Is 1450 a Good SAT Score?

A 1450 is excellent: the 95th percentile of SAT takers. Here is what it means and what to do with it.

SAT score
1450
Percentile
95th
Rating
Excellent
ACT equivalent
33

What a 1450 SAT score means

A 1450 is excellent. On College Board’s current tables it sits at the 95th percentile of students who took the SAT, so you scored at or above roughly 95% of test-takers (top 5%). Measured against all US juniors and seniors, including those who never take the test, it is the 99th percentile. The national average total is about 1025, so a 1450 is 425 points above the average. On the official concordance it is equivalent to about a 33 composite on the ACT.

Which colleges a 1450 fits

Admissions readers compare your score with the middle-50% range of admitted students, published in each college’s Common Data Set. A 1450 is at or just below the middle-50% range of the most selective universities, and comfortably above the range at excellent public flagships such as Michigan, Virginia, Georgia Tech and UCLA. 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 1450 breaks down

The total is the sum of two sections scored 200–800, so several combinations produce a 1450:

Reading and WritingMathTotal
7257251450
7756751450
6757751450

Colleges see both sections, and STEM programs in particular look at Math on its own, so a 1450 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 1450 takes roughly 48 of 54 correct in Reading and Writing and 39 of 44 in Math; try your own numbers in the score calculator.

Moving a 1450 up

The next band starts at 1500 (Exceptional), 50 points away. Near this part of the scale each extra correct answer is worth roughly 15–25 points, so that is about 3 more questions right, spread across both sections. At this level improvement is about consistency under time pressure: the remaining misses are usually careless rather than content gaps. 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.

More calculators & guides

Calculators & converters

Scores, guides & resources

1450 SAT score: frequently asked questions

Is 1450 a good SAT score?

A 1450 is excellent. It is at the 95th percentile of SAT takers, meaning you scored at or above 95% of students who took the test, and strong for selective universities and merit scholarships. Whether it is good enough depends on the middle-50% ranges at the colleges you are applying to.

What percentile is a 1450 SAT score?

95th percentile among SAT takers (SAT User) and 99th among all US 11th and 12th graders (Nationally Representative), per College Board’s current tables.

What is a 1450 SAT score on the ACT?

A 1450 concords to an ACT composite of about 33 on the official ACT/College Board table.

How many questions do I need to get right for a 1450?

With balanced sections on the harder Module 2 path, roughly 48 of 54 in Reading and Writing and 39 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 1450 to 1500?

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.