An SAT percentile tells you what percent of test takers scored at or below your score. A 90th percentile score means you did better than 90% of test takers.
Percentiles are ranks, not scores. A 1400 at the 94th percentile means 94% of test takers scored at or below 1400. The percentile is relative to the SAT-taking population, not all students.
Approximate percentiles at common SAT scores.
Do not leave this answer as background knowledge. Connect it to a practice decision: what to drill, when to test, how to pace a module, or how to interpret a score report.
Each SAT section is scored on a 200–800 scale. Your raw score (number of correct answers) is converted into a scaled score via equating, and the two section scores add to your 1600 total.
A perfect SAT score is 1600 — the maximum possible. That is 800 on Reading & Writing plus 800 on Math.
Drill free SAT questions by skill, take timed modules, and project your 1600-scale score.