A good ACT score depends on your college list, but a 24 is a solid starting point because it beats about 79 percent of test takers.

Updated: 16th October, 2026 TL;DR A good PSAT score clears the College Board benchmark for your grade: 430 in Reading and Writing plus 480 in Math for sophomores, and 460 plus 510 for juniors. That works out to about 910 and 970 on a 320 to 1520 scale. If you're a junior aiming for National Merit, the class of 2027 needed a Selection Index of 208 to 223, depending on your state. If you want to show colleges more than a score, look at the Lumiere Research Scholar Program. It p

A good SAT score is one that fits the colleges on your list. The national average for the class of 2025 is 1029, so scores above it beat the typical test taker.