SAT Score Range: The Full 400-1600 Scale (2026)

What the lowest and highest scores are, how the two sections add up, and what each range means.

The SAT is scored on a scale from 400 to 1600. That total comes from two sections, each scored from 200 to 800, added together. This guide breaks down the full score range: the minimum and maximum, how the sections combine, and what each range of scores actually signals to colleges.

What Is the SAT Score Range?

Every SAT total falls between 400 and 1600. A 400 is the lowest possible score and a 1600 is a perfect score. You cannot score below 400 or above 1600, because each of the two sections has a fixed floor of 200 and a ceiling of 800.

SAT Section Score Ranges

Your total is built from two section scores, each on its own 200 to 800 scale:

Add the two section scores together and you get your total. A 700 in Reading and Writing plus a 650 in Math, for example, gives a 1350.

What Each SAT Score Range Means

Here is a quick map of what different ranges signal to colleges. For the exact percentile behind any score, see our SAT percentiles guide.

Want the detail on a specific tier? We have full guides to a 1400 and a 1200, with the colleges and scholarships each one unlocks.

How Your Section Scores Combine

The SAT does not subtract points for wrong answers, so each section score reflects how many questions you get right, converted to the 200 to 800 scale. The digital SAT is also section-adaptive: how you perform on the first module of a section affects the difficulty, and the scoring ceiling, of the second module. For the full mechanics of how raw answers become a scaled score, see how the SAT is scored.

What Is a Good SAT Score Range?

A good range depends on your target colleges, but as a rule of thumb, anything above the national average of roughly 1030 is solid, and 1200 and up is competitive at selective schools. For a fuller answer, see what counts as a good SAT score and the current average SAT score.

Frequently Asked Questions About the SAT Score Range

What is the lowest SAT score?

The lowest possible SAT score is 400, which is a 200 on each of the two sections. There is no score below 400.

What is the highest SAT score?

The highest possible SAT score is 1600, an 800 on both Reading and Writing and Math. See our guide to the highest SAT score for how rare it is.

What is the score range for each SAT section?

Each section, Reading and Writing and Math, is scored from 200 to 800. The two add together for a total between 400 and 1600.

What is a good SAT score range?

Above the national average of about 1030 is solid, and 1200 or higher is competitive at selective colleges. See what a good SAT score is for target ranges by school type.

Is the SAT still scored out of 1600?

Yes. The digital SAT uses the same 400 to 1600 total scale, with two sections scored 200 to 800 each.