Is 790 a Good SAT Score?
By the Cheetah Prep team
790 is below the national average, and it is a starting point you can build on.
About 1,864,617 of the 2,004,965 students in the most recent testing class scored 790 or higher.
What 790 Really Means on the SAT
A 790 is in the 7th percentile, so you scored higher than about 7 percent of test takers, roughly 260 points below the national average of 1050. A 790 is below where most enrolled students land, which narrows the list of colleges where it helps. The upside is real. Score is the most improvable part of an application, and a focused stretch of prep moves it faster than almost anything else you can do.
Whether a 790 is good enough is really a question about your list. It keeps you in range at 8 of the 787 colleges below that report SAT data. Find your target schools in that group. If the ones you want sit higher, the tools on this page show exactly how far you have to climb and how much it changes where you get in.
790 on the SAT by Section
A 790 is a total, and there is more than one way to reach it. An even split is about 400 on Reading and Writing and 390 on Math, but the same 790 can come from a stronger showing on either side. That matters for your prep. The fastest way to a higher total is usually to push your weaker section, not to polish your stronger one. If one section trails the other, a few targeted topics there often move the total more than anything else.
| Mix | Reading and Writing | Math |
|---|---|---|
| Even split | 400 | 390 |
| Reading and Writing stronger | 440 | 350 |
| Math stronger | 360 | 430 |
What Colleges Can You Get Into With a 790 SAT Score?
Every school below reports real SAT data. Filter by how a 790 lands against each one, or search for a specific college. Every name links to its full scores and admissions page.
Your score sits inside their middle 50 percent.
| College | SAT middle 50 | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|
| Southern University and A&MLA | 790 to 1020 | 35.1% |
| Alcorn StateMS | 670 to 998 | 45.3% |
| HamptonVA | 790 to 1090 | 62.3% |
| CUNY YorkNY | 790 to 960 | 64.1% |
| BaltimoreMD | 740 to 1330 | 78.7% |
| West Virginia StateWV | 760 to 1040 | 96.0% |
| Alabama StateAL | 749 to 967 | 97.5% |
| the Virgin IslandsVI | 783 to 1030 | 99.0% |
Should You Submit 790 to Colleges?
A 790 calls for a strategic submit. Send it to schools where it lands at or above the 25th percentile, because there it supports your case. At schools where a 790 sits below the middle 50 percent, most of which are test optional today, you can apply without it and let the rest of your application carry the file. The explorer above sorts the schools into exactly these groups.
Test optional is not the same as test blind. A test optional school reads a score if you send one, so the decision is only about whether the number helps your case. A test blind school ignores scores entirely, so there the question never comes up. When you are unsure, one rule holds up well. If a 790 is at or above a school's 25th percentile, submitting usually helps.
How Many More Colleges Open Up if You Raise Your Score?
A 790 keeps you in range at 8 schools today. Drag the target to see how many more come into range as your score climbs.
+25
more colleges in range at a 840
33
total colleges in range
That is a 50 point climb. A diagnostic shows exactly which topics stand between your 790 and a 840.
See how to reach your targetShould You Retake the SAT With 790?
A 790 has real room to grow, and the odds favor a retake. College Board data shows that most students who take the SAT a second time raise their score, often by 40 to 90 points, and the students who prep deliberately tend to gain the most. At a 790 you have more upside than someone already near the ceiling, so a retake is one of the highest value moves on your list.
A retake only pays off if you change what you study between attempts. Sitting the same test again without fixing the topics that cost you points tends to move the score very little. So start by finding those topics. The diagnostic on this page pinpoints where a 790 is leaking points, so a second attempt is aimed rather than hopeful.
790 and Merit Scholarships
Merit aid is where raising a 790 pays off most directly. Many colleges publish scholarship grids keyed to SAT score and GPA, and the jump from one band to the next is often worth thousands of dollars a year. A gain that would barely change your admission odds at a safety school can still move you up a full merit tier, which makes the prep some of the best paid work you can do.
Merit grids vary by school, and the cutoffs shift from year to year, so treat any single figure as a guide rather than a promise. The pattern holds across almost all of them though. A higher score and a higher GPA move you into a larger automatic award, and together they decide most merit outcomes before an essay is ever read.
How to Raise a 790 SAT Score
The fastest gains come from the section costing you the most points, not from grinding what you already know. Our score plans break a target into weekly work by section, and the diagnostic shows exactly where a 790 is leaking points. Start there, then drill your weakest skills with real questions until the misses stop.
Aiming higher? See the full study plan to get a 1200 on the SAT.
790 SAT Score: Frequently Asked Questions
- Is 790 a good SAT score?
- A 790 is in the 7th percentile, meaning you scored higher than about 7 percent of the roughly 2 million students who take the SAT each year. It is below the middle 50 percent at selective schools, so it is the clearest place to improve if your list runs competitive.
- What percentile is 790 on the SAT?
- A 790 is in the 7th percentile. About 1,864,617 of the 2,004,965 students in the most recent testing class scored the same or higher.
- What colleges can you get into with 790 on the SAT?
- A 790 is in range at 8 of the 787 colleges we track that report SAT data. Use the explorer above to filter them by target, likely, and reach, and open any school for its full admissions picture.
- Should you submit 790 to test optional schools?
- Submit a 790 to any school where it lands at or above the 25th percentile, because there it helps your application. At schools where it falls below the middle 50 percent, test optional lets you apply without it. The explorer above shows which schools fall into each group.
- How much can you improve a 790 SAT score?
- Most students who retake the SAT gain points, commonly 40 to 90, and those who prep with a plan tend to gain more. A 790 leaves real room, so a focused stretch of prep aimed at your weakest topics can move it meaningfully. The diagnostic on this page shows where the points are hiding.
- Is 790 good for engineering or computer science?
- Engineering and computer science programs weigh the Math section heavily, and their score bars often run above the school's overall range. A 790 with a strong Math half is more competitive for these majors than the same total carried by Reading and Writing. If you are aiming at a technical program, push your Math score specifically.
- Is 790 good enough for the Ivy League?
- The Ivy League middle 50 percent generally runs from about 1500 to 1580, so a 790 is below the typical admitted range. A stronger score helps, but these schools weigh essays, rigor, and activities heavily, so it is never the whole story.
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