SAT scores are not the most important admissions criteria. A 2010 survey published by the National Association of College Admission Counseling found that admissions officials ranked GPA as the highest indicator of success. If you have a high GPA, it can compensate for a low SAT score. The GPA you need to compensate for your SAT score depends entirely on the college to which you plan to apply. Colleges that are more competitive will require higher GPAs, and the lower your SAT score, the higher your GPA will need to be.
The study by the National Association of College Admission Counseling found that the other factor ranked higher than SAT scores in college admissions was the strength of the curriculum students took. For example, admissions committees view a curriculum that includes Advanced Placement courses and honors courses more favorably than a standard curriculum. Even if a student earns average grades in these more rigorous courses, his application will have more weight than if he had earned straight As in remedial courses.
While the SAT is a popular admissions test for many students, many colleges will also consider the ACT. Students who do not perform well on the SAT may perform better on the ACT. According to the Princeton Review, questions on the ACT tend to be more straightforward and are easier to understand on first read. The ACT also includes questions on science and more advanced math concepts, but does not emphasize vocabulary as much. Students who are more comfortable in these subject areas may end up performing better on the ACT, and the higher scores may be able to offset the lower scores on the SAT for colleges that accept both.
What students do outside of the classroom can also indicate their potential success in college. According to the Huffington Post, admissions officers give weight to extracurricular activities in which students were able to serve a leadership role, were able to contribute in a meaningful way or received some kind of outside recognition. The right extracurricular activities, combined with a strong academic record, might just be enough to compensate for low SAT scores, even at competitive colleges.