Is 1520 a Good SAT Score? Yes—Now Decide Whether the SAT Is Finished

A 1520 is an excellent SAT score. If you are wondering whether it is good enough, the direct answer is yes. The harder question is whether another test date would buy you anything real—or whether you are letting a score that already works keep taking up space in your fall.

Do not make that call by comparing yourself with the loudest scores in a group chat. Make it from three things: the colleges and programs on your actual list, your two section scores, and the evidence from your own recent practice. A 1520 can be a strong submit at a college that considers scores and still leave you with one narrow, legitimate reason to test again. Those are different decisions.

A 1520 is not a reason to stop caring about your applications. It is a reason to ask whether the SAT is still the best use of your next ten hours.

What a 1520 Actually Tells You

The SAT total-score scale runs from 400 to 1600, made from a Reading and Writing score and a Math score of 200–800 each. College Board describes 1350 or higher as the top 10% of SAT test takers, so a 1520 is well beyond that benchmark. But a total is only the front page of the result. Your score report also includes the section split, a score range, percentiles, and Knowledge and Skills information you can use if you need to decide what to practice next.

For example, 800 Math + 720 Reading and Writing and 760 Math + 760 Reading and Writing both equal 1520. Neither split is embarrassing or automatically wrong for any major. They do, however, create different questions if you are considering one more test date. A student hoping to raise a 720 may have one specific Reading and Writing pattern to investigate; a student with two 760s may have no clear repair lane at all.

Your score report’s range matters here too. College Board says it shows how much your scores would likely vary if you took a different administration under identical conditions. That does not turn a 1520 into a vague number. It means you should not promise yourself that one more Saturday will produce a precisely predicted jump.

First, Make the College-by-College Submission Call

A 1520 is not a universal admissions guarantee, and no responsible guide can turn it into one. The useful question is simpler: does this score help at each school that will consider it? Start with the school’s current first-year admissions page, not a ranking site, a social-media list, or a range from a different application year.

Keep one line of notes for each college: policy, current score information, superscore rule, score-report deadline, and your decision. That small document is more useful than trying to remember whether a 1520 felt impressive enough for each school.

Should You Retake a 1520?

Usually, no. Retake a 1520 only when you can name the outcome a higher score could change and the specific section-level evidence that makes improvement plausible. If you cannot name both, the better move is to submit the score where it helps and redirect the time to grades, essays, activities, or rest.

College Board says students may take the SAT as many times as they want, and many colleges consider a student’s highest scores. That makes a retake possible, not automatically wise. Before you register, check the fee, the test and application timelines, and each college’s reporting rules. A college can have a different superscore or all-scores policy than the next school on your list.

Use the Section Split Before You Choose a Study Plan

At 1520, a generic ‘work harder’ plan is almost never the answer. Start with the lower section—not because it is bad, but because it has more room to move. Then use missed and slow questions to decide whether the problem is knowledge, timing, or execution.

A practical ClassVal loop is: name one repeat pattern, practice it with fresh questions, explain why each miss happened, and recheck it under time. If that loop creates a stable section improvement, you have evidence for a retake. If it does not, you have equally valuable evidence that the SAT may be finished.

Do Not Turn a 1520 Into a Scholarship Promise

A high SAT score can be relevant to some scholarships or honors programs, but eligibility can also depend on residency, GPA, class year, major, deadline, and whether the program uses a superscore. Do not assume that 1520 automatically earns a specific award. Search the official page for every program you are considering, save the requirement in your college-list notes, and check the year before you make a testing decision around it.

Your 45-Minute Next Step

1. Write down the two section scores. Your next decision comes from the split, not from whether 1520 sounds high enough online.
2. Check four priority colleges. Record the policy, reported score information, superscore rule, score-report deadline, and submit-or-withhold decision from each official admissions page.
3. Check every scholarship or honors program on your list. Look only for current, published requirements that could make a score increase matter. Save the page and the application year.
4. Review one recent timed practice result. Mark wrong, guessed, and slow questions, then name the one pattern that repeats. If there is no pattern, do not invent a reason to retake.
5. Choose the better use of the next ten hours. Either build a narrow section plan with a real deadline, or move the time to the part of your applications that still needs it most.

FAQ: 1520 SAT Score

Is 1520 a good SAT score?

Yes. A 1520 is an excellent SAT score. It is well above the top-10% benchmark College Board gives for a 1350, but its usefulness for a particular college depends on that school’s current policy, published score information, and the rest of your application.

Should I submit a 1520 SAT score to a test-optional college?

Usually, submit it when the college considers scores and 1520 is within or above its published range. Still check the current policy and how the college asks applicants to report scores. If a college is test-blind, do not send a score it will not use.

Should I retake the SAT after a 1520?

Usually not. Retake only when a higher score could change a specific outcome, such as a published program threshold or a section-level gain at a college that superscores, and when your recent timed practice shows a repeatable reason to expect improvement.

Is 1520 enough for highly selective colleges?

A 1520 can be a strong score to submit, but no SAT score makes admission certain at a highly selective college. Compare it with the college’s current published information and keep the rest of the application—coursework, grades, writing, recommendations, activities, and context—in view.

Can a 1520 superscore higher?

It can if a college superscores and you later earn a higher section score. Colleges set their own reporting and superscoring rules, so verify each school’s policy before treating a future section result as part of your application plan.

The Bottom Line

A 1520 is an excellent SAT score. Submit it where a college will consider it, check the few programs where a written threshold could make a retake matter, and look at your section split before you give the test another Saturday. If no concrete reason survives those checks, let the score do its job and spend your effort on the rest of the application.