Getting a good SAT score is a very important step on the pathway to the college of your dreams. Your SAT score helps colleges rank you in comparison to other potential students so the better you do in the SAT, the more likely you are to be admitted into your preferred college. We will see is 1270 a bad SAT score or not in this article
Is 1270 A Bad SAT Score?
A score of 1270 in the SAT usually ranks around the mid eighties in terms of percentile. This is actually a pretty decent score and should be an asset if you’re applying to most colleges. However, when it comes to Ivy League and other top-tier colleges, a 1270 will almost never be enough to get you in. According to most statistics, you should be able to competitively apply for around 1300 schools while having slim chances of getting into around 180 schools. If you have impressive co-curriculars then this may boost your chances of getting admitted into a more competitive school. If you want to get into more top-tier colleges, then you can always take the SAT again as improving your score by even a hundred points could really improve your shot at getting into a high level college. Remember, the SAT is a test of your test taking skills rather than purely your knowledge so there are a lot of sure shot ways to getting a good score. A lot of the time though, the skills that the SAT is supposed to measure aren’t really required for your degree. So, for example if you have an Art degree, then your SAT score won’t necessarily be the most important factor for you getting into your preferred college.
What Colleges Can You Get into With a 1270?
For most middle-of-the-range colleges, a 1270 is a fantastic score. Some of these colleges include:
- University of Tennessee
- University of California
- University of Connecticut
- Drexel University
- Ohio University
- University of Alabama
How to Make Your 1270 Look Better
There are a lot of ways you can support your 1270 in order to make yourself appear as a more attractive candidate to admissions boards.
- Extra Curriculars
Colleges want well-rounded individuals. Sometimes if a student excels at academics alone but has no knowledge besides that which comes from traditional education, it can make them look close-minded and robotic to the college. Having impressive co-curriculars is key if you want to make yourself stand out in comparison to other academically brilliant students. If your extra curriculars are related to your future major, then that increases your chances of getting in even more.
- Recommendations
Colleges value the opinions of credible sources when it comes to determining a student’s capability, work ethic, and character. If you’ve worked before college, a letter from your employer about your stellar performance can help you stand out. Similarly, a letter from one of your teachers about how you excelled in their class will definitely make a good impression on college admission boards.
- Great Academic Record
High school grades are just as important as SAT scores. If you’ve consistently performed well in your school exams and assignments, then this significantly improves your chances of getting into a great college. SAT scores reflect your potential on just one given day, but high school transcripts showcase your effort over a period of several years. Colleges value consistency in their students so if you’ve gotten good grades in high school then your SAT score won’t matter as much.
- Personal Essay
Your personal essay is your chance to show your college who you are. If you manage to write an inspiring piece, detailing your struggles and all that you’ve had to overcome then it might just compensate for a lower SAT score.
How to Improve Your SAT Score
- Practice More
Practice truly does make perfect. The SAT is not really a test of your abilities as much as it is a test of your capabilities in giving a standardised exam. The SAT has certain patterns of questions and if you keep practicing, you should be able to crack the code of the test. Take practice tests frequently and keep a record of your starting and finishing scores.
- Read More, Write More
Again, this is part of the practice point. The SAT exam tests your vocabulary, comprehension, and error-checking skills. You should read as much as you can so you’re comfortable with the rules and formulas of the English language.
- Process of Elimination
Much of the SAT is almost completely multiple choice. This means that you can hack the test by simply guessing which answer you think is most correct if you don’t know for sure. First you should eliminate the answers you’re sure are incorrect and then pick one from those that remain. The SAT no longer penalizes students for wrong answers, so you don’t have to worry about negative marking if you guess wrong.
- Set A Target Score
Don’t just practice and work without having a goal. Figure out what the average SAT scores are among the students at your dream college and keep those as the benchmark you want to work towards. Once you have a goal to work towards, your preparation will have a lot more direction and focus.
Conclusion
Scoring well on the SAT is an integral element for getting into a great college. You should take this test seriously and look into the average SAT scores of the students attending your dream college. If you have a 1270 and that’s around the same as the average of the students at your preferred college then congratulations.
However, if you haven’t scored as well as you’d have liked, you can partake in relevant extra curriculars and work on your other strengths in order to distract colleges from your SAT score. You could also always just take the test again and score even higher so that you can rank competitively in comparison to other students.
FAQs
Is a 1270 SAT score good enough for Ivy League colleges?
It is almost impossible to get into an Ivy League school with a 1270. Scores above 1500 are ideal and even if you’ve scored over 1400, your chances of getting in are still pretty slim.
Do colleges know if I’ve retaken the SAT?
Colleges cannot know if you’ve retaken the SAT unless you’ve willingly submitted all of your test history to them.
Does NYU take students with a 1270 SAT score?
If your aim is to get into NYU, you should try and score in the high 1400s to be a competitive candidate. However, if you have excellent co-curriculars and relevant work experience for your potential major then you might be able to get in with a 1270 as well.
