Is 1480 a Good SAT Score?
A 1480 SAT score is at the 97th percentile of SAT takers and the 99th of all US juniors and seniors: a very good score in the top 10 percent of SAT takers, 120 points past 1360 and 20 short of 1500.
- SAT takers
- 97th
- percentile, 97 in 100 at or below
- All US juniors and seniors
- 99th
- percentile, tested or not
- ACT match
- 33
- 1450 to 1480 on the concordance
- Points to 1500
- +20
- about 2 more right answers
What a 1480 SAT score means
A 1480 is in the top 10 percent of SAT takers (1360 and up). It is 20 points from 1500, the line where only 3 in 100 SAT takers score higher. Among all US juniors and seniors a 1480 is at the 99th percentile.
Split evenly, a 1480 is about 740 in Reading and Writing and 740 in Math, which on the paper Practice Test 11 table leaves room to miss 5 of 66 and 4 of 54 questions. One step down, a 1470 is at the 96th percentile of SAT takers; one step up, a 1490 is at the 97th percentile.
| Reading and Writing | Math | Right answers | Misses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 740 | 740 | 61 + 50 = 111 | 9 |
| 800 | 680 | 66 + 46 = 112 | 8 |
| 680 | 800 | 56 + 54 = 110 | 10 |
How 1480 compares with other SAT scores
The College Board publishes two percentiles for every total. Against recent SAT takers a 1480 is at the 97th percentile; against a research sample of all US 11th and 12th graders it is at the 99th percentile. The middle of that wider group is 1010, 470 points under your 1480.
| Score | What it marks | SAT takers | All US students | Points from 1480 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1010 | Middle of all US juniors and seniors | 48% | 50% | -470 |
| 1020 | Middle SAT taker | 50% | 52% | -460 |
| 1200 | Top quarter of SAT takers starts | 75% | 81% | -280 |
| 1360 | Top 10 percent of SAT takers starts | 90% | 95% | -120 |
| 1480 (you) | Your score | 97% | 99% | |
| 1500 | Top 3 percent of SAT takers | 97% | 99% | +20 |
| 1600 | Perfect score | 99+ | 99+ | +120 |
Percentiles: College Board Research, SAT Nationally Representative and User Percentiles, checked Oct 17, 2026.
On the official ACT and College Board concordance, 1480 falls in the 1450 to 1480 band, which matches an ACT composite of 33. See that row on the ACT to SAT conversion chart or see whether 33 is a good ACT score.
What it takes to go from 1480 to 1500
On the College Board's paper version of Practice Test 11, an even 740 and 740 takes 61 of 66 Reading and Writing answers and 50 of 54 Math answers, 111 of 120 in all. Moving to 1500 takes about 2 more right answers, though the College Board prints the same percentile for both. Spread any way you like, the table allows at most 11 misses for 1480 and 9 for 1500.
| Target | Why it matters | Reading and Writing + Math | Right answers | More than 1480 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1480 (you) | Where you are | 61 + 50 | 111 | |
| 1500 | the top 3 percent of SAT takers | 62 + 51 | 113 | +2 |
| 1530 | 50 points up | 63 + 52 | 115 | +4 |
Table: College Board, Scoring Your SAT Practice Test 11 (paper version of the digital test), 2026, checked Oct 17, 2026. The real SAT is adaptive and has no published raw to scaled table, so read these counts as a practice guide, not a promise.
Score a full Bluebook practice test with the SAT score calculator to see which section gives you more points per extra right answer, then aim your next test date at that section; many colleges superscore.
Is 1480 enough for your colleges?
That depends on the college, so we list no admission ranges. To check one, search its name plus "Common Data Set" and open section C9: the 25th, 50th and 75th percentile SAT scores of enrolled first-year students. A 1480 clears the 25th percentile wherever C9 starts at 1480 or lower, beats the middle student where the 50th is under 1480 and reaches the top quarter where the 75th is 1480 or lower. At a test optional college, send your 1480 where the 50th percentile is 1480 or lower and leave it off where the 25th is above 1480.
Some colleges post SAT minimums for merit scholarships on their own aid pages; check whether 1480 clears them, because a retake that does can pay off even where scores are optional. National Merit uses the PSAT/NMSQT, not the SAT: see what a good PSAT score is.
Where the 1480 numbers come from
Percentiles: College Board Research, SAT Nationally Representative and User Percentiles (2026), checked Oct 17, 2026. ACT match: ACT and College Board, 2018 ACT/SAT Concordance Tables, checked Oct 17, 2026. Right answer counts: College Board, Scoring Your SAT Practice Test 11 (paper version of the digital test), 2026, checked Oct 17, 2026.
The guide to a good SAT score reads the same files. Official scores come only from the College Board.
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Is 1480 a good SAT score?
A 1480 SAT score is at the 97th percentile of SAT takers and the 99th of all US juniors and seniors: a very good score in the top 10 percent of SAT takers, 120 points past 1360 and 20 short of 1500. Whether it is good for you depends on the colleges on your list.
What percentile is a 1480 SAT score?
The 97th percentile of SAT takers and the 99th of all US juniors and seniors, on the College Board's current tables. A 1470 reads 96th and 99th. A 1490 reads 97th and 99th.
What ACT score is a 1480 SAT?
About 33. The official 2018 ACT and College Board concordance puts SAT totals from 1450 to 1480 next to an ACT composite of 33. It compares the two scales; it does not predict what you would score on the ACT.
How many more questions does a 1480 need for 1500?
About 2 on the paper version of Practice Test 11, where an even split for 1480 takes 111 right answers of 120 and 1500 takes 113. 1530 (50 points up) takes 115. Real test forms are adaptive, so the count on test day can differ by a few questions.
Is a 1480 good enough for college?
Nationally it is at the 97th percentile of SAT takers, 460 points above the middle; each college has its own range, though. Compare 1480 with the 25th and 75th percentile SAT scores in section C9 of each college's Common Data Set.
Should I retake the SAT with a 1480?
Only if 1480 sits under the middle (50th percentile) SAT score in section C9 of the Common Data Set at colleges you want, or under a merit scholarship line you can see on their aid pages. From 1480, 1530 is about 4 more right answers on Practice Test 11; many colleges superscore, so a second date aimed at your weaker section is the cheapest gain.
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