measured against all US juniors and seniors, including those who never take the test, it is the 58th percentile. The national average total is about 1025, so a 1050 is 25 points above the average. On the official concordance it is equivalent to about a 20 composite on the ACT.

Which colleges a 1050 fits

Admissions readers compare your score with the middle-50% range of admitted students, published in each college’s Common Data Set. A 1050 is inside the range at many regional public universities and open-access four-year colleges, and below the range at most flagships. Ranges move a little each year, and a growing number of colleges are test-optional, so check each college’s current policy; the good-score guide lists sample ranges.

How a 1050 breaks down

The total is the sum of two sections scored 200–800, so several combinations produce a 1050:

Reading and WritingMathTotal
5255251050
5754751050
4755751050

Colleges see both sections, and STEM programs in particular look at Math on its own, so a 1050 built on a strong Math score reads differently from the same total the other way round. With balanced sections on the harder Module 2 path, a 1050 takes roughly 33 of 54 correct in Reading and Writing and 25 of 44 in Math; try your own numbers in the score calculator.

Moving a 1050 up

The next band starts at 1100 (Above average), 50 points away. Near this part of the scale each extra correct answer is worth roughly 10–15 points, so that is about 3 more questions right, spread across both sections. At this level the fastest gains usually come from the grammar rules in Reading and Writing and the core algebra in Math, and from being accurate on Module 1 so you are routed to the harder Module 2. See how to improve your SAT score, and remember that most colleges superscore, so a retake can target one section.

Nearby scores

Last updated September 2026. Percentiles from College Board’s current SAT User and Nationally Representative tables; ACT equivalents from the official 2018 concordance; college ranges approximate.

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1050 SAT score: frequently asked questions

Is 1050 a good SAT score?

A 1050 is average. It is at the 55th percentile of SAT takers, meaning you scored at or above 55% of students who took the test, and close to the national average of about 1025. Whether it is good enough depends on the middle-50% ranges at the colleges you are applying to.

What percentile is a 1050 SAT score?

55th percentile among SAT takers (SAT User) and 58th among all US 11th and 12th graders (Nationally Representative), per College Board’s current tables.

What is a 1050 SAT score on the ACT?

A 1050 concords to an ACT composite of about 20 on the official ACT/College Board table.

How many questions do I need to get right for a 1050?

With balanced sections on the harder Module 2 path, roughly 33 of 54 in Reading and Writing and 25 of 44 in Math. The exact count varies by test form and by which Module 2 you receive; use the calculator to try your own split.

How do I get from 1050 to 1100?

That is 50 points, which means about 3 more correct answers spread across the sections on the harder Module 2 path. The improvement guide explains where those points usually come from.