Is 1270 a Good SAT Score?

A 1270 is good: the 82nd percentile of SAT takers. Here is what it means and what to do with it.

SAT score
1270
Percentile
82nd
Rating
Good
ACT equivalent
27

What a 1270 SAT score means

A 1270 is good. On College Board’s current tables it sits at the 82nd percentile of students who took the SAT, so you scored at or above roughly 82% of test-takers (top 18%). Measured against all US juniors and seniors, including those who never take the test, it is the 88th percentile. The national average total is about 1025, so a 1270 is 245 points above the average. On the official concordance it is equivalent to about a 27 composite on the ACT.

Which colleges a 1270 fits

Admissions readers compare your score with the middle-50% range of admitted students, published in each college’s Common Data Set. A 1270 is above the range at the majority of four-year colleges and inside the range at many large public universities such as Arizona State, Alabama, Iowa State and Oregon. 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 1270 breaks down

The total is the sum of two sections scored 200–800, so several combinations produce a 1270:

Reading and WritingMathTotal
6356351270
6855851270
5856851270

Colleges see both sections, and STEM programs in particular look at Math on its own, so a 1270 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 1270 takes roughly 41 of 54 correct in Reading and Writing and 32 of 44 in Math; try your own numbers in the score calculator.

Moving a 1270 up

The next band starts at 1300 (Very good), 30 points away. Near this part of the scale each extra correct answer is worth roughly 10–15 points, so that is about 2 more questions right, spread across both sections. At this level most remaining points come from eliminating careless errors and from the harder question types in each section; keep taking full official practice tests and review every miss. 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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1270 SAT score: frequently asked questions

Is 1270 a good SAT score?

A 1270 is good. It is at the 82nd percentile of SAT takers, meaning you scored at or above 82% of students who took the test, and above the national average and solid for most four-year colleges. Whether it is good enough depends on the middle-50% ranges at the colleges you are applying to.

What percentile is a 1270 SAT score?

82nd percentile among SAT takers (SAT User) and 88th among all US 11th and 12th graders (Nationally Representative), per College Board’s current tables.

What is a 1270 SAT score on the ACT?

A 1270 concords to an ACT composite of about 27 on the official ACT/College Board table.

How many questions do I need to get right for a 1270?

With balanced sections on the harder Module 2 path, roughly 41 of 54 in Reading and Writing and 32 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 1270 to 1300?

That is 30 points, which means about 2 more correct answers spread across the sections on the harder Module 2 path. The improvement guide explains where those points usually come from.