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:

The official tables continue down to SAT 590–610 (ACT 9). Every SAT total in a range concords with the same ACT composite.

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 offers an optional science section (really critical reading of scientific passages), reported separately from the Composite
• 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: averages your best English, math and reading scores across test dates; since the 2025 changes, science is not part of the Composite (older superscores could include it)

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 colleges set their own rules on which scores you must send. Check each school's policy.

What's a good score?

These are rough targets, not cutoffs, and each SAT/ACT pair follows the 2018 concordance. For a specific college, its Common Data Set lists the middle 50% of SAT and ACT scores among enrolled students.

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 in admission even if submitted (the University of California, as of November 2026)
• Test-required: scores required (MIT, Harvard and Stanford, among others, have reinstated the requirement)

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

Subject-specific comparisons

The main tables cover SAT total and ACT composite scores. The 2018 release also includes section tables:

• SAT Math (200-800) ↔ ACT Math (1-36)
• SAT Reading & Writing (200-800) ↔ ACT English + Reading sum (2-72)

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. Both tests are offered on several dates a year outside the US; check each test's international calendar for dates near you. 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 the only official ACT/SAT concordance. The digital SAT, launched in 2023–2024, uses the same score scale and the same concordance, and ACT says it believes the concordance will hold for the enhanced ACT, whose Composite is the average of English, math and reading.

Percentile context matters

The concordance links reported scores on the two tests, but percentiles tell you what a score means relative to other test-takers. These are College Board's SAT user percentiles (students who graduated in the past three school years), shown with the concordant ACT composite:

• 1500 SAT / 34 ACT — 97th percentile
• 1400 SAT / 31 ACT — 93rd percentile
• 1300 SAT / 28 ACT — 85th percentile
• 1200 SAT / 25 ACT — 75th percentile
• 1050 SAT / 20 ACT — 55th percentile

The percentiles are for the SAT score; ACT publishes its own norms for the composite.

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 $15 per additional SAT report after the free window (College Board fees through June 2027); additional ACT reports cost $20 (as of November 2026, per ACT's fee schedule)
5. Self-reporting is often allowed — Harvard and Stanford, for example, accept self-reported scores on the application, and Stanford asks for official reports only if you enroll; follow each school's instructions

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 and Writing (1390 total) converts to an ACT composite of 31 — 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, with the official single-score equivalent and the SAT range behind each ACT composite.

Sources

• College Board and ACT — Guide to the 2018 ACT/SAT Concordance
• ACT — ACT Superscore FAQs
• College Board — Understanding SAT Scores
• College Board — SAT Test Fees