Getting a perfect score on the SAT seems like the stuff of legends. A very small percentage of test-takers–less than 1%–achieve this feat. A perfect SAT score increases your chances of being admitted to Ivy League school and other top universities, and it can supplement a weaker GPA.
With enough effort, it’s possible to get a perfect score on SAT. In this post, we’re going to break down exactly what you need to do and need to know to get a perfect score. Even if you’re not aiming for 1600, you can still use this advice to improve your SAT score and achieve your goals.
How is the SAT Scored?
The SAT score structure gives you a few different ways to look at your score, but the way that most colleges and universities look at it is by looking at your total score and your section scores.
The SAT has two sections, one called Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and the other simply called Math. The Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section score is determined by how well you do on the Reading Test and the Writing and Language Test; the Math section score is determined by how well you do on a Math test that has a no-calculator and calculator-based portion.
Each section is scored from 200 to 800. The total score is a sum of the section scores, and ranges from 400 to 1600. Because the highest score that anyone can get is a 1600, this is a perfect score.
What Does it Take to Get a Perfect SAT Score? How Many Questions Can You Miss?
As you might have guessed based on the word “perfect,” you will need to get virtually every question right. At most, you might be able to miss one Reading test question, but you can’t bet on that. This means that you’ll need to develop a test strategy that allows you to confidently predict that you’ll be able to answer every question right.
How do we know that you can maybe miss one Reading question, and not miss any questions on the Math or Writing and Language test? We took a look at the practice SAT tests that College Board shares and their scoring guides. They show how many questions you could miss on these tests and get a 1600. Here’s a sample of them:
- Practice Test 1: You can miss 1 Reading test question. You must get all the Math and Writing questions right.
- Practice Test 2: You must get every question right.
- Practice Test 3: You can miss 1 Reading test question. You must get all the Math and Writing questions right.
As you can see, you’ll want a reliable test strategy that ensures you answer every question right.
Can I Really Get a Perfect SAT Score?
We’ve all heard the stories of the neighbor’s kid who got a perfect SAT score, and all he did was roll out of bed that morning. While this might have been true for some perfect scorers, it’s not true of most of them. Perfect scorers spend time and effort to achieve their score goals.
Anyone can get a perfect score, but it’s not easy. You will need to:
- Dedicate time spent practicing and studying for the SAT
- Spend effort analyzing your mistakes
- Develop strategies to overcome mistakes for the future
- Embrace what is often called a growth mindset
Never heard of growth mindset? The term “growth mindset” was coined by Stanford psychologist and educator Carol Dweck, who found that when students approached challenges as opportunities to grow, they gained knowledge more quickly and often outperformed other students in the long-run. Seeing the SAT as a challenge, not as a barrier, and knowing that you can achieve your goals with effort and strategy is how you adopt a growth mindset when aiming for a perfect SAT score.
The strategy you use to study for the SAT can make all the difference when aiming for a perfect score. Here’s a breakdown of how you can reach your goals.
Steps to Getting a Perfect SAT Score
1. Identify your weaknesses
Everyone has a test-taking weakness. What sets perfect scorers apart from the rest is that they learned how to overcome their weaknesses to achieve their goals.
You’ll need to identify your weaknesses before you can develop strategies to overcome them, which means you’ll need to spend time analyzing your score on a previous SAT or using one of the practice tests that College Board provides. Analyze every question that you missed and why you missed it so that you know what to avoid in the future. Identify patterns of mistakes based on a variety of factors, like the question type and how confident you felt answering that questions.
Some common types of weaknesses include:
- Spending too much time on a single question–”getting stuck”
- Rushing through questions
- Misreading a question
- Not knowing an academic concept
Most of us are blind to our own weaknesses, but to get a perfect score you have to be brutally honest with yourself. Give yourself plenty of time to be thorough about this analysis. You may want to do this over the course of three sittings, one each for the Reading, Writing and Language, and Math test.
While you can do this analysis yourself, it’s a lot easier when you have an outside perspective from an expert. That’s why CollegeVine’s SAT Tutoring starts with a diagnostic that allows our expert tutors to determine exactly what you need to do to improve. The diagnostic allows you to quickly move past this step and get to Step 2 of our process for getting a perfect score.
2. Develop strategies to overcome your weaknesses
Once you understand what your SAT weaknesses are, you’ll likely be able to answer this question: why do you make the mistakes that you make?
Here’s a common mistake pattern: you’re taking the SAT and you spend time being stumped by a question. You then realize you’ve spent too much time on the question, and now you’re flustered and you rush through the next five questions to make up for it, committing careless mistakes as you go.
Pretty familiar, right? Most of us have done this on a test before, whether it was the SAT or for a class. In this case, the initial mistake was spending too much time being stumped by one question. The solution is to develop a strategy for being decisive about when to move on to other questions so you don’t rush other questions and make careless mistakes. It could be as simple as making a snap judgment about whether as question is easy or difficult to solve, and solving it if it seems easy or returning to it later if it seems difficult.
Here are some example solutions for the other weaknesses listed above.
- Misreading a question: This often happens on the Reading and the Writing and Language Tests. As a form of practice, try rephrasing the questions on a practice SAT and answering your new question. This will help you make sure that you understand each question’s nuances before you answer the questions.
- Not knowing an academic concept: Sometimes you don’t understand a concept thoroughly or are able to recognize when the test is drawing upon knowledge of that. In this case, you’ll need to teach yourself the concept with online resources, materials from your local library, or asking a trusted teacher from school for additional assistance.
3. Create a consistent study schedule
After analyzing your score from a diagnostic and seeing how much you’ll need to improve, you’ll get an idea for how much time you need to set aside for working on your weaknesses. The farther your current score is from 1600, the more time you need to devote to studying before you take the SAT for real.
Why is that? Many students don’t put in as much time as they need to during their self-guided studying because they’re focusing on too many different aspects of the test. You’ll want to create a schedule that allows you to brainstorm strategies that might help you overcome any test weaknesses, and then time to practice and refine those strategies.
To create a consistent schedule, look at what your current time obligations are. How much time do you spend in extracurricular activities, working a part-time job, or on homework? You’ll want to give yourself enough time to keep up with your other responsibilities, and schedule times when you can devote to studying. You may need to rearrange other responsibilities, at least temporarily, to make space for your studying.
Once you’ve established when you’re studying, you may want to connect getting a 1600 to a bigger goal. You won’t stay motivated for very long if getting a 1600 isn’t tied to one of your values, like “I want to go to my dream school” or “I want to make my family proud.” Remind yourself of why you’re putting in this work every time you sit down to study.
4. Test and refine your strategies based on practice
There is no one strategy that will work for everyone. You’ll need to put your strategies to the test to make sure they’re giving you the results you want. You’ll want to work on one weakness at a time, maybe two, instead of trying to focus on everything at once.
As you work on improving one weakness, your score will go up predictably. As you saw in the earlier example, by being decisive about when to move on to another question you could eliminate a tendency to rush and avoid some careless mistakes. Make sure that this strategy works consistently before you move onto another weakness.
You will find that some strategies work really well, and you’ll try some that don’t work for you. This is why having a growth mindset will benefit you; instead of getting hung up on a recommended strategy that didn’t work, you’ll just scrap that one and try a new approach and see if it works better for you.
5. Continue to analyze your weaknesses and the test structure to further improve.
Overcoming your weaknesses takes work, and is a cyclical process. Once you’ve gotten the hang of one strategy, you’ll need to go back and do the same process with a new one, until you’re at the point where you’re getting every question right.
While you may have analyzed the test structure a bit in the first step, it’s often more helpful to do it at this point in the process. Why? Because you’ll naturally begin to see that you often miss a particular type of question that is unrelated to test jitters or not knowing the material, and being able to spot the questions that trip you up just by reading it gives you the advantage of paying close attention to them.
Use the SAT Practice Tests to assess how well your strategy works. When it comes to the real test, you’ll need to be able to identify the question type so you know which strategy to apply. Often, you’ll use a combination of strategies, such as underlining key phrases in the question and drawing upon an academic concept you learned to find the correct answer.
Once you are consistently getting every question right, you can be ready to expect 1600 on test day.
The Takeaway
With enough self-discipline, anyone can get a 1600 SAT score. By identifying what your test weaknesses are, developing strategies to overcome those weaknesses, and putting your strategies into practice, you’ll be on your way to an improved SAT score.
Preparing for the SAT? Download ourfree guide with our top 8 tips for mastering the SAT.
Check out more of our posts about the SAT:
- What to Do If You’re Not Improving on the SAT
- The New SAT Reading Test: Strategies for Question Types
- How to Set a (Realistic) Target SAT Score
Want to know how your SAT score/ACT score impacts your chances of acceptance to your dream schools? Our free Chancing Engine will not only help you predict your odds, but also let you know how you stack up against other applicants, and which aspects of your profile to improve. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account today to gain access to our Chancing Engine and get a jumpstart on your college strategy!
FAQs
Can you miss a question and still get a 1600? ›
As you can see with the above SAT scoring chart, it's possible to get some questions wrong and still earn the max SAT score. Generally speaking, you can miss 1-2 questions on each section and still get a perfect 1600.
How hard is it to get a 1600 on the SAT? ›A 1600 is only achieved by around 300 test takers per year and makes you eligible and highly competitive for admission at every college. Looking at this from another angle, a 1600 SAT score is in the 99nth percentile, which means you scored higher than 99% of all other 2 million+ test takers.
What was Mark Zuckerberg SAT score? ›Mark Zuckerberg.
The founder of Facebook scored the perfect 1600 on the SAT and attended Harvard University. There's no surprise there on the score or prestigious university!
Will Smith SAT score was a perfect 1600. A rare score few people have earned. Despite this incredible score, Will chose not to attend college, did not even enroll, and decided to pursue his career in music.
How many mistakes 1600 SAT? ›If you're aiming for 1600, prepare to get zero wrong in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing. Overall, on the SAT, you should aim to get no questions wrong if you want a perfect score. This is no easy feat, but it is possible. After all, about 500 students do it each year!
What is a good SAT score without studying? ›For many Ivy League schools, like Yale and Harvard, that means earning a 1560 or higher. For many state schools, like Ohio State University and the University of Illinois, the 75th percentile is between 1420-1480.
Is a 1600 SAT enough for Harvard? ›Harvard SAT Score Analysis (New 1600 SAT)
In other words, a 1460 places you below average, while a 1580 will move you up to above average. There's no absolute SAT requirement at Harvard, but they really want to see at least a 1460 to have a chance at being considered.
Bill Gates has an impressive SAT score
Gates scored a 1590 out of 1600 on his SATs.
An ideal study schedule includes two to three hours of test prep, every day of the week. Remember, this commitment is only for a few months. Now, it might not be possible that you can do two hours per day. If not, you should try for at least one hour every day.
What score is top 1% SAT? ›The top 1% of all test-takers comprises those scoring in the range of 1550-1600 on the SAT scoring scale.
What was Ben Affleck's SAT score? ›
Ben Affleck: The Oscar-winning actor attended the University of Vermont & Occidental College… and supposedly scored a perfect 1600 on his SATs.
What GPA did Bill Gates have? ›PUBLISHED: March 23, 2022 at 12:13 p.m. | UPDATED: March 23, 2022 at 12:14 p.m. Elon Musk was not valedictorian in high school. Neither was Bill Gates whose 2.2 GPA at one point alarmed his parents. Ronald Reagan graduated with a C-average.
What was Kevin Hart's SAT score? ›Hart said, “I got a 585 on my SAT. They give you 400 for putting your name on the papers, true story. I guessed A,B,A,C,A,D,A.
What was the old Max SAT score? ›In the past, the SAT's total score was 2400 with each individual section – Math, Writing, & Critical Reading – being out of 800. The new version of the SAT combines the Writing and Critical Reading section into a single part called Evidence-Based Reading and Writing.
Has anyone gotten 2400 on SAT? ›This elusive perfect score catapults you to the top of high school academic achievement and can be a big boost to your college applications. I scored perfect scores on the SAT. I actually scored two perfect scores—a 1600 in 2004 when I was in high school, and a 2400 in March 2014 when I took it ten years later.
How rare is a perfect SAT score? ›How Many People Get A Perfect SAT Score? Yearly, less than 1% of all test-takers get a perfect score. That's hundreds out of nearly three million people who take the test. The people who score perfect aren't necessarily the smartest test-takers–but they are often the most prepared.
Is a 1600 SAT better than a 1570? ›In the eyes of an admissions committee, a 1560, 1570, 1580, 1590 and 1600 are the same thing. They indicate an excellent student who can perform well on the SAT.
What to do if you didn't study for the SAT? ›- Go Immediately to a Bookstore and Buy an SAT Test Prep Book.
- Pinpoint Your Weaknesses.
- Strengthen Your Weaknesses.
- Check out your Strengths.
- Write a Practice Essay.
- Take One More Practice Test.
- Get All Your Stuff Ready The Night Before.
- Relax the Night Before.
Myth: The March SAT® is the easiest SAT test date. Fact: There's no such thing as “the easiest SAT test date.” While it's true that some versions of the SAT are easier than others, it's false that some test dates are predictably easier than others.
Is it OK to skip SAT? ›If I don't take the SAT or ACT, will it hurt my application? If the college does not require the test, then generally NO, it will not hurt your application. But know that without test scores other parts of your application will become more important.
What is the lowest SAT score accepted? ›
The SAT is among the most important placement exams many high school students take. It could determine whether or not they get into their desired college or university, affecting their entire future, or it may affect the scholarships they get. The minimum score on the SAT is 400, and the highest you can get is 1600.
What is the minimum SAT for Ivy League? ›Ideal ACT/SAT Scores for Ivy League School Applications
The minimum SAT score to get into an Ivy League school ranges from 690 to 730 for the reading section and from 700 to 730 for the math section. Getting 700 or 710 (or higher) on both of these sections will give you an advantage at most Ivy League universities.
Yale SAT Score Analysis (New 1600 SAT)
There's no absolute SAT requirement at Yale, but they really want to see at least a 1470 to have a chance at being considered.
Getting a 1600 on the SAT is harder than getting a 36 on the ACT. To get a perfect 1600 on the SAT, one has to get a perfect 800 on each of the two SAT sections. To get a perfect 36 on the ACT, in contrast, one has to get a score that can be rounded up to 36. For instance, 35.5 is equivalent to 36.
Did Mark Zuckerberg ace his SAT? ›Not many celebrities have shared their SAT scores. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, tops the list with a perfect score.
What was Kesha's SAT score? ›Kesha – The pop star Kesha has been known to have a high IQ along with impressive singing skills. She scored a 1500 on the SAT proving she has both talent and brains.
What is the IQ of Bill Gates? ›Bill Gates IQ is 151.45, despite the fact that he has never publicly disclosed it. He scored 1590 out of 1600 on his SATs in 1973, which converts to a score of 1590 out of 1600. With this IQ, Bill Gates is technically a genius because he is smarter than 99.96% of the population.
Is taking the SAT 5 times too much? ›Luckily, you can take the SAT as many times as you want. Many students take the SAT more than once; most even plan to write it at least twice before their first attempt. Typically, students choose to take the test in the spring of their junior year and again in the fall of senior year.
Is taking the SAT 3 times too much? ›1 answer. Taking the SAT 3 or more times is acceptable if the admissions offices see some noticeable improvement or progression, so if you scored 1350, 1450, and 1520 with 3 SATs then undoubtedly, your upward score reflects your tenacity and hard work.
What best prepares you for the SAT? ›Starting early, following your personal study plan on Official SAT Practice, taking a full-length practice SAT, paying attention in class, and knowing what to expect on test day are five of the best ways to prepare for the SAT.
Is 13500 a good SAT score? ›
In 2019, the average SAT score was 1050. Any score above that would be above average and perfectly acceptable for many colleges. A score of 1350 would put you in the top 10% of test takers and help make your application competitive at more selective schools.
What SAT score is 99th percentile? ›| SAT Score | Nationally-Representative Percentile | Percentile Among Actual SAT Test Takers |
|---|---|---|
| 1600 | 99+ | 99+ |
| 1530 | 99+ | 99 |
| 1520 | 99+ | 99 |
| 1510 | 99 | 98 |
The PSAT is slightly less challenging than the SAT because it is designed to be a practice test. As a precursor exam, the PSAT will introduce students to the subject matter and test structure of the SAT. The PSAT is a shorter test as well, with fewer questions. The SAT is 15 minutes longer.
Has anyone gotten 100% on SAT? ›Ricketts scored a perfect 1600 on the SAT exam.
What is the highest SAT score without essay? ›The highest composite score for the SAT is 800+800, or 1600. The average score is 1000. Your section scores are the individual scores for the two main sections of the SAT: reading/writing and math. Each of these sections is scored out of 800, and they are added together to get your overall score.
What was Will Smith SAT score? ›Will Smith SAT score was a perfect 1600. A rare score few people have earned. Despite this incredible score, Will chose not to attend college, did not even enroll, and decided to pursue his career in music.
What was Elon's GPA? ›The average GPA at Elon University is 4. This makes Elon University Extremely Competitive for GPAs. (Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA.
What is Jeff Bezos GPA? ›In 1986, he graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with a 4.2 GPA and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree (B.S.E.) in electrical engineering and computer science; he was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
What is the average GPA of a billionaire? ›Eric Barker, author of "Barking Up The Wrong Tree," says that becoming a millionaire or billionaire doesn't require an outstanding GPA or being class valedictorian. In fact, he says the average college GPA of American millionaires is 2.9. In the video above, Barker explains what impacts success more than GPA.
What did Bill Clinton score SAT? ›The answer should surprise you. Bill Clinton, who famously remembered the name of almost every person he ever met, only scored a 22. John Cena, who recently said it takes him over an hour-a-day to manscape his entire body, got a perfect 36.
What did Drake get on the SAT? ›
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Math | 620 | 560 |
| Reading + Writing | 628 | 580 |
| Composite | 1248 | 1140 |
| Smart Person | Known For | SAT Conversion (out of 1600) |
|---|---|---|
| Sonia Sotomayor | Associate Justice of the Supreme Court | 1560 |
| Steve Jobs | Co-founder of Apple | 1420 |
| Barack Obama | 44th and current President of the United States | 1340 |
| Lyndon B. Johnson | 36th President of the United States | 1190 |
In March 2016, the SAT underwent a massive redesign, part of which included a change to its scoring system: it shifted from a 2400-point scale to a 1600-point scale.
Has the SAT gotten harder over the years? ›Generally, Critical Reading (now just called Reading on the redesigned SAT) has taken an overall decline, whereas the Math score has risen slightly over time. There are of course small fluctuations throughout the years, but the overall trend is clear.
Is 1800 a bad SAT score? ›For example, a score of 1800 represents the 81st percentile, meaning a student with a score of 1800 scored better than 81 percent of the people who took the SAT that year. The percentile is critical since it is a true indicator of your positioning relative to other test takers, and thus college applicants.
How many wrong for 1600 SAT? ›You can find official SAT practice tests and their scoring tables at the College Board. As you can see with the above SAT scoring chart, it's possible to get some questions wrong and still earn the max SAT score. Generally speaking, you can miss 1-2 questions on each section and still get a perfect 1600.
How many questions can you get wrong and still get a 1500? ›It is important to remember you don't have to get all answers right to obtain a 1500 SAT score. So, start answering the questions which you find easy. To get 1500 SAT, you need to get at least 48 right out of 52 in the Reading section.
How many PSAT questions can I miss? ›Many high school students take the PSAT to prepare for the SAT and to qualify for scholarships. The PSAT uses a scoring scale of 320-1520. You can calculate your total score using an official PSAT scoring chart. In general, you can miss up to one question on each PSAT section and still earn a perfect score.
What score if you miss one question on SAT? ›Typically, if you get 0-1 wrong answers on the Math section you score a perfect 800. If you miss 1-3 questions, you lose 10 points and score a 790. If you miss 10 questions, you can expect a Math section score in the 680-710 range.
Does the SAT penalize you for missing a question? ›If you don't know an answer, there's no reason not to guess; there's no SAT guessing penalty.
What should I do 2 days before the SAT? ›
2 days before the test date – It's time to take a step back and slow your pace down. Keep just an hour or two to revise and practice but do not overdo it. Avoid burnout. 1 day before the test date – How you spend the last day before your actual test can make a big difference in how you perform on the test.
Do wrong answers hurt your SAT score? ›At present, a wrong answer on either test does nothing to your score—it won't hurt it, but it can't help it either. Many students (and their parents) remember the old guessing penalty, and they are afraid to take a chance on a question.
How many hours a day should I study for the SAT? ›An ideal study schedule includes two to three hours of test prep, every day of the week. Remember, this commitment is only for a few months. Now, it might not be possible that you can do two hours per day. If not, you should try for at least one hour every day.
Is it worth taking PSAT twice? ›However, a common (and recommended) option for students is to take the PSAT twice;once in 10th grade, and again in 11th grade. If you take the PSAT twice, you'll get great practice in 10th grade, and you can use your 11th grade PSAT score as part of your eligibility for the National Merit Scholarship Program.
What PSAT score is required for Harvard? ›PSAT Averages
This would put you squarely in the 50th percentile of scoring. But those averages can change depending on the college you're hoping to apply to. For example, the average PSAT score by Harvard admitted students was between 1420 and 1520 (or 210-238 on the old scale).
If your ultimate goal is to attend an elite university, then you should know that a good PSAT score for Ivy League admission is to be in the 99th percentile or higher. In other words, if your main priority is getting into the Ivy League, you should aim for a composite PSAT score anywhere between 1280 and 1520.
Can your SAT score be wrong? ›If your score is very different from what you expected, you may have made an obvious mistake in marking your answers, in which case we will attempt to rescore your test. Examples of obvious errors: gridding your answers in the wrong section or marking a skipped question by mistake.
Is the SAT curved? ›College Board reports that, contrary to popular belief, the SAT is not graded on a curve. That means you are not evaluated based on how well you did compared to other test-takers who took the SAT the same day. Students take different versions of the test anyway, so it would be difficult to compare their performances.
How long does it take to improve SAT score? ›Even if you're already on a high score, improving your SAT scores by 200 points requires two months or even longer period of consistent studying and self-assessment. Here are some tips to improve your SAT score by 200 points: First of all, start appearing for the practice tests at least once a week.
How to guess SAT answers? ›- GUESSING STRATEGY: PICK A “LETTER OF THE DAY” ...
- Guess if a question becomes time consuming or confusing. ...
- Eliminate obviously wrong answers whenever possible. ...
- Guess a simple integer for grid-in questions on SAT and PSAT Math.
What is the best letter to guess on a test? ›
C or H are right (and wrong) as often as any other answer choice. The only guess letter you don't want to use when you are completely guessing is E or K because they only show up on the math test. Ok, myths exposed, let's move on to how and when to guess.
What is the most used multiple-choice answer? ›Remember, the expected likelihood of each option being correct is 25%. And on tests with five choices (say, A, B, C, D, and E), E was the most commonly correct answer (23%). C was the least (17%).