What is an SAT to ACT concordance table?

A concordance table shows which SAT score and which ACT score represent about the same level of performance. It was built by comparing scores from students who took both tests, so colleges and students can compare the two on a single scale.

Which score should I send to colleges, my SAT or my ACT?

Send whichever score is stronger on the concordance scale. Colleges accept both tests equally and do not prefer one over the other. Convert both of your scores to the same scale, then send the higher one.

Do colleges convert your ACT score to an SAT score?

Many colleges use concordance internally when they report score ranges or compare applicants who submitted different tests. Admissions offices evaluate whichever score you submit on its own terms, but concordance is how the two tests get placed on a common scale.

Can you superscore across the SAT and ACT?

No. Superscoring combines section scores across multiple sittings of the same test. You cannot mix an SAT section score with an ACT section score. Colleges that superscore do it within each test separately.

Score Tools

SAT to ACT Conversion Chart

Q: Is a 1400 SAT the same as a 31 ACT?

Yes. On the concordance table, an ACT composite of 31 corresponds to roughly a 1400 SAT. The two scores represent a comparable level of performance.

Enter either score to see its equivalent on the other test. Below is the complete concordance table for every ACT composite from 9 to 36.

SAT total (400–1600)

↔

ACT composite (1–36)

Type a score in either box and the other updates automatically.

The full concordance table

This is the complete ACT-to-SAT lookup. Concordance is not a formula, it is a published table, which is why a calculator that multiplies your ACT by a fixed number will be off by 50 points or more in the middle of the range.

ACT composite scores and their SAT equivalents.
ACT composite	SAT total	Percentile band
36	1590	Top 1%
35	1540	Top 1%
34	1500	Top 2%
33	1460	Top 3%
32	1430	Top 5%
31	1400	Top 7%
30	1370	Top 10%
29	1340	Top 12%
28	1310	Top 15%
27	1280	Top 19%
26	1240	Top 24%
25	1210	Top 29%
24	1180	Top 35%
23	1140	Top 41%
22	1110	Top 47%
21	1080	Top 53%
20	1040	Top 60%
19	1010	Top 66%
18	970	Top 72%
17	930	Top 78%
16	890	Top 84%
15	850	Top 89%
14	800	Top 93%
13	760	Top 96%
12	710	Top 98%
11	670	Top 99%
10	630	Top 99%
9	590	Top 99%

A note on precision. Published concordance tables express each ACT score as a small SAT range rather than a single number. The values here are the center of each range, which is what you want for comparing your own scores. Treat a difference of 10 or 20 points as a tie.

Which score should you send?

Colleges accept the SAT and the ACT equally. No school prefers one, and submitting the ACT does not signal anything about you as a student. So the question is only ever which of your scores is stronger.

Convert both to the same scale using the table above and send the higher one. If they land within about 20 points of each other, they are effectively the same score and you should send whichever test you would rather retake, since that is the one worth another sitting.

Where students get this wrong

The most common mistake is assuming the test you took first is the one you are committed to. You are not. If your ACT converts higher than your SAT, send the ACT, even if you have taken the SAT three times.

The second is comparing a raw ACT composite against a college's published SAT range without converting. A 30 ACT next to a school listing "SAT 1350–1500" looks weak until you convert it to 1370 and see that it sits inside the range.

How concordance actually works

The table comes from students who took both tests. Researchers matched those scores against each other to find which SAT total lines up with which ACT composite. It describes real performance rather than any mathematical relationship between the two scoring systems.

That matters because the two tests are not scaled the same way. The gap between an ACT 35 and 36 is 50 SAT points, while the gap between a 20 and 21 is 40, and between a 13 and 14 is 40 again. A linear formula cannot reproduce that. This is why converters that use one tend to be most wrong exactly where most students score.

Common questions

Is a 1400 SAT the same as a 31 ACT?

Yes. A 31 composite corresponds to about a 1400 SAT. If you have both, they are the same score and neither is worth sending over the other.

Can I superscore across the SAT and ACT?

No. Superscoring combines your best section scores across multiple sittings of the same test. You cannot mix an SAT Math score with an ACT Math score. Colleges that superscore do it within each test separately, so take one test more than once rather than alternating between them.

Do colleges convert my ACT to an SAT score?

Often, yes, internally. Schools report a single score range in their published data, so scores from the other test get placed on that scale using concordance. Your application is still read with the score you submitted.

Does the ACT Science section change the conversion?

No. Concordance runs off the composite, and Science is already one of the four sections that make up your composite. A strong Science subscore can matter to a college looking at a STEM applicant, but it does not change what your composite converts to.

My school is test optional. Does any of this matter?

It matters for deciding whether to submit at all. Convert your stronger score, then compare it against the middle 50% range for each school on your list. Sitting inside or above that range generally argues for submitting. Below it usually argues for going test optional, though this varies by school and by program.

Track both tests in one place

The College Guide portal logs every SAT and ACT sitting, converts automatically, and shows how your best score compares against the median at each school on your list.

Create a free account

Free to start. No credit card. Works for any high school grade level.