good sat essay score college

SAT Essay Scores Explained

On january 19th, 2021, college board announced that they will no longer administer the sat subject tests in the u.s. and that the essay would be retired. read our blog post  to understand what this means in the near term and what the college board has in store for students down the road., our articles on subject tests and the sat essay will remain on our site for reference purposes as colleges and students transition to a revised testing landscape..

Why are there no percentiles for the essay on an SAT score report?

No percentiles or norms are provided in student reports. Even colleges do not receive any summary statistics. Given Compass’ concerns about the inaccuracy of essay scoring and the notable failures of the ACT on that front, the de-emphasis of norms would seem to be a good thing. The problem is that 10% of colleges are sticking with the SAT Essay as an admission requirement . While those colleges will not receive score distribution reports from the College Board, it is not difficult for them to construct their own statistics—officially or unofficially—based on thousands of applicants. Colleges can determine a “good score,” but students cannot. This asymmetry of information is harmful to students, as they are left to speculate how well they have performed and how their scores will be interpreted. Through our analysis, Compass hopes to provide students and parents more context for evaluating SAT Essay scores.

How has scoring changed? Is it still part of a student’s Total Score?

On the old SAT, the essay was a required component of the Writing section and made up approximately one-third of a student’s 200–800 score. The essay score itself was simply the sum (2–12) of two readers’ 1–6 scores. Readers were expected to grade holistically and not to focus on individual components of the writing. The SAT essay came under a great deal of criticism for being too loosely structured. Factual accuracy was not required; it was not that difficult to make pre-fabricated material fit the prompt; many colleges found the 2–12 essay scores of little use; and the conflation of the essay and “Writing” was, in some cases, blocking the use of the SAT Writing score—which included grammar and usage—entirely.

With the 2016 overhaul of the SAT came an attempt to make the essay more academically defensible while also making it optional (as the ACT essay had long been). The essay score is not a part of the 400–1600 score. Instead, a student opting to take the SAT Essay receives 2–8 scores in three dimensions: reading, analysis, and writing. No equating or fancy lookup table is involved. The scores are simply the sum of two readers’ 1–4 ratings in each dimension. There is no official totaling or averaging of scores, although colleges may choose to do so.

Readers avoid extremes

What is almost universally true about grading of standardized test essays is that readers gravitate to the middle of the scale. The default instinct is to nudge a score above or below a perceived cutoff or midpoint rather than to evenly distribute scores. When the only options are 1, 2, 3, or 4, the consequence is predictable—readers give out a lot of 2s and 3s and very few 1s and 4s. In fact, our analysis shows that 80% of all reader scores are 2s or 3s. This, in turn, means that most of the dimension scores (the sum of the two readers) range from 4 to 6. Analysis scores are outliers. A third of readers give essays a 1 in Analysis. Below is the distribution of reader scores across all dimensions.

What is a good SAT Essay score?

By combining multiple data sources—including extensive College Board scoring information—Compass has estimated the mean and mode (most common) essay scores for students at various score levels. We also found that the reading and writing dimensions were similar, while analysis scores lagged by a point across all sub-groups. These figures should not be viewed as cutoffs for “good” scores. The loose correlation of essay score to Total Score and the high standard deviation of essay scores means that students at all levels see wide variation of scores. The average essay-taking student scores a 1,080 on the SAT and receives just under a 5/4/5.

College Board recently released essay results for the class of 2017, so score distributions are now available. From these, percentiles can also be calculated. We provide these figures with mixed feelings. On the one hand, percentile scores on such an imperfect measure can be highly misleading. On the other hand, we feel that students should understand the full workings of essay scores.

The role of luck

What is frustrating to many students on the SAT and ACT is that they can score 98th percentile in most areas and then get a “middling” score on the essay. This result is actually quite predictable. Whereas math and verbal scores are the result of dozens of objective questions, the essay is a single question graded subjectively. To replace statistical concepts with a colloquial one—far more “luck” is involved than on the multiple-choice sections. What text is used in the essay stimulus? How well will the student respond to the style and subject matter? Which of the hundreds of readers were assigned to grade the student’s essay? What other essays has the reader recently scored?

Even good writers run into the unpredictability involved and the fact that essay readers give so few high scores. A 5 means that the Readers A and B gave the essay a 2 and a 3, respectively. Which reader was “right?” If the essay had encountered two readers like Reader A, it would have received a 4. If the essay had been given two readers like Reader B, it would have received a 6. That swing makes a large difference if we judge scores exclusively by percentiles, but essay scores are simply too blurry to make such cut-and-dry distinctions. More than 80% of students receive one of three scores—4, 5, or 6 on the reading and writing dimensions and 3, 4, or 5 on analysis.

What do colleges expect?

It’s unlikely that many colleges will release a breakdown of essay scores for admitted students—especially since so few are requiring it. What we know from experience with the ACT , though, is that even at the most competitive schools in the country, the 25th–75th percentile scores of admitted students were 8–10 on the ACT’s old 2–12 score range. We expect that things will play out similarly for the SAT and that most students admitted to highly selective colleges will have domain scores in the 5–7 range (possibly closer to 4–6 for analysis). It’s even less likely for students to average a high score across all three areas than it is to obtain a single high mark. We estimate that only a fraction of a percent of students will average an 8—for example [8/8/8, 7/8/8, 8/7/8, or 8,8,7].

Update as of October 2017. The University of California system has published the 25th–75th percentile ranges for enrolled students. It has chosen to work with total scores. The highest ranges—including those at UCLA and Berkeley—are 17–20. Those scores are inline with our estimates above.

How will colleges use the domain scores?

Colleges have been given no guidance by College Board on how to use essay scores for admission. Will they sum the scores? Will they average them? Will they value certain areas over others? Chances are that if you are worrying too much about those questions, then you are likely losing sight of the bigger picture. We know of no cases where admission committees will make formulaic use of essay scores. The scores are a very small, very error-prone part of a student’s testing portfolio.

How low is too low?

Are 3s and 4s, then, low enough that an otherwise high-scoring student should retest? There is no one-size-fits-all answer to that question. In general, it is a mistake to retest solely to improve an essay score unless a student is confident that the SAT Total Score can be maintained or improved. A student with a 1340 PSAT and 1280 SAT may feel that it is worthwhile to bring up low essay scores because she has previously shown that she can do better on the Evidence-based Reading and Writing and Math, as well. A student with a 1400 PSAT and 1540 SAT should think long and hard before committing to a retest. Admission results from the class of 2017 may give us some added insight into the use of SAT Essay scores.

Will colleges continue to require the SAT Essay?

For the class of 2017, Compass has prepared a list of the SAT Essay and ACT Writing policies for 360 of the top colleges . Several of the largest and most prestigious public university systems—California, Michigan, and Texas, for example, still require the essay, and a number of highly competitive private colleges do the same—for example, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford.

The number of excellent colleges not requiring the SAT Essay, though, is long and getting longer. Compass expects even more colleges to drop the essay requirement for the classes of 2018 and 2019. Policies are typically finalized in late spring or during the summer.

Should I skip the essay entirely?

A common question regarding SAT scores is whether the whole mess can be avoided by skipping the essay. After all, if only about 10% of colleges are requiring the section, is it really that important? Despite serious misgivings about the test and the ways scores are interpreted, Compass still recommends that most students take the essay unless they are certain that they will not be applying to any of the colleges requiring or recommending it. Nationally, about 70% of students choose to take the essay on at least one SAT administration. When looking at higher scoring segments, that quickly rises to 85–90%. Almost all Compass students take the SAT Essay at least once to insure that they do not miss out on educational opportunities.

Should I prepare for the SAT Essay?

Most Compass students decide to do some preparation for the essay, because taking any part of a test “cold” can be an unpleasant experience, and students want to avoid feeling like a retake is necessary. In addition to practicing exercises and tests, most students can perform well enough on the SAT Essay after 1–2 hours of tutoring. Students taking a Compass practice SAT will also receive a scored essay. Students interested in essay writing tips for the SAT can refer to Compass blog posts on the difference between the ACT and SAT tasks  and the use of first person on the essays .

Will I be able to see my essay?

Yes. ACT makes it difficult to obtain a copy of your Writing essay, but College Board includes it as part of your online report.

Will colleges have access to my essay? Even if they don’t require it?

Yes, colleges are provided with student essays. We know of very few circumstances where SAT Essay reading is regularly conducted. Colleges that do not require the SAT Essay fall into the “consider” and “do not consider” camps. Schools do not always list this policy on their website or in their application materials, so it is hard to have a comprehensive list. We recommend contacting colleges for more information. In general, the essay will have little to no impact at colleges that do not require or recommend it.

Is the SAT Essay a reason to take the ACT instead?

Almost all colleges that require the SAT Essay require Writing for ACT-takers. The essays are very different on the two tests, but neither can be said to be universally “easier” or “harder.” Compass recommends that the primary sections of the tests determine your planning. Compass’ content experts have also written a piece on how to attack the ACT essay .

Key links in this post:

ACT and SAT essay requirements ACT Writing scores explained Comparing ACT and SAT essay tasks The use of first person in ACT and SAT essays Understanding the “audience and purpose” of the ACT essay Compass proctored practice testing for the ACT, SAT, and Subject Tests

About Art Sawyer

Art graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, where he was the top-ranked liberal arts student in his class. Art pioneered the one-on-one approach to test prep in California in 1989 and co-founded Compass Education Group in 2004 in order to bring the best ideas and tutors into students' homes and computers. Although he has attained perfect scores on all flavors of the SAT and ACT, he is routinely beaten in backgammon.

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Hi! I’m a high school junior who took the October and November SATs. I got a 1500 on October and then retook it to get a 1590 in November. I’m very happy with my score, but my essays are troubling me. I got a 6-4-6 in October and thought I would improve in November, but I got a 6-3-6. I really cannot improve my actual SAT score, but I don’t understand the essay. I’ve always been a good writer and have consistently been praised for it in English class and outside of class. Is this essay score indicative of my writing skill? And will this essay hurt my chances at Ivy League and other top tier schools? None of the schools I plan on applying to require it, but, since I have to submit it, will it hurt my chances? Thank you so much.

Maya, The essay is becoming increasingly irrelevant. Honestly, a 6-4-6 is a fine score and will not hurt your chances for admission. It’s something of an odd writing task, so I wouldn’t worry that it doesn’t match your writing skills elsewhere.

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By submitting my email address. i certify that i am 13 years of age or older, agree to recieve marketing email messages from the princeton review, and agree to terms of use., 5 sat essay tips for a great score.

Thinking about tackling the SAT Essay? Here's what you need to know: you'll be asked to read a text (typically a speech or editorial of some sort) and discuss how the author effectively builds an argument. This might be a familiar task if you’ve done it in school, but if not, don’t worry. The format is straightforward, and with some practice, you can learn how to write a great SAT essay.

What is the SAT essay?

The SAT essay is optional and costs an additional fee of $17.00. Currently, only 25 colleges and universities require the SAT essay. You can find a searchable list of school requirements for the essay here . If there is any chance that you might apply to one of those schools, you should sign up for the essay. If you are not sure where you will apply, you should strongly consider signing up for the essay. Your essay score will appear on every score report you send to colleges, regardless of whether or not the school requires an essay. 

Here are 5 tips for writing a killer SAT essay, should you decide to add on that section:

1. Stay Objective

The thing to remember here is that ETS (the company that writes the test) is not asking you for your opinion on a topic or a text. So be sure to maintain formal style and an objective tone. Tip: Avoid “I” and “you.

2. Keep It Tidy

Handwriting is becoming a lost art. Unfortunately, this is one occasion where your skill with a pencil matters. Graders read tons of essays each day. If they cannot decipher your script, they will lower your score. Do yourself a favor and write legibly.

3. (Indented) Paragraphs Are Your Friend

Remember the basic essay structure you learned in school: introductory paragraph, body paragraphs and a conclusion? The SAT essay graders love it! Your introduction should describe the text and paraphrase the argument being made, as well as introduce the specific elements of the passage and argument that you will discuss in the essay. Your conclusion should restate the goal of the passage/argument and sum up the points you made.

Read More: SAT Tips and Strategies

4. For Example…

Use your body paragraphs to back up your thesis statement by citing specific examples. Use short, relevant quotes from the text to support your points.

5. Don't Worry About the Exact Terms for Things

Blanking on terminology? When describing how the author builds his or her argument, “appeal to the emotions” is fine instead of specifically referencing “pathos.” And “comparison of two things” can be used instead of referring to a metaphor. If you do know the official terms, though, feel free to use them!

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What Is a Good SAT Essay Score?

To Get a Good SAT Essay Score, Get the Purpose of the Essay

When the new SAT was released a few years ago, the essay became an optional element of the test. Many colleges don’t require it for admissions, as it’s unclear if the essay measures something meaningful to a student’s application.

Nevertheless, if a school requires the SAT essay, you need to know how it’s scored and what the scorers are looking for.

The SAT essay has departed from asking students to take a stance on a topic or weigh in on a perspective. In other words, the SAT essay is not at all about what you, the student, think: the purpose of the essay is to see if you can write without inserting personal opinion.

Now, the essay is a formal analysis of someone else’s argument. This is brilliant, if you ask me, because the College Board has finally created an assessment that more closely mimics the kind of writing students actually need to do in college. Notably, the new essay style is also a lot more like one of the writing tasks on the GRE; in other words, this is real academic writing.

Table of Contents

Academic Writing Is Objective

The SAT essay had to become more objective as students’ writing became more fanciful and, due to cultural trends, more opinion-based.

The A-number-one most important thing you can do to earn a good SAT essay score is to leave your opinions out of the essay.

A Good SAT Score Isn’t an Absolute Number

The SAT Essay is scored on a scale just like the SAT multiple choice tests are. Rather than scoring from 200 to 800, though, the three SAT essay subscores are rated on a scale of 2 to 8. They mimic the 200 to 800 scale in that an 8 is a top score and a 2 is a low score.

Because the SAT essay score is guided by a rubric used by two people, your score is the sum of the scores given to you by those two graders. Your graders individually give you a 1, 2, 3, or 4 on each of the three scoring dimensions identified by the College Board.  

That means that a good SAT essay score is a 6, 7, or 8 on each of the scoring dimensions if we use the logic that a 6 is the sum of two scores of 3 from your graders, and those 3s reflect that both graders thought you adequately accomplished that objectives of that dimension.

Because your SAT essay score is a list of three numbers, (like a possible SAT essay score might be 7, 5, 7), a good SAT essay score is a little less definitive.

One way to consider whether your SAT essay score is good is to take the average of your subscores and then translate them to the 200 to 800 scale. For example, if your SAT essay score were 7, 5, 7, you could average them (add and divide by 3)  to find 6.3, which loosely translates to a 630. It’s easier to sense then, then, that 7, 5, 7 is a pretty good SAT essay score, but probably not as high as you would need for an extremely competitive college that requires the SAT essay section to begin with.

In order to help you maximize your SAT essay score, let’s look at the SAT essay scoring dimensions one by one.

The College Board offers a detailed rubric so that you can dive deeply into SAT Essay scoring. I expand on some of those ideas in my post, How to Write the SAT Essay. Let’s look at some of the highlights here.

Dimension One: Earning a Good SAT Essay Reading Subscore

It might seem odd to see “Reading” as the first dimension on a writing test, but it makes sense: you show how well you read by accurately identifying and articulating precisely what the author of the passage is saying.

Can you identify the author’s argument? Can you cite specific supporting details that she/he uses to make that case?

• You’re more likely to get a good score here if in your introduction you say that [the author] argues that [what the author wants her audience to believe]. The more specific you are, the better.
• Take quotes from the passage that support your evidence. These should be short quotes, not two hundred words to stretch out your essay length.
• Again, leave your opinion out of it. Don’t reinterpret what the author is saying, don’t add in more (like “the author might also think X, Y, and Z” when those things aren’t listed in the argument.

Dimension Two: Earning a Good SAT Essay Analysis Subscore

A good SAT Essay score in the Analysis department shows off that you’re able to trace how an author builds an argument. You’re probably familiar with building an argument, even if you don’t realize it yet:

Imagine you want to convince one of your parents to let you stay out three hours after curfew because you’re going to a concert two hours away. You wouldn’t just ask if you could stay out late; obviously, the answer would be an outright “No.”

Instead, you’d formulate a plan: you’d think of all the logical reasons it’s safe to stay out late, you’d appeal to your parent’s sense of adventure, or maybe his/her sense of pity. Maybe you’d bargain.

Every author on the SAT sample passage that you’ll analyze is creating an argument in similar ways, albeit more formal ones. The Analysis subscore shows that you see how the author is being convincing, not just what the author wants.

Dimension Three: Earning a Good SAT Essay Writing Subscore

Of course, the whole essay element is a “writing” test, but you’ll earn a good SAT essay score on the writing segment when you show off your structural and syntactic prowess.

This is the score that reflects the strength of your writing sample itself, even if you totally misunderstood the author’s argument. Incidentally, preparing for the Writing and Grammar multiple choice section and learning the rules it tests can be a great exercise for the essay section. Use the rules you know for that section to edit your own essay after the fact.

• Focus on structure when you write the SAT essay–or any essay, for that matter. Think carefully about why each paragraph exists and always loop its last sentence back to your thesis.
• Vary your sentence structure to keep things interesting. Whether you realize it or not, a subordinate clause at the start of a sentence can draw your reader further into your writing.
• Show off proper punctuation and how to employ colons, semi-colons, and dashes correctly.
• If you don’t know how to spell a word, try to avoid using it. This is extra difficult now that we have spell check on every device we use. Poor spelling is distracting to people who read high school English essays and standardized tests essay professionally.

Practice Makes Perfect

Do not take the SAT Essay section without writing several sample essays ahead of time. A time crunch puts pressure on even the best writers; practicing by hand and getting feedback from a trusted teacher or tutor is your best bet. Investing in some SAT prep books wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

What's a Good SAT Score?

College Board

• January 24, 2020
• Last Updated December 7, 2023

If you’re wondering what a good SAT score is, you’re not alone. It’s one of the top questions we get from both students and parents. The answer depends on what you want to do with your score.

Any score, especially if it's your first time taking the SAT, is helpful because it helps you identify the academic areas you still need to improve on. A strong score for a senior applying to college will depend on the college you're applying to, and the other elements of your application profile. After taking the test once, you can concentrate on strengthening any weak areas and retake the SAT.

A “good” SAT score can vary based on individual student backgrounds and the colleges you're targeting. For example, a student with a low high school GPA might consider a certain score as a significant achievement, while an honors student might have higher expectations for their score band. Additionally, colleges with high acceptance rates might have different score expectations compared to more selective colleges.

Think of your college application as an intricate recipe. Your SAT score is just one ingredient. Some schools require that you submit your SAT score, but many schools are test-optional . Even with test-optional schools taking the SAT could help you stand out on applications. Also, your score is just one part of that dynamic list of ingredients.

When you combine your score with  everything else in your application , like your GPA, your extracurricular activities, and your personal essay, you might get something really great—like a delicious acceptance letter.

The key takeaway is this: A good score is one that works with the rest of your application to get you in to a college you’re excited about or helps you identify strengths that propel your career options.

The following information will help you figure out where you want to go and what scores can help you get there.

1. Think About Your Future

Imagine your ideal college experience. What do you see? Are you in a big city or a small town? Is there a strong theater program or a state-of-the-art computer lab? Use the  College Search tool  on BigFuture™ to find schools that match what you’re looking for and put together a  college list .

2. Understand the Score Range

The score range for the SAT is 400−1600; that’s your  total score . It’s the sum of your scores on the  Reading and Writing section and the Math section, which each have a score range of 200−800.

3. Don’t Obsess Over the Numbers

We’re serious. Your SAT score might be a significant part of your college application, but it’s not the only part. Even if you get a 1600, there’s no guarantee you’ll get in if the rest of your application doesn’t match what the college is looking for.

4. Check Average SAT Scores

The average scores of accepted students vary from school to school. Highly selective colleges accept a small percentage of applicants, so most of the students they admit have SAT scores near the top. Other colleges, like  community colleges , admit a higher percentage of applicants, so the average scores there are usually lower.

To find out the average SAT score ranges for the schools on your list, use the  Compare Colleges tool   on BigFuture.

Next Steps: Practice and Improve

No matter what score you get, you can almost always do better. Here are two easy ways to improve your score:

1. Practice more

Specifically, review the knowledge and skills that you need to focus on and then practice with Official digital SAT prep on Khan Academy.

2. Take it Again

Students who take the SAT a second or third time consistently get higher scores. Here's why you might do better if you take the test again:

• You’ll have learned more in school.
• You’ll have more time to study.
• You’ll know what types of questions to expect.
• You’ll be more relaxed.

You’ll also be able to take advantage of the  superscoring  policy at some colleges. Superscoring is when colleges add your best Reading and Writing score to your best Math score—even if those scores are from different dates—to get your best total score.

One More Thing

Don’t stress out. No matter what your SAT score is, there’s a college that’s right for you—you just have to  find it . Good luck!

Learn more about the SAT, including how to register.

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What Is a Good SAT Score? (2023-2024)

• A good SAT score is generally considered to be 1210 or higher, which would put you in the top 25% of all test takers. 
• In 2023, the national average score earned on the SAT was 1028, and a “perfect” score on the SAT is the maximum score of 1600. 
• Every college and university has its own unique SAT score range which should be consulted when determining what a “good” score is for you.
• Your SAT score does not determine if a college will accept you, but a high score can make you a more competitive applicant.

A good SAT score is subjective, ultimately depending on what schools you are applying to. However, earning a high SAT score will make you stand out to college admissions officers and can increase your chances of getting a college scholarship. Learn about current SAT scores for top universities and how the SAT scoring system works so you can understand what a good SAT score is and set your exam goals.

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SAT Scores for Ivy League Schools

• SAT Scores for Top Universities in the U.S.

SAT Scores for Top Liberal Arts Colleges in the U.S.

How does sat scoring work, sat score ranges & percentiles, how to compare scores on the digital sat & paper-and-pencil sat, does my sat score determine which college will accept me, how to improve your sat score, sat preview quiz, sat/act score conversion calculator.

The eight private universities that comprise the Ivy League are some of the most competitive universities in the U.S. Earning a good SAT score is an important factor in gaining acceptance into an Ivy League School. A competitive score for any of the Ivy League schools is a score of about 1560 (out of 1600). In the table below, we showcase the SAT score ranges for Ivy League Schools in 2023.

Sources: College Board BigFuture & U.S. News

SAT Scores for Top Universities in the U.S

In addition to the Ivy League SAT scores listed above, you may be wondering about SAT scores needed for other top universities in the U.S. Read on for information about SAT scores needed for these top universities.

SAT Score Needed for Stanford University

Students who gain acceptance into Stanford University have an SAT score between 1500 and 1570. Stanford is a university in Palo Alto, CA that is influenced by the innovative environment provided by neighboring Silicon Valley. Stanford has under 8,000 undergraduate students and a 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio, giving it a small, liberal arts college feel.

SAT Score Needed for Duke University

Students who gain acceptance into Duke University have an SAT score between 1510 and 1560. Duke is the 5th largest research university in the United States based on research funding, and over half of Duke undergraduates complete faculty-mentored research projects. This Durham, NC school encourages students to take a variety of courses, and students can choose from a long list of majors and minors or even, in some circumstances, design their own degree program that fits their interests.

SAT Score Needed for John Hopkins University

Students who gain acceptance into Johns Hopkins University have an SAT score between 1490 and 1550. Johns Hopkins, located in downtown Baltimore, is a research-based university with an emphasis on academic freedom. That means that undergraduates aren’t required to take any set core classes; instead, Johns Hopkins encourages students to take interdisciplinary courses and explore a wide range of topics. Additionally, many internships and study abroad opportunities are available to undergraduates—over a third of students complete some sort of international experience and 85% complete at least one internship before they graduate.

SAT Score Needed for NYU

Students who gain acceptance into New York University (NYU) have an SAT score between 1470 and 1560. NYU is a private research university with campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai. The university comprises 20 schools and colleges and has a student body of over 50,000 students. The renowned Tisch School of the Arts offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in acting, dance, dramatic writing, film, television, and more. Former Tisch students include acclaimed directors Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee.

SAT Score Needed for MIT

Students who gain acceptance into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have an SAT score between 1520 and 1570. MIT, a science and technology-based university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was founded in 1861 for the purpose of advancing the Industrial Revolution. Today, the school is known for its strength in science and engineering. Over 60% of MIT students enroll in the School of Engineering, and nearly 30% complete a major in the School of Science. 85% of undergraduate students participate in faculty-led research.

SAT Score Needed for the University of Chicago

Students who gain acceptance into the University of Chicago have an SAT score between 1510 and 1560. Undergraduates at the University of Chicago begin their education with a core curriculum akin to what you’d find at a liberal arts university. The University of Chicago aims to teach students how—not what—to think, so students take a set of core classes designed to prepare them to explore complex ideas and debate with other students and faculty members.

The best liberal arts colleges are just as competitive as the best universities. Keep in mind that none of these colleges have an SAT minimum score cutoff, and your SAT score is far from the only factor considered in your application. Each of these schools views your application holistically, meaning that other factors such as GPA, extracurriculars, and who you are as a person will also come into play. Here are the SAT scores needed for some of the top liberal arts colleges in the U.S.:

SAT Score Needed for Williams College

Students who gain acceptance into Williams College have an SAT score between 1490 and 1550. Williams College was founded in 1793 in Williams, Massachusetts. It has three academic branches: arts and humanities, social sciences, and science and mathematics. Within these three branches, there are 36 majors students can choose from. Instead of a minor, students at Williams chose a “concentration,” which is a grouping of classes spanning multiple disciplines centered on a broad topic such as Maritime Studies or Public Health.

SAT Score Needed for Amherst College

Students who gain acceptance into Amherst College have an SAT score between 1450 and 1550. Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts doesn’t have any core requirements, which allows students to completely create their own curriculum. There are 40 total majors offered at Amherst in the arts, sciences, social studies, and humanities. Thanks to small class sizes—the average is 19 students per class—and a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio, students at Amherst have lots of opportunities for discussion with classmates and faculty members.

SAT Score Needed for Pomona College

Students who gain acceptance into Pomona College have an SAT score between 1480 and 1540. Pomona College is located about 30 miles from Los Angeles in Claremont, CA. It’s one of the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of five undergraduate colleges and 2 graduate schools within several blocks of each other that share a library and other resources. Students at Pomona are encouraged to participate in research, and small class sizes facilitate seminar-based learning. In an effort to encourage students to study abroad, Pomona charges the same tuition for semesters abroad as it does for semesters at the main campus.

SAT Score Needed for Swarthmore College

Students who gain acceptance into Swarthmore College have an SAT score between 1455 and 1540. Swarthmore is located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, and is a somewhat unique liberal arts school for a couple of reasons. First, Swarthmore wants students to explore their interests and see what Swarthmore has to offer. To encourage this, first-semester classes are essentially pass/fail—the classes you take go on your transcript, but your grades don’t. Second, you can study engineering at Swarthmore, whereas liberal arts colleges usually don’t have pre-professional programs.

SAT Score Needed for Wellesley College

Students who gain acceptance into Wellesley College have an SAT score between 1440 and 1540. Wellesley is a women’s college in the educational hub of Wellesley, MA. Located not far from Babson College, MIT, Brandeis University, and Olin College of Engineering, a Wellesley education includes opportunities to study at—and even get a joint degree with—any of the aforementioned schools.

SAT Score Needed for Bowdoin College

Students who gain acceptance into Bowdoin College have an SAT score between 1340 and 1520. Students at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, begin their studies with foundational courses in each of the following basic disciplines: mathematics, computational or statistical reasoning, inquiry in the natural sciences, exploring social differences, international perspective, and visual and performing arts. Students declare majors as sophomores. The admissions process at Bowdoin is unique in that most applicants aren’t required to submit GPAs or standardized test scores. They can submit scores if they wish, but Bowdoin hasn’t required applicants to submit scores since 1969.

Now that you’ve seen what a good SAT score is at top universities, we’ll break down how the SAT scoring system works. SAT scoring is based on a 1600-point scale, with two sections— Math and Reading and Writing —scored between 200 and 800. There is no penalty for wrong answers, so your raw score is the sum of the number of questions you answer correctly. SAT raw scores are converted to scaled scores, which are used to determine percentile ranks. The percentile indicates how well you did compared to other test takers. For example, if you score in the 72nd percentile, you did better than 72% of SAT test takers. This process ensures that your score is not affected by different forms of the test or other students’ ability levels. This scaled score is what you will see when you get your scores.

Expert SAT Tip

Planning and preparation go a long way. The SAT may seem intimidating and impossible to master, but you can achieve your best score with a study schedule that you can stick to. Short study sessions (up to an hour each) held consistently over time can help you reach your goals. Leaning on the expertise and guidance of a teacher or tutor can take you to the next level in your preparation. Research your schools, set a goal, and begin raising your score!

SAT Scoring Factors

The SAT is scored on a 200 to 800 scale in each section in 10-point increments. The two sections (Reading and Writing and Math) will have scores provided separately. This relatively small scale means that small improvements in your score can make a big difference in your percentile rank. For example, a 10-point increase in your score could boost your percentile rank by several points.

Below are SAT scoring ranges and percentiles from 2023.

  Best SAT Scores

These SAT scores will put you in the top 10% of all SAT test takers

SAT EVIDENCE-BASED READING AND WRITING: 670-800

Sat math:  690-800,   competitive sat scores.

These SAT scores will put you in a highly competitive place in admissions (top 25% of all SAT test takers)

SAT EVIDENCE-BASED READING AND WRITING: 610-660

Sat math: 600-680,  above average sat scores.

These SAT scores put you ahead of the pack (50%+), but won’t be as advantageous when applying to highly competitive programs

SAT EVIDENCE-BASED READING AND WRITING: 540-600

Sat math: 530-590,   below average sat scores.

These SAT scores may be enough to get into a wide variety of graduate programs, but will be below average compared to the testing population

SAT EVIDENCE-BASED READING AND WRITING: 530 or lower

Sat math: 520 or lower.

Beginning in the spring of 2024, the SAT will no longer be a pencil-and-paper exam. With the exception of certain student accommodations, all students will take the Digital SAT on a computer. Despite the changes to the SAT, the exam will continue to be scored on a 1600-point scale like its predecessor. Your overall Digital SAT score will range from 400–1600 and is calculated by adding your two section scores together.

[ READ NEXT: How to Prepare for the Digital SAT ]

Scoring on the Adaptive Digital SAT

The new SAT is adaptive. How well you do on your first module determines the questions you see in the second. This is often called a multi-staged test. Doing well on the first module, also known as the routing module, will send you to a higher-difficulty second module. This will give you a chance to earn the very top scores for a section (either Reading and Writing or Math). 

Bear in mind that even if you are routed to an easier second module, you can still earn a competitive score on the SAT. Don’t spend time trying to figure out which difficulty level you were routed to; this will only waste your brainpower and time. Your focus should be to do your best on every question, regardless of the module. While their exact formula is proprietary, your total SAT score is based on how you do on both modules of Reading and Writing and both modules of Math. There is very likely an overlapping range of scores possible for students routed to the easier or harder second module.

Your SAT score does not determine which college will accept you, but a good SAT score can help differentiate your application, even if the SAT is optional at the school you are applying to. Whether or not you are admitted to a college program (and whether or not you receive scholarship money) can depend on several factors. In addition to focusing on achieving the best SAT score possible for you, you should also work on obtaining the best GPA possible, writing a spectacular personal statement, taking a challenging course load, and rounding out your application with extracurriculars.

Test-Optional College Admissions

Some colleges have decided to make SAT test scores optional as part of their application requirements. This may sound like a good idea, but if you are looking to have your application stand out, a good SAT score is still one of the best ways to do that. Just because a school has decided to allow applicants to exclude SAT test scores does not mean other applicants are not continuing to submit SAT scores when applying.

A good SAT score can allow you to shine in the college admissions journey, even within a test-optional landscape. Presenting a competitive SAT score to your prospective school signals to admissions officers that you are a student who consistently exceeds expectations. Beyond this, a strong SAT performance can help you secure valuable scholarship opportunities. In short, a strong SAT score can help open doors for you.

Improving your SAT score by even ten points can increase your chances of getting into your dream school. Kaplan offers a wide range of free prep resources to help you succeed on the SAT, including: 

• SAT Question of the Day: Raise your SAT score with free daily practice questions delivered straight to your inbox!
• Free SAT Practice Test: See how you would score with an SAT practice test and get a detailed report of your strengths and weaknesses.
• SAT Study Plans: Whether you are studying for three months or have just one month before test day, we have an SAT study plan to help you stay organized. 
• SAT On Demand Free Trial: Try Kaplan’s SAT Prep On Demand Course free for seven days and see how our experts can help you maximize your SAT score.

Learn from your mistakes! Often, we see mistakes as failures. When it comes to SAT prep, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Mistakes are simply information. A mistake doesn’t tell you that you’re not good enough or that you’ll never reach your goals. A mistake tells you what you can work on to reach your goals. When you make a mistake on an SAT question, ask yourself some questions: Why did I make this mistake? Was I rushing? Do I need to learn the concept? Did I misread the question or answer choices? Did I make a silly mistake? The answer to these questions will tell you what your next step is.

Find out how you would do on the SAT by practicing with our quick quiz!

Quickly convert your SAT score to an ACT score using our free calculator.

Written by Kaplan experts, reviewed by Heather Waite, Director of Content and Curriculum, Pre-College at Kaplan North America. Heather has taught thousands of students how to master the PSAT, ACT, and SAT for over a decade. She holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from Indiana University.

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Are Your SAT Scores Good Enough?

Learn what selective colleges consider good SAT scores for admission

Average SAT Scores

• What's Considered a Good SAT Score?

Sample SAT Data for Selective Colleges and Universities

Private universities — sat score comparison (mid 50%), liberal arts colleges — sat score comparison (mid 50%), more about sat scores, the sat writing section, more sat data for selective colleges, sat subject test data, what if your sat scores are low.

• Ph.D., English, University of Pennsylvania
• M.A., English, University of Pennsylvania
• B.S., Materials Science & Engineering and Literature, MIT

What is a good SAT score on the SAT exam? For the 2020 admissions year, the exam consists of two required sections: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, and Mathematics. There is also an optional essay section. The scores from each required section can range from 200 to 800, so the best possible total score without the essay is 1600.

There are different ways to calculate what an "average" score is for the SAT. For the Evidence-Based Reading section, the College Board predicts that if all high school students took the exam, the average score would be a little over 500. For college-bound students who typically take the SAT, that average goes up to about 540. This latter number is probably the more meaningful one since it is the average among the students you are competing with on the college admissions front.

For the Math section of the exam, the average score for all high school students is very similar to the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section—a little over 500. For college-bound students who are likely to take the SAT, the average Math score is a little over 530. Here again that latter number is probably the more meaningful one since you would want to compare your score to other college-bound students.

Note that the exam changed significantly in March of 2016 , and the average scores are a little higher today than they had been before 2016.

What's Considered a Good SAT Score?

Averages, however, don't really tell you what kind of score you're going to need for selective colleges and universities. After all, every student who gets into a school like Stanford or Amherst is going to be well above average. The table below can give you a sense of the typical score ranges for students who were admitted to different types of highly selective colleges and universities. Keep in mind that the table shows the middle 50% of matriculated students. 25% of students got  below the lower number , and 25% scored higher than the upper number.

You're obviously in a stronger position if your scores are in the upper ranges in the tables below. Students in the lower 25% of the score range are going to need other strengths to make their applications stand out. Also keep in mind that being in the top 25% does not guarantee admission. Highly selective colleges and universities reject students with near perfect SAT scores when other parts of the application fail to impress the admissions folks.

In general, a combined SAT score of roughly 1400 will make you competitive at nearly any college or university in the country. The definition of a "good" score, however, is entirely dependent upon what schools you're applying to. There are hundreds of test-optional colleges where SAT scores don't matter, and hundreds of other schools where average scores (roughly 1050 Reading + Math) will be perfectly adequate for receiving an acceptance letter.

The table below will give you a sense of the types of scores you'll need for a wide range of selective public and private colleges and universities.

Public Universities — SAT Score Comparison (mid 50%)

View the ACT version of this article

SAT scores aren't the most important part of a college application (your academic record is), but aside from colleges that are test-optional, they can play a big role in a school's admissions decision. Mediocre scores aren't going to cut it at the country's most selective colleges and universities, and some public universities have concrete cut-off numbers. If you score below the required minimum, you won't be admitted.

If you aren't happy with your performance on the SAT, keep in mind that all colleges are happy to accept either ACT or SAT scores regardless of where in the country you live. If the ACT is your better exam, you can almost always use that exam. This ACT version of this article can help guide you.

You'll find that most schools report critical reading and math scores, but not the writing scores. This is because the writing part of the exam never fully caught on when it was introduced in 2005, and many schools still do not use it in their admissions decisions. And when the redesigned SAT rolled out in 2016, the writing section became an optional part of the exam. There are some colleges that require the writing section, but the number of schools with that requirement has been rapidly declining in recent years.

The table above is just a sampling of admissions data. If you look at the SAT data for all of the Ivy League schools , you'll see that all require scores that are well above average. The SAT data for other top private universities , top liberal arts colleges , and top public universities is similar. In general, you're going to want math and reading scores that are at least in the high 600s to be competitive.

You'll notice that the bar for top public universities tends to be a little lower than for private universities. It's generally easier to get into UNC Chapel Hill or UCLA than it is to get into Stanford or Harvard. That said, realize that the public university data can be a little misleading. The admissions bar for in-state and out-of-state applicants can be quite different. Many states require that the majority of admitted students come from in-state, and in some cases this means that admissions standards are significantly higher for out-of-state applicants. A combined score of 1200 might suffice for in-state students, but out-of-state applicants might need a 1400.

Many of the country's top colleges require applicants to take at least a couple SAT Subject Tests. Average scores on the subject tests are significantly higher than on the general exam, for the subject tests are taken primarily by strong students who are applying to top colleges. For most schools that require subject tests, you're going to be most competitive if those scores are up in the 700 range. You can learn more by reading about score information for different subjects: Biology | Chemistry | Literature | Math | Physics .

The SAT can create a lot of anxiety for students whose scores aren't in line with their college aspirations. Realize, however, that there are plenty of  ways to compensate for low SAT scores . There are many excellent colleges for students with not-so-great scores  as well as hundreds of test-optional colleges . You can also work to improve your scores with approaches that range from buying an SAT prep book to enrolling in a Kaplan SAT prep course . 

Whether you work hard to raise your SAT score, or you look for colleges that don't require high scores, you'll find that you have plenty of college options whatever your SAT scores are.

• Good ACT Scores for College Admission
• SAT Scores for Admission to Public Universities in North Carolina
• ACT Scores for Admission to Top North Carolina Colleges
• SAT Scores for Admission to Top North Carolina Colleges
• SAT Scores for Admission to the 23 Cal State Universities
• What's a Good Chemistry SAT Subject Test Score in 2020?
• What's a Good SAT Literature Subject Test Score?
• How to Understand SAT Scores in College Admissions Data
• SAT Score Comparison for Admission to Arkansas Colleges
• What's a Good Biology SAT Subject Test Score in 2021?
• SAT Scores for Admission to Top Texas Colleges
• SAT Scores for Admission to 30 Top Liberal Arts Colleges
• What's a Good SAT Subject Test Score?
• 2019–2020 SAT Score Release Dates
• SAT and ACT Scores for Admission to Top Public Liberal Arts Colleges
• SAT Scores for Admission to Four-Year South Dakota Colleges

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

What Is a Good SAT Score in 2023?

What’s covered:, what is the average sat score, how to set your target sat score, what is the average sat score at top schools, how does the sat impact my college chances.

What is a good SAT score? There is no one-size-fits-all answer. A “good score” depends on a variety of factors, including personal context, overall average test scores, and the schools on your college list. 

SAT scores are incredibly important at top schools. Many use students’ transcripts and test scores to filter out unqualified applicants, so it’s important to know how you compare to accepted students to understand your chances.

Keep reading to learn some strategies to determine what a good SAT score is for you, how to set an SAT goal for yourself, and what the average SAT score is at some of the top colleges in the country. 

Alone‌, ‌an‌ ‌SAT‌ ‌score‌ ‌is‌ ‌just‌ ‌a‌ ‌number—‌it’s‌ ‌how‌ ‌your‌ ‌SAT‌ ‌score‌ ‌compares‌ ‌against‌ ‌others‌ ‌that‌ give‌ ‌it‌ ‌context.‌ ‌Let’s‌ ‌face‌ ‌it: ‌if‌ ‌you‌ ‌scored‌ ‌the‌ ‌highest‌ ‌on‌ ‌an‌ ‌exam‌ ‌but‌ ‌only‌ ‌answered‌ ‌half‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ questions‌ ‌correctly,‌ ‌your‌ ‌50%‌ ‌means‌ ‌something‌ ‌different‌ ‌than‌ ‌your‌ ‌75%‌ ‌on‌ ‌an‌ ‌exam‌ ‌where‌ the‌ ‌highest‌ ‌score‌ ‌was‌ ‌98%.‌ ‌ ‌

The‌ ‌table‌ ‌below‌ ‌shows‌ ‌SAT‌ ‌scores‌ ‌along‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌average‌ ‌percentile‌ ‌of‌ ‌2022 test-takers ‌who scored‌ ‌below‌ ‌that‌ ‌number.‌ ‌The‌ ‌higher‌ ‌your‌ ‌SAT‌ ‌User‌ Percentile,‌ ‌the‌ ‌better‌ ‌your‌ ‌score‌ ‌is‌ perceived to be‌ ‌by‌ ‌colleges‌ ‌and‌ ‌scholarship‌ ‌committees.‌ ‌

When we talk about SAT scores, we are actually talking about three different data points. Students who take the SAT receive one score from 200-800 for the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Test (EBWR), and another score ranging from 200-800 for the Math test, leading to a composite score ranging from 400-1600, which is the sum of the section scores. 

According to the 2022 SAT Suite of Assessments Annual Report , the average ERW score was 529, the average Math score was 521, and the average overall composite score was 1050.  

SAT College Readiness Benchmarks

The SAT College Readiness Benchmarks offer college-bound students an indication of how prepared they are for higher education, and are predictive of students’ performance in college-level courses. SAT scorecards use a color-coded scale to represent readiness.  

• Green: Section score meets or exceeds the benchmark
• Yellow: Section score is within one year of academic growth for the benchmark
• Red: Section score is below the benchmark by more than one year of academic growth

The current SAT College Readiness Section Scores are: 

A great SAT score for one student is potentially a disappointment for another. A few factors to consider when determining what a good SAT score is for you are:

There is a certain amount of subjectivity to consider when looking at SAT scores. A great SAT score for one student may not be a great score for another student. If you’re trying to set a target for your SAT score, there are a few different factors you should consider. 

1. What Is Your Starting Point?

Take a practice SAT to find out your starting point. Take the test under actual testing conditions, using the same resources and time constraints you’d have during an official test. This will give a realistic picture of where you’re starting from in your studying journey. Alternatively, you could use your PSAT score. Check what percentile you achieved on your PSAT and compare it to the same percentile SAT score to get a rough idea of what you might score on the SAT. 

Once you start studying, your score will hopefully improve. In general, the lower your initial score is, the more improvement you’ll see. If your score on a particular section is below 500, you may feasibly improve up to 200 points. For higher scores, you can aim to improve between 100 and 150 points. 

You should also realize that you’ll likely take the actual SAT test more than once, and your score will likely continue to improve each time you take it. Most students take the SAT two or three times, and the greatest score increases on actual tests occur between the first and second test administration. 

No matter where you’re starting from, establishing a baseline can help you set realistic goals for your SAT score based on the time you have before college applications and scholarship deadlines.  

2. What Colleges Do You Want to Attend?  

The other factor you’ll need to consider when setting a target score is what the SAT score range is at the colleges you want to attend. Generally, the more selective a college is, the higher the average SAT score of admitted students will be. Therefore, if you want to attend a selective college, you should expect to achieve a top SAT score to be a competitive applicant.

Most colleges release their middle 50% ranges, meaning that the middle 50% of accepted students scored in that range, with 25% scoring below and above. For example, if a school’s middle 50% SAT range is 1320-1450, 25% of students scored below 1320, 50% scored 1320-1450, and 25% of students scored above 1450. It’s important to have a score that is up to par with these ranges.

Test-Optional Schools 

  A handful of schools had established test-optional admissions policies before COVID-19 and numerous schools have adopted the practice, at least in the short term, in the of the pandemic.  

Should I Submit My SAT Score?

CollegeVine suggests taking a standardized test if you can do so safely and submitting scores that are at (or above) the 25th percentile for the school you’re applying to. Applicants who submit test scores are accepted at higher rates than those that do not and strong standardized test scores can only bolster your candidacy. For example, if you’re applying to Bowdoin, which has a middle 50% range of 1330-1510, you should submit a score of 1330 or higher. 

It should be noted that the pandemic has changed norms around standardized tests, which makes comparing scores year to year a challenge. For example, about 700,000 fewer students in the high school Class of 2021 took the SAT at least once compared to the Class of 2020. The number of students taking the SAT rebounded in 2022 , up roughly 15% from the previous year, but down 21% from its record number of test takers in 2019.  

The growth in the number of SAT test takers coincides with a drop in SAT scores. The average 2022 test score of 1050 is down ten points from 2021’s 1060 average SAT score. 

Determining what a good SAT score is for you has a lot to do with where you’re applying. If you’re interested in attending a top college, you should aim for a score that lands you comfortably in the top 50% of admitted students.   

All hope isn’t lost if your score falls outside of the SAT score range of your prospective schools, however, you’ll need to demonstrate achievement and excellence in other areas of your application.  

Middle 50% SAT Scores at Top 20 National Universities

Middle 50% SAT Scores at Top 20 Liberal Arts Schools

What To Do If Your Score is Too Low

If your SAT score doesn’t fall within the mid-to-high range of the middle 50% SAT scores at your desired college, you should try to get that score up before you apply. This is because many selective colleges use the Academic Index to filter out applicants. If your grades and scores aren’t good enough, you may be automatically rejected. 

Of course, it is possible to get in with lower scores, especially if you have stronger grades, or if you’re an underrepresented minority, legacy, or recruited athlete. But you should always strive for a score that’s as competitive, if not more, than those of accepted students.

Here are our tips for improving your score:

1. Make a Study Plan

Use your target score to help create a study plan. Work backward from the date you intend to take your test and break down your prep work into manageable chunks. Set time aside each day to prep for the test, especially for your weaker sections and concepts.

Take at least a few timed practice tests, but don’t only take practice tests. It’s important to hone in on your weaknesses so that they’re no longer an issue. You can drill certain types of questions, or take practice section tests.

2. Learn the Two-Passes Strategy

The two-pass strategy helps ensure you have time to answer all the questions that you find easy. The strategy is simple: first, answer every question that you know or that seems obvious, and skip the more challenging questions. After answering the “easy” questions, return to the ones you passed over. 

Make sure that you practice using this strategy in advance so that you can get your timing on each section just right. You should also pay special attention to your scantron, as you don’t want to accidentally mess up the numbering.

3. Use the Resources Available

SAT prep materials and courses are abundantly available, many of which are free. The most notable of these is offered by Khan Academy—the official study partner of the College Board. It’s been shown that studying 20 hours on Khan Academy leads to a 115-point average improvement. 

•   Your Guide to Online SAT Prep Classes
•     Your Guide to Free SAT Prep Classes

CollegeVine also has an abundance of useful information on its blog. Check out these awesome articles about SAT prep: 

• Links to Every Free SAT Practice Test + Other Resource
•   15 Hardest SAT Math Question
•   Tips to Prepare Yourself for Your SAT Test Day
•   How to Pace Yourself on Every Section of the SAT
• 10 Tips to Improve Your SAT Score  

3. Apply to Test-Optional Colleges

Another option for students who underperform on the SAT is to apply to a school with test-optional admissions. Test-optional schools have been around for a while—Bowdoin, one of the best liberal arts colleges in the country , has had a test-optional admissions policy since 1969. As a result of the disruption COVID-19 had on standardized testing, a number of colleges are now practicing test-optional admissions.  

Test-optional admission is particularly beneficial for candidates with strong credentials—such as fantastic extracurricular activities and excellent grades—but lackluster test scores. They are also great for groups who generally are disadvantaged by standardized tests, like women, immigrants, students of color, people with disabilities, and first-generation students.

Despite the large number of colleges offering test-optional admissions, your SAT score remains a strong predictor of your future collegiate success. Colleges use standardized test scores along with GPA to determine your level of academic achievement, a major consideration in the college admissions process. Simply, strong test scores are a proven method to improve your chances of gaining admission to the schools on your college list. 

CollegeVine can help you learn how your SAT score affects your chances at hundreds of colleges across the country. Our free Admissions Calculator uses factors like your GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, and more to give you a personalized estimate of your chances at the schools of your choice!

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SAT Essay Scores: Score Calculation and SAT Essay Score Range

• Result & Counselling
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Shubhankar Das

Content Writer Study Abroad Exams | Updated On - Jun 29, 2024

Highlights:

• SAT essay score is measured by 3 sections: reading, analysis, and writing .
• Each section of SAT essay is calculated on a 2 to 8 level .
• From 2021, SAT essay was discontinued .
• Achieving 20 out of 24 SAT exam essay scores was accepted by most of the top universities. 

SAT essay score is measured on a scale of 2 to 8 for each section . Your SAT essay scores were measured on 3 dimensions: reading, analysis, and writing. Certain universities consider SAT exam essay scores vital for admission, despite it being optional. Until 2021, SAT essay score was also an optional section, but this year the essay section was discontinued. SAT essay score is not required anymore, but if you want to showcase your writing skills, you can consider taking an AP English course. Achieving 20 out of 24 SAT writing scores was accepted by most of the top universities . 

SAT Essay Score Range

The SAT Essay Score ranges from 2 to 8 according to their proficiency level. SAT Essay is evaluated on three criteria – Reading, Analysis, and Writing.

SAT Essay is scored by two different people in between 1 and 4. Their grades are then summed up to give you a three-part grade. The highest grade you can receive is 8 for three, and while the lowest possible score can be 2 for each of the three sections of the SAT Essay Paper.

SAT Essay Score Calculation

The SAT essay reading part of your grade assesses how well you read the essay that was provided. The SAT essay analysis part assesses how well you explained your point. The SAT essay writing part assesses how good your syntax and flow was.

The steps on how the SAT Essay is evaluated are given below:

• 2 distinct raters will examine your essay;
• 4 for Advanced level
• 3 for Proficient level
• 2 for Partial level
• 1 for Inadequate level
• After both of them completes the evaluation, the 2 scores for each of the dimensions are added.
• Candidates will receive 3 scores for the SAT Essay: One for each dimension which ranges from 2 to 8 points.

What is a Good SAT Essay Score?

For candidates wondering “What is a good essay score on SAT?”

Well, a good SAT Essay Score is scoring 19 out of 24. If a candidate manages to get above 22 out of 24, it is considered as an excellent SAT Score .

Average SAT Essay Score

There are different ways and parameters for calculating the average SAT Essay Scores. However, an average SAT Essay score is 14 out of a maximum of 24 points for all the three sections. Logically, Average SAT Score should be equal to 15 for all three sections. But apparently, it comes out to be 14. The Analysis dimension is the part of the SAT essay task that is most different from what students have had to do on other standardized test essays. The average SAT Essay score is 5 out of 8 for the Reading section, 3 out of 8 for the Analysis Section, and 5 out of 8 for Writing.

SAT Essay Score Percentile

The rough breakdown of the SAT essay score percentile based on the most recent College Board data is given in the table below:

In order to apply to the top foreign Universities of the English speaking nations, Candidates are required to obtain a decent SAT Essay Score. Universities like Harvard University, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, Stanford University require a decent SAT Essay score of 5-6 out of 8 in Reading, at least 4 out of 8 in Analysis, and 5-6 out of 8 in Writing.

To attain a good SAT Essay score, students need to practice more and more with the reading part. Try to understand what the author is trying to say and then take time to analyze and organize your thoughts and finally present it in a better way. This is one of the quick and easy ways to boost your SAT Essay Score.

ACT Essay Vs SAT Essay

ACT Vs SAT score conversion helps to determine the better performance of the candidate in these exams.

SAT Essay Sample

Here are SAT example essays for you:

Each section of SAT essay ranges on a scale of 2 to 8, and achieving a score of 6 in every section is considered a good score. Your SAT essay score will be based on your reading, analysis, and writing levels. From 2021 SAT essay scores are not a part of the exam. 

Ques: What is a good essay score on the SAT?

Ans: Each section of SAT essay ranges on a scale of 2 to 8, and achieving a score of 6 in every section is considered a good score. A score of 20+ on SAT essay was acceptable for the top-ranked universities worldwide.

Ques: Is the SAT essay hard?

Ans: Candidates doing regular practice with SAT sample papers and with a good knowledge of English reading and writing can easily achieve a good score on SAT essays.

Ques: Is 14 a good SAT essay score?

Ans: Achieving a SAT essay score of 14 out of 24 is an average score. On average, achieving a score of 20+ is considered a good SAT essay score.

Ques: Is 20 a good SAT essay score?

Ans: Achieving a score of 20 on SAT was considered a good score and was accepted by most of the top universities. The total sum of the three-part SAT essay score was 24.

Ques: Does SAT essay score matter?

Ans: SAT essay score does not matter on your score report. SAT essay was discontinued in 2021. There are other ways to show your writing skills by taking another English essay exam.

Ques: Is a 90% on an essay good?

Ans: Achieving a 90% score on SAT essay was comparatively hard, and you need to write your essay with a perfect intro and conclusion for a higher score.

Ques: Who grades SAT essays?

Ans: SAT essay scores are graded on a scale of 2 to 8 for each section. Your SAT essay score will be based on your reading, analysis, and writing levels.

Ques: Can I send my SAT score without the essay?

Ans: From 2021 SAT essay scores are not a part of the exam. You can send your total SAT score to the universities by visiting the College Board’s official website.

Ques: Is it easy to get 40% on an essay?

Ans: Getting 40% on SAT is relatively easy. You need to write a perfect essay with a good introduction and conclusion to achieve a good score. 

Ques: How to start a SAT essay?

Ans: A perfect introduction to SAT essay describes and paraphrases the argument, and you need to introduce the specific passage and argument that you will discuss in the essay. One thing you need to remember is that your conclusion should sum up all the points you made.

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 6 sat essay examples to answer every prompt.

Just as with most essays, the major secret to excelling on the SAT essay is to pre-plan the examples and evidence you want to use.

"But wait!" I hear you cry. "Can you do that on the new SAT essay? Isn’t the point of the essay that you’re supposed to be using information from the passage in your answer, which you don’t know about ahead of time?"

The answer: Yes and no. While the specifics of each example will obviously change, depending on the passage, the types of examples you choose to discuss (and the way you explain each example builds the author’s argument) can be defined, and thus prepared for, ahead of time.

In this article, we give you 6 good SAT essay examples you’ll be able to find in nearly every prompt the SAT throws at you. By assembling a collection of these reliable types of evidence that can be used to answer most prompts, you'll cut down on planning time and significantly increase the amount you can write, making you able to walk into every SAT essay confident in your abilities.

feature image credit: 1 to 9 mosaic , cropped/Used under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 .

UPDATE: SAT Essay No Longer Offered

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In January 2021, the College Board announced that after June 2021, it would no longer offer the Essay portion of the SAT (except at schools who opt in during School Day Testing). It is now no longer possible to take the SAT Essay, unless your school is one of the small number who choose to offer it during SAT School Day Testing.

While most colleges had already made SAT Essay scores optional, this move by the College Board means no colleges now require the SAT Essay. It will also likely lead to additional college application changes such not looking at essay scores at all for the SAT or ACT, as well as potentially requiring additional writing samples for placement.

What does the end of the SAT Essay mean for your college applications? Check out our article on the College Board's SAT Essay decision for everything you need to know.

Why You Can Prep SAT Essay Examples Before Test Day

The SAT essay prompts have several important things in common:

• They’re all passages that try to convince the reader of the veracity of the author’s claim
• They’re all around the same length (650-750 words)
• They’re all meant to be analyzed and written about in a relatively short period of time (50 minutes)

This means that you can have a pretty good idea ahead of time of what types of argument-building techniques you might see when you open the booklet on test day.

The main techniques the author uses aren't going to be overly complex (like the first letter of every word spelling out a secret code), because you just don’t have the time to analyze and write about complex techniques. B ecause of that, you can prepare yourself with SAT essay examples that’ll be likely found across persuasive passages about many different issues .

Naturally, for each passage you're going to want to play to its particular strengths—if there are a lot of facts/statistics, make sure to discuss that; if it dwells more on personal anecdotes/appeals to emotion, discuss those. However, if you struggle with analysis in a short period of time, memorizing these categories of examples ahead of time can give you a helpful checklist to go through when reading the SAT essay prompt and point you in the right direction.

Below, we've chosen two examples of evidence, two examples of reasoning, and two examples of stylistic/persuasive elements you can use as stellar evidence to support your thesis .

For each example below, we also show you how you can use the type of evidence to support your thesis across a range of prompts. This flexibility should prove to you how effective pre-planned examples are.

So, without further ado, onto our list of multipurpose support for any SAT Essay prompt.

Examples of Evidence

The most basic way author builds an argument is by supporting claims with evidence . There are many different kinds of evidence author might use to support her/his point, but I'm just going to discuss the two big ones I've seen in various official SAT Essay prompts. These two types of evidence are Facts and Statistics and Anecdotes .

Example Type 1: Facts and Statistics

Employing statistics and facts to bolster one's argument is one of the most unassailable methods authors can use to build an argument. This argument-building technique is particularly common in essays written about scientific or social studies-related topics, where specific data and facts are readily available.

How Can You Identify It?

Statistics usually show up in the form of specific numbers related to the topic at hand —maybe as percents, or maybe as a way to communicate other data.

Here are a couple of examples of statistics from an official SAT essay prompt, "Let There Be Dark" by Paul Bogard :

Example : 8 of 10 children born in the United States will never know a sky dark enough for the Milky Way

Example : In the United States and Western Europe, the amount of light in the sky increases an average of about 6% every year.

Factual evidence can also be in the form of non-numerical information. Often, you'll see facts presented with references to the research study, survey, expert, or other source from which they're drawn. Here's another example from "Let There Be Dark":

Example : Already the World Health Organization classifies working the night shift as a probable human carcinogen[.]

Why Is It Persuasive?

Facts and statistics are persuasive argument building techniques because the author isn't just making up reasons for why his/her argument could possibly be true— there's actually something (data, research, other events/information) that backs up the author's claim .

In the case of the examples above, Bogard presents specific data about issues with light pollution (8 in 10 children won't be able to see the Milky Way, light in the sky increases 6% annually) to back up his statements that light pollution is real, then goes on to present further information that indicates light pollution is a problem (working the night shift puts humans at risk for cancer).

By presenting information and facts, rather than just opinion and spin, Bogard empowers the reader to connect the dots on her own, which in turn gives the reader ownership over the argument and makes it more persuasive (since the reader is coming to the same conclusions on her own, rather than entirely relying on Bogard to tell her what to think).

Example Type 2: Anecdotes

Another form of evidence that is often used as an alternative to actual facts or statistics is the anecdote. This type of evidence is most often found in speeches or other sorts of essay prompts that are written as a personal address to the reader.

An anecdote is a short story about a real person or event . When an author discusses own personal experience or personal experience of someone they know or have heard of, that's anecdotal evidence.

Here's an example of (part of) an anecdote from an official SAT essay prompt that was adapted from a foreword by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter :

One of the most unforgettable and humbling experiences of our lives occurred on the coastal plain. We had hoped to see caribou during our trip, but to our amazement, we witnessed the migration of tens of thousands of caribou with their newborn calves. In a matter of a few minutes, the sweep of tundra before us became flooded with life, with the sounds of grunting animals and clicking hooves filling the air. The dramatic procession of the Porcupine caribou herd was a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife spectacle. We understand firsthand why some have described this special birthplace as “America’s Serengeti.”

Even though anecdotes aren't statistics or facts, they can be powerful because it’s more relatable/interesting to the reader to read an anecdote than to be presented with dry, boring facts. People tend to put more faith in experiences if they can personally connect with the experiences (even though that doesn't actually affect how likely or not a statement is to be true).

In the example above, rather than discussing the statistics that support the creation of wildlife refuges, Jimmy Carter instead uses an anecdote about experiencing the wonder of nature to illustrate the same point—probably more effectively.

By inviting the reader to experience vicariously the majesty of witnessing the migration of the Porcupine caribou, Carter activates the reader's empathy towards wildlife preservation and so makes it more likely that the reader will agree with him that wildlife refuges are important.

Examples of Reasoning

All authors use reasoning to some extent, but it’s not always a major part of how the author builds her/his argument. Sometimes, though, the support for a claim on its own might not seem that persuasive—in those cases, an author might then choose to use reasoning to explain how the evidence presented actually builds the argument.

Example Type 3: Counterarguments and Counterclaims

One way in which an author might use reasoning to persuade the reader to accept the claim being put forward is to discuss a counterargument, or counterclaim, to the author's main point. The discussion (and subsequent neutralization) of counterarguments is found in prompts across all subject areas.

A counterargument or counterclaim is simply another point of view that contradicts (either fully or partially) the author's own argument. When "some might claim," "however," or other contrast words and phrases show up in an essay prompt, the author is likely presenting a counterclaim.

Here's an example of an effective presentation (and negation) of a counter claim from an official SAT essay prompt, "The Digital Parent Trap" by Eliana Dockterman :

“You could say some computer games develop creativity,” says Lucy Wurtz, an administrator at the Waldorf School in Los Altos, Calif., minutes from Silicon Valley. “But I don’t see any benefit. Waldorf kids knit and build things and paint—a lot of really practical and creative endeavors.”

But it’s not that simple. While there are dangers inherent in access to Facebook, new research suggests that social-networking sites also offer unprecedented learning opportunities.

So how does bringing up an opposing point of view help an author build her argument? It may seem counterintuitive that discussing a counterargument actually strengthens the main argument. However, as you can see in the brief example above, giving some space to another point of view serves to make it seem as if the discussion’s going to be more “fair.” This is still true whether the author delves into the counterargument or if the author only briefly mentions an opposing point of view before moving on.

A true discussion of the counterargument  (as is present in Dockterman's article) will   also show a deeper understanding of the topic than if the article only presented a one-sided argument . And because the presence of a counterargument demonstrates that the author knows the topic well enough to be able to see the issue from multiple sides, the reader's more likely to trust that the author's claims are well-thought out and worth believing.

In the case of the Dockterman article, the author not only mentions the opposite point of view but also takes the time to get a quote from someone who supports the opposing viewpoint. This even-handedness makes her following claim that "it's not that simple" more believable, since she doesn't appear to be presenting a one-sided argument.

Example Type 4: Explanation of Evidence

In some cases, the clarity with which the author links her evidence and her claims is integral to the author's argument. As the College Board Official SAT Study Guide says,

Reasoning is the connective tissue that holds an argument together. It’s the “thinking” — the logic, the analysis — that develops the argument and ties the claim and evidence together."

Explanation of evidence is one of the trickier argument-building techniques to discuss (at least in my opinion), because while it is present in many essay prompts, it isn't always a major persuasive feature. You can pretty easily identify an author's explanation of evidence if the author connects a claim to support and explains it , rather than just throwing out evidence without much ceremony or linking to the claim; however, whether or not the explanation of the evidence is a major contributing factor to the author's argument is somewhat subjective.

Here's a pretty clear instance of a case where an author uses explanations of each piece of evidence she discusses to logically advance her argument (again from the Dockterman passage):

And at MIT’s Education Arcade, playing the empire-building game Civilization piqued students’ interest in history and was directly linked to an improvement in the quality of their history-class reports. The reason: engagement. On average, according to research cited by MIT, students can remember only 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear and 50% of what they see demonstrated. But when they’re actually doing something themselves—in the virtual worlds on iPads or laptops—that retention rate skyrockets to 90%. This is a main reason researchers like Ito say the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation of a two-hour screen-time limit is an outdated concept: actively browsing pages on a computer or tablet is way more brain-stimulating than vegging out in front of the TV.

Unfortunately, the explanation the Official SAT Study Guide gives for how to discuss an author's "reasoning" is a little vague:

You may decide to discuss how the author uses (or fails to use) clear, logical reasoning to draw a connection between a claim and the evidence supporting that claim.

But how exactly you should go about doing this? And wh y is it persuasive to clearly explain the link between evidence and claim?

In general, when an author explains the logic behind her argument or point, the reader can follow along and understand the author’s argument better (which in some cases makes it more likely the reader will agree with the author).

In the Dockterman example above, the author clearly lays out data ( Civilization leads to improvements in history class), a claim (this is because of engagement with the game and thus the subject material), provides data that back up that claim (retention rate skyrockets when students do things for themselves), and links that smaller claim to a larger concept (actively browsing pages on a computer or tablet is way more brain-stimulating than vegging out in front of the TV).  This clear pattern of data-explanation-more data-more explanation enables the reader to follow along with Dockterman's points. It's more persuasive because, rather than just being told " Civilization leads to improvements in history" and having to take it on faith, the reader is forced to reenact the thinking processes that led to the argument, engaging with the topic on a deeper level.

Examples of Stylistic/Persuasive Elements

This final category of examples is the top layer of argument building. The foundation of a good argument is evidence, which is often explained and elucidated by reasoning, but it is often the addition of stylistic or persuasive elements like an ironic tone or a rhetorical flourish that seals the deal.

Example Type 5: Vivid Language

Vivid language is truly the icing on the persuasive cake. As with explanations of evidence, vivid language can be found across all topics of essay prompts (although it usually plays a larger role when the passage is lacking in more convincing facts or logic).

Vivid language is pretty easy to spot—it shows itself in similes, metaphors, adjectives, or any words that jump out at you that don’t seem to have purely functional purposes . Here are a couple of examples—the first is Paul Bogard again:

…show that what was a very dark country as recently as the 1950s is now nearly covered with a blanket of light.

This example is relatively restrained, using the metaphor of "a blanket of light" to add emphasis to Bogard's discussion of light pollution. A more striking example can be found in another official SAT essay prompt, adapted from Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech "Beyond Vietnam—A Time To Break Silence":

Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonic destructive suction tube.

Vivid language is an effective argument building device because it puts the reader in the author’s shoes and draws them into the passage . If used in moderation, vivid language will also make the topic more interesting for the reader to read, thus engaging them further.

In the excerpt taken from Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech above, the phrase "demonic destructive suction tube" is startling and provocative, meant to rouse the audience's indignation at the injustice and waste of the Vietnam war. If King had left out the second part of the sentence and only said, "Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money," his point would not have had as big of an impact.

Example Type 6: Direct Addresses and Appeals to the Reader

The last category I'll be discussing in this article are direct addresses and appeals to the reader. These stylistic elements are found across all sorts of different passage topics, although as with the previous category, these elements usually play a larger role when the passage is light on facts or logic.

Direct addresses and appeals to the reader are wordings or other stylistic devices specifically designed to provoke a response (often emotional) in the reader . This category covers many different elements, from appeals to emotion to rhetorical questions. Here's an example of an appeal to emotion, taken again from Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech:

Perhaps a more tragic recognition of reality took place when it became clear to me that the war was doing far more than devastating the hopes of the poor at home. It was sending their sons and their brothers and their husbands to fight and to die in extraordinarily high proportions relative to the rest of the population.

And here's an example of a rhetorical question (from the Paul Bogard article):

Who knows what this vision of the night sky might inspire in each of us, in our children or grandchildren?

Appealing to the emotions , as Martin Luther King, Jr. does in his speech, is an alternate route to persuasion, as it causes readers to emotionally (rather than logically) agree with the author . By describing how the war was causing "their sons and their brothers and their husbands to fight and die," King reminds the reader of the terrible costs of war, playing upon their emotions to get them to agree that the Vietnam War is a mistake, particularly for the poor.

Rhetorical questions , on the other hand, get the readers to step into the author's world. By reading and thinking about the author's question, the reader engages with the topic on a deeper level than if the reader were just given a statement of what the author thinks . In the case of the Bogard example above, the rhetorical question draws the reader into thinking about his/her descendants, a group of people for whom the reader (presumably) only wishes the best, which then puts the reader into a positive mood (assuming the reader likes his/her descendants).

As you can see, these examples of different argumentative techniques can be extracted from a lot of different article types for a wide range of topics . This is because the examples themselves are so meaningful and complex that they can be used to discuss a lot of issues.

The main point is, you don't have to wait until you see the prompt to develop an arsenal of types of argument-building techniques you can use to support your points. Instead, preparing beforehand how you’ll discuss these techniques will save you a lot of time and anxiety when the test rolls around .

What's Next?

If you're reading this article, you probably want to excel on the SAT essay. We've written a bunch of detailed guides to make sure you do.

Start to scratch the surface with our 15 tips to improve your SAT essay score .

Follow our step-by-step guide to writing a high-scoring essay and learn how to get a perfect 8/8/8 on the SAT essay .

Took the old SAT and not sure how the new essay compares to the old? Start with our article about what’s changed with the new SAT essay , then follow along as we  investigate the SAT essay rubric .

Want to score a perfect SAT score? Check out our guide on how to score a perfect SAT score , written by our resident perfect scorer.

Laura graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Music and Psychology, and earned a Master's degree in Composition from the Longy School of Music of Bard College. She scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and GRE and loves advising students on how to excel in high school.

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Tennessee baseball vs. Texas A&M score, highlights: Aggies win Game 1 of College World Series final

OMAHA, Neb. − Tennessee baseball is starting the final phase of its chase for a national championship with a best-of-three College World Series final against Texas A&M.

The No. 1 Vols (58-12) and No. 3 Aggies (52-13) play Game 1 on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). It is the third time in the past four seasons that two SEC teams will play for the national championship and the matchup means an SEC team will be the champions for a fifth straight time.

Vols coach Tony Vitello was an assistant coach on Texas A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle's staff at Texas Christian 2011-13.

Tennessee baseball live score updates vs Texas A&M in College World Series finals Game 1

Final: texas a&m 9, tennessee 5.

Evan Aschenbeck strikes out Blake Burke looking on a 3-2 pitch that appeared high in the zone, though home plate umpire Mike Morris' strike zone has fluctuated.

Billy Amick hit a one-out single. Dylan Dreiling also hit a one-out single, his fourth hit of the game. Runners on the corners with one out, and Hunter Ensley will bat.

Ensley struck out swinging on a breaking ball in the dirt. Two out.

Kavares Tears struck out swinging to end the game. Vols lose 9-5 in Game 1 and will need to play better in the field and at the plate on Sunday.

Texas A&M 9, Tennessee 5, top 9th

Dylan Loy was strong in the last two innings, striking out three and retiring all six batters in order.

To the bottom of the ninth inning and the Vols' final chance to get back into the game. Blake Burke, Billy Amick and Dylan Dreiling are due up.

Texas A&M 9, Tennessee 5, bottom 8th: Evan Aschenbeck is good

Evan Aschenbeck has retired five straight Vols and has thrown just 18 pitches. Vols are three outs away from a 0-1 deficit in the best-of-three championship series.

Texas A&M 9, Tennessee 5, top 8th

Dylan Loy is in to pitch for the Vols. Dalton Bargo, who entered the game in the sixth inning, makes a tremendous diving catch in right field for the first out. A&M challenges, but it's a clear catch.

. @dbargo09 STUCK THE LANDING #MCWS #SCTop10 x 🎥 ESPN / @Vol_Baseball pic.twitter.com/xcL4ujejrQ — NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 23, 2024

Loy retires the Aggies in order in the eighth.

Texas A&M 9, Tennessee 5, bottom 7th: Vols claw closer with back-to-back HRs

Josh Stewart's 56th pitch of the game results in a two-run home run by Dylan Dreiling as the Vols get back those two runs from the top of the inning.

Stewart may have tweaked something earlier in the inning, but A&M left him out there. He walked one before giving up the home run to Dreiling.

VOLS HOME RUN 🍊 @DylanDreiling1 #MCWS x 🎥 ESPN / @Vol_Baseball pic.twitter.com/QjVhIPBpWu — NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 23, 2024

Brad Rudis is in the game. He hasn't pitched since June 9 in the super regional against Oregon. He has a 2.29 ERA in 35.1 innings this season.

On the second pitch, Ensley golfs one into the left field bullpen.

As @djkhaled would say, Another one @HunterEnsley #MCWS x 🎥 ESPN / @Vol_Baseball pic.twitter.com/nEKQixN8b5 — NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 23, 2024

Aggies closer Evan Aschenbeck is now coming into the game. He has a 1.54 ERA in 70 innings over 30 appearances. He strikes out Kavares Tears and Dean Curley to end the inning.

Texas A&M 9, Tennessee 2, top 7th: Aggies add two on HR

Kaeden Kent, the son of former MLBer Jeff Kent, clubs a two-run home run into the Aggies' bullpen in right field. A&M leads 9-2.

The vibes feel different than the FSU game, but the Vols still have nine outs to work with tonight. Will the Aggies avoid their best bullpen guys or will Tennessee force their hand?

KAEDEN KENT IS UNREAL 🫢🦸‍♂️ #MCWS x 🎥 ESPN / @AggieBaseball pic.twitter.com/sZAxzGykTE — NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 23, 2024

Texas A&M 7, Tennessee 2, bottom 6th: Vols bats quiet through six innings

Cal Stark walks with two out, bringing up Christian Moore. But he grounds out to shortstop on a 3-2 pitch to end the inning.

Tennessee will need to make some noise soon.

Texas A&M 7, Tennessee 2, top 6th

Andrew Behnke comes in after Marcus Phillips walks a batter, and he works around the walk in a scoreless A&M 6th.

The Vols' bats are up, and Tennessee could use a long ball.

Texas A&M 7, Tennessee 2, bottom 5th

After a Blake Burke double to lead off the UT 5th, the Aggies make a pitching change. Ryan Prager's day is done.

Josh Stewart is in the game to pitch for A&M. The Vols will get into the non-back-end portion of the Aggies bullpen, though Stewart has a 4.33 ERA.

After a Billy Amick walk, the Vols are retired via a pair of strikeouts and a 4-3 groundout by Kavares Tears.

Home plate umpire Mike Morris' strike zone is very wide tonight, but it's been that way since the first inning. The Vols haven't completely adjusted to it.

Texas A&M 7, Tennessee 2, top 5th

With two on and one out, A&M's Ali Camarillo is caught stealing on a smooth pickoff throw to third base by Kirby Connell.

Still, Travis Chesnut hits a single to right field with two out, with both runners advancing into scoring position after Reese Chapman drops the ball in right. The Vols have three errors tonight.

Marcus Phillips will pitch to Aggies leadoff hitter Gavin Grahovac with two on and two out. Kirby Connell managed two outs around three hits in the fifth.

Phillips strikes out Grahovac with a 98 mph fastball to end the inning. Not bad.

Texas A&M 7, Tennessee 2, bottom 4th: Christian Moore off balance against Ryan Prager

After a lengthy two-out at-bat, Christian Moore grounds softly to first base to end the inning. Moore is 0-for-3 with a strikeout today.

Kirby Connell is in to pitch the A&M 5th.

Texas A&M 7, Tennessee 2, top 4th: Kavares Tears' catch in centerfield prevents a run

Hayden Schott hits a double with two out, and Ted Burton hit a long fly ball to left center that is hauled in by a diving Kavares Tears to end the inning.

It's been a highlight reel for the Vols in center in the CWS.

. @kavares_tears23 MAKES THE PLAY!!! 🫨 #MCWS x 🎥 ESPN / @Vol_Baseball pic.twitter.com/CNHaIs5b9K — NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 23, 2024

Texas A&M 7, Tennessee 2, bottom 3rd: Vols add a run

Hunter Ensley drives in Blake Burke with an RBI single with two out.

Second knock of the night for Hunter. Just gotta chip away. 📺 https://t.co/3WxxhYjKmw (ESPN) #GBO // #OTH // #MCWS // #BeatTAMU pic.twitter.com/7keVU2v7sP — Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) June 23, 2024

Ryan Prager has done well in getting ahead in counts, but not as well finishing off at-bats. He did strike out three Vols in the UT 3rd.

Tennessee has six hits today, all singles.

How much longer will AJ Causey pitch? Kirby Connell was stretching in the bullpen during the Aggies' 3rd.

Texas A&M 7, Tennessee 1, top 3rd: Aggies small-ball produces 5-run inning

After a leadoff walk and a infield single, Hayden Schott hits an RBI single to center.

On the next AB, Blake Burke makes a good play from first base to cut down a runner at home on a squeeze gone awry for the first out of the inning.

Then a single to right field scores another A&M run, with Reese Chapman in right field throwing to second base instead of home against one of the several hobbled Aggies runners in Schott. Note that if Hunter Ensley was playing the field, Kavares Tears and his arm would likely be in right field.

A&M scores another run on a E5 on a poor throw from Billy Amick that Blake Burke couldn't pick.

A&M's Kaeden Kent bloops a two-run single to continue a dreadful third inning for AJ Causey. 7-1 Aggies, and five runs in the inning with still just one out.

The Aggies help Causey out with another bunt, with Amick making the play this time to first base. A 4-3 groundout ends the inning.

Texas A&M 2, Tennessee 1, bottom 2nd: Vols get a run

After leadoff singles by Dylan Dreiling (infield) and Hunter Ensley, Dean Curley drives Dreiling in with a RBI single. That's all for the Vols in the second inning, though Ryan Prager now at 38 pitches through two innings.

The Vols are on the board #MCWS x 🎥 ESPN / @Vol_Baseball pic.twitter.com/QU2Ua4WtIX — NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 23, 2024

Texas A&M 2, Tennessee 0, top 2nd: AJ Causey settles in

AJ Causey retires the 8-9-1 hitters in order in the Aggies' second inning. Both lineups are chasing a little more than usual right now against two pitchers with good movement.

Texas A&M 2, Tennessee 0, bottom 1st: Vols retired in order

Tennessee's top of the lineup made Ryan Prager throw 19 pitches in a 1-2-3 bottom of the first inning.

Texas A&M 2, Tennessee 0, top 1st: Aggies lead off Game 1 with HR

Gavin Grahovac hits a hanging high pitch into the right-field seats for a solo home run to lead off Game 1. Well then.

LEADOFF HOME RUN! HO, RO, THE RATTLIN' BOG! @GavinGrahovac #MCWS x 🎥 ESPN / @AggieBaseball pic.twitter.com/XbrA6m9ahr — NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 22, 2024

After a double and a E6 (probably should have been ruled an infield single on a bounce off the mound) with one out, here comes Tony Vitello to make the pitching change. Stamos leaves after just one out in the first inning for the second time in the CWS and the third time in the NCAA Tournament. AJ Causey will enter as is customary.

A&M's Caden Sorrell gets a two-out RBI on a single up the middle, scoring Jackson Appel. 2-0 Aggies.

Causey gets a strikeout to end the inning, stranding two RISP. Vols lineup has some work to do, which hasn't been a problem in Omaha.

Tennessee baseball vs. Texas A&M lineups

Lineups for Game 1 between Tennessee and Texas A&M. #MCWS pic.twitter.com/qTeelMej8S — Gentry Estes (@Gentry_Estes) June 22, 2024

What channel is Tennessee baseball vs. Texas A&M on today?

TV: ESPN ( Watch on Fubo)

MORE: Watch Tennessee baseball live vs Texas A&M with Fubo (free trial)

Tennessee baseball vs. Texas A&M start time

• 7:30 p.m. ET

Tennessee baseball vs. Texas A&M location

• Omaha, Nebraska
• Charles Schwab Field

LIGHT: Meet Carlee Beam, the brightest light at Tennessee baseball's Lindsey Nelson Stadium

Tennessee baseball schedule

See the Tennessee baseball schedule here

Texas A&M baseball schedule

See the Texas A&M baseball schedule

Tennessee baseball roster

See the Tennessee baseball roster here

Texas A&M baseball roster

See the Texas A&M baseball roster

College World Series championship finals schedule 2024

Saturday, June 22

• Game 1: Texas A&M vs. Tennessee | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN ( Fubo )

Sunday, June 23

• Game 2: Tennessee vs. Texas A&M | 2 p.m. | ABC ( Fubo )

Monday, June 24

• Game 3 (if necessary):  Texas A&M vs. Tennessee | 7 p.m. | ESPN ( Fubo )

College World Series odds

According to BetMGM

• Tennessee -200
• Texas A&M +160

2024 College World Series bracket

See the  bracket  here.

Mike Wilson  covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ ByMikeWilson . If you enjoy Mike’s coverage,  consider a digital subscription  that will allow you access to all of it.

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