Although SAT and ACT score averages for the class of 2025 prove to be an improvement from the previous year, scores still remain below pre-pandemic levels. This year, SAT scores for reading and writing averaged at 521, while math averaged at a score of 508. These scores are lower than the 2019 average scores of 531 and 528, respectively. Furthermore, this year, only about 30% of students who took the ACT met 3 or more of the established college readiness benchmarks. These exams continue to see a decrease in the number of test-takers, which is highly credited to the test-optional approach established by institutions during the pandemic, with nearly 90% of U.S. higher education institutions remaining test-optional for admission.
