SAT to ACT Conversion: How the Concordance Tables Work

Colleges accept both the SAT and ACT — but when admissions officers compare applicants, they need a way to translate scores. The SAT to ACT conversion (called the concordance) is the official crosswalk between the two tests, and it shapes which score you should take, study for, and submit.

The official concordance table

College Board and ACT jointly published the concordance tables in 2018. Current conversions:

How admissions uses it

When reviewing applications, admissions officers:

1. Look at whichever test the applicant submitted
2. Convert to one scale (usually whichever most of their applicant pool uses)
3. Compare against the school's score range expectations

Most schools accept either test without preference — submit whichever is higher on the concordance.

Which test should you take?

Different students do better on different tests. Factors:

SAT favors

• Slower, more careful readers — questions have more "tricks" but more time per question
• Strong math reasoning ability — SAT math emphasizes algebra and data analysis
• Students comfortable with evidence-based reading

ACT favors

• Fast readers — ACT has less time per question
• Students with broader content knowledge — ACT includes a science section (really critical reading of scientific passages)
• Trigonometry, matrix math — ACT has more advanced math topics
• Students who prefer straightforward questions — ACT is less "trap-heavy"

Take a practice test of each

Best predictor of which you'll score higher on: take one full practice test of each under timed conditions. The gap will be clear. Free practice tests:

• Khan Academy — official SAT partnership, free
• ACT.org — free practice test download
• College Board — official SAT practice tests

Superscoring

Many schools "superscore":

• SAT superscore: takes your best Math and best Reading+Writing across multiple test dates
• ACT superscore: takes your best score in each of the four sections across multiple dates

If a school superscores, take the test multiple times. Most schools publicly confirm their superscoring policy on the admissions website.

Score choice and submission

You control which scores colleges see:

• College Board "Score Choice": you choose which SAT dates to send
• ACT similar: you choose which dates to send
• Exceptions: some schools require all scores (UC system for a while, some Ivies). Check each school's policy.

What's a good score?

These are median/25th-percentile ranges. Higher = stronger chance.

Test-optional considerations

Since 2020, many schools adopted test-optional or test-blind policies:

• Test-optional: submission is your choice; submit only if your score is at or above the school's median
• Test-blind: scores not considered even if submitted (UC system, some others)
• Test-required: still required (Georgia Tech, MIT, several others have re-required)

Check each school's current policy — rules change year-to-year.

Subject-specific comparisons

The concordance is for composite scores. For specific sections:

• SAT Math (200-800) ↔ ACT Math (1-36)
• SAT Reading & Writing (200-800) ↔ ACT English + Reading average

If your math is much stronger than verbal, one test may serve you better depending on which section is weighted how in the composite.

International students

US colleges accept either test from international applicants. ACT offers more international test dates; SAT has broader global name recognition. TOEFL/IELTS is a separate English proficiency requirement for non-native English speakers.

Historical concordance vs current

The current concordance was updated in 2018 after College Board redesigned the SAT in 2016. Prior tables (pre-2016) are obsolete — don't use 2014-era conversion charts you find in old prep books. The 2018 tables are what every US college uses today; the digital SAT launched in 2023–2024 uses the same score scale and the same concordance.

Percentile context matters

Concordance converts raw scores, but percentiles tell you what the score means relative to other test-takers:

• 1500 SAT / 33 ACT — ~98th percentile (top 2% of test-takers)
• 1400 SAT / 30 ACT — ~94th percentile
• 1300 SAT / 27 ACT — ~87th percentile
• 1200 SAT / 25 ACT — ~77th percentile
• 1050 SAT / 20 ACT — ~50th percentile (median)

When admissions officers say a score is "strong for our school," they're really saying it's above the school's 75th-percentile admitted-student score. Check Common Data Set reports for any college to find these exact ranges.

Score sending strategy

Most students don't realize colleges only see what you send them. Plan accordingly:

1. Take the test early (end of junior year) to allow retakes
2. Release scores before viewing only if confident — "Score Choice" lets you pick which dates to send
3. Free 4 score reports per test date if selected within 9 days — use this for safety schools
4. Pay $13 per additional report after the free window
5. Official reports only — most competitive schools don't accept self-reported scores at final application

When conversion doesn't work

The concordance converts overall composite scores well, but section-by-section translation is approximate. A student with 790 SAT Math and 600 SAT Reading will convert to roughly 32 ACT composite — but the ACT may score the math-strong profile slightly differently than SAT. If your scores are very unbalanced, take a practice test of each to see which handles your profile better.

Convert your score

Use our SAT to ACT converter for instant conversion in either direction — plus see percentiles and college tier targets for your converted score.