Is a 1250 SAT Score Good?
A 1250 is at about the 86 percentile nationally and equals an ACT 26 under the official concordance. It is in roughly the top 15 percent nationally. Try the calculator below to estimate the range your own correct answers give.
Estimate only. The digital SAT is adaptive and College Board does not publish a raw-to-scaled score table, so this range comes from our own approximate model. Your real score depends on which questions you got right. Percentiles are College Board's published table; ACT equivalent uses the 2018 concordance.
What a 1250 SAT means in numbers
| Measure | Value for 1250 | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Percentile, nationally representative | 86 | College Board Research |
| Percentile, SAT user group | 80 | College Board Research |
| Equivalent ACT composite | 26 | 2018 ACT/SAT concordance |
| ACT 26 in SAT terms | 1240 (range 1230–1250) | 2018 ACT/SAT concordance |
| Average section score needed | about 625 each | Total ÷ 2 |
| Approx. correct answers (estimate) | ~41/54 R&W, ~32/44 Math | Site model |
In the nationally representative table, about 14 in 100 students score at or above a 1250. The user-group percentile compares you only with students who actually took the SAT in the past three graduating classes, so it is lower than the national figure at the same score.
Percentiles from College Board Research (checked October 2026); see sources below.
What a 1250 typically means for college admissions
A strong score for many competitive public universities. Selective private schools often look for higher, so consider retaking once if you are close to a target.
These are general tiers, not school-specific claims. Check each college's own published score data and test policy.
How many more questions could raise a 1250? (estimate)
In our approximate model, one more correct answer is worth about 18 points in Math (44 questions) or 14 points in Reading and Writing (54 questions) near this level. Moving from 1250 to 1300 would take roughly 4 more correct answers across the whole test, and would lift the national percentile from 86 to 91. Dropping to 1200 would be about the 81 percentile.
This is a model estimate. The adaptive test weights harder questions more, so the real change depends on which questions you miss and whether your second module is hard.
Study tips for a 1250
Focus: Converting the last medium and hard questions.
- Keep an error log by topic and fix the top two each week.
- Practice hard module 2 questions in Bluebook with a timer.
- Check for transitions and punctuation traps on the last Writing questions.
Sources
- College Board Research – SAT Nationally Representative and User Percentiles
- 2018 ACT/SAT Concordance Tables (ACT and College Board)
- College Board – How Are Scores Calculated?
Page: https://calcdesk.pages.dev/sat-score-calculator/1250/
Frequently asked questions
Is a 1250 SAT score good?
A 1250 total is at about the 86 nationally representative percentile and the 80 percentile among actual SAT test takers (College Board). It is in roughly the top 15 percent nationally.
What is a 1250 SAT in ACT?
The 2018 ACT/SAT concordance maps a 1250 SAT to an ACT composite of 26. An ACT 26 corresponds to a 1240 SAT, with a range of 1230 to 1250.
How many questions do I need right for a 1250?
Our approximate model suggests about 73 of the 98 questions (around 41 of 54 in Reading and Writing and 32 of 44 in Math) if your sections are balanced. This is an estimate: the digital SAT is adaptive and College Board publishes no raw score table.
How can I raise a 1250?
Converting the last medium and hard questions. In our model, roughly 4 more correct answers across the test could move you toward 1300. This is an estimate, not a promise.