How to read your matches, and how to think about test scores in the wider college search.
What do Safety, Target, and Reach mean?
Every four-year college reports the SAT and ACT scores of its admitted students as a range: the 25th to the 75th percentile, which covers the middle half of the class. Safety means your score is at or above the 75th percentile, so you are stronger than most admitted students. Target means your score sits inside that middle-50% range. Reach means your score is below the 25th percentile, so admission is less likely but still realistic.
Does a Safety mean I will definitely get in?
No. Test scores are only one part of an application. Grades, essays, recommendations, extracurriculars, and a college's overall acceptance rate all matter. A Safety means your score is a strong point in your favor, not a guarantee. Always apply to a mix of Safety, Target, and Reach colleges.
How many colleges should I apply to from each category?
Most counselors recommend a balanced list of 7 to 12 colleges: roughly 2 to 3 reach schools, 3 to 5 target schools, and 2 to 3 safeties. The exact mix depends on how confident you are about admission and how many application fees you can afford.
Is my SAT or ACT score a good score?
The honest answer is "compared with what." A 1200 SAT sits above the U.S. average (about 1050) but below the typical range at the most selective colleges. The most useful benchmark is the range at the colleges you are actually interested in, which is exactly what the matches above show. Compare your score to those ranges, not to a national average.
SAT or ACT: which test should I take?
Colleges accept either. The two tests are similar in length and difficulty, with a few differences: the ACT is more time-pressured and includes a Science reasoning section. The SAT gives slightly more time per question and focuses on Reading & Writing and Math. Try a practice section of each, see which feels better, and put your effort into that one.
What does "test-optional" mean, and should I still submit my score?
Test-optional means a college lets you decide whether to send SAT or ACT scores, and not submitting will not count against you. A practical rule: if your score is at or above the 25th percentile (the bottom of the middle-50% range shown above), submitting usually helps. If it is well below, leave it off and let the rest of your application speak. The ranges in the table above reflect students who did submit, so use them as a guide.
Why don't I see every college?
This tool only lists colleges that report SAT or ACT score ranges to the federal government. Community colleges and other open-admission schools generally do not require test scores, so they will not appear here. Colleges where your score is far below the typical range are also left out, because they are not a realistic match.
Where does the score data come from?
The SAT and ACT ranges come from federal data that colleges report each year. SAT total figures combine the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section with the Math section on the 1600-point scale. Nothing here is estimated. See our
Data Sources page for the full list.
How often is the data updated?
Federal education datasets refresh on a yearly cycle. After each release we rebuild the site from the new files, so every range and result on this page moves to the latest published figures together.
