SAT or ACT? Using Section Scores to Pick the Right Test
Most people only ever compare their SAT total to their ACT composite. But the official concordance study also breaks scores down section by section — and that breakdown can reveal something a single overall number hides: which test's format actually plays to your strengths.
Short answerTwo students can have SAT totals and ACT composites that concord almost perfectly overall, while their section-level performance tells a very different story. A single total/composite number averages away that difference.
The official 2018 College Board / ACT, Inc. concordance study didn't stop at the overall total and composite. It also produced two dedicated section-level tables: SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) against the ACT's English + Reading average, and SAT Math against ACT Math. These let you compare strength-by-strength instead of just headline-to-headline.
That matters because the SAT and the ACT aren't built the same way. The ACT is generally faster-paced with more questions per minute and includes a dedicated Science section with no SAT counterpart. The SAT gives more time per question on Math and has no Science section at all. A student who thrives under fast, formula-driven pacing may see their ACT section scores concord noticeably higher than their SAT sections would predict — or the reverse, for a student who benefits from the SAT's slower pace.
A hypothetical walkthrough, section by section
Short answerConvert each SAT section separately — EBRW and Math — to its ACT equivalent (or vice versa), then look at whether the two converted sections point to the same ACT composite or pull in different directions.
As a purely illustrative example (not a real student's data): suppose a hypothetical junior has an SAT EBRW score of 620 and an SAT Math score of 560. Looking up EBRW 620 against the section table might land near an ACT English + Reading average in the upper-20s, while Math 560 might land closer to the low-to-mid-20s on ACT Math. That gap — a stronger verbal-side conversion than math-side conversion — is exactly the kind of signal a single SAT total would blur together.
Illustrative section comparison (hypothetical, not a real score record)
SAT section
Score
Approx. ACT-side comparison
EBRW
620
Higher-end ACT English + Reading
Math
560
Mid-range ACT Math
If that same hypothetical student's practice-test experience backs up the gap — say, they consistently run out of time on ACT-style Science and fast-paced Math sets, but comfortably finish SAT-style reading passages — that's a reasonable signal the SAT's pacing suits them better on the whole, even if their ACT composite estimate looked "fine" in isolation.
Key fact: the section tables only cover EBRW↔English+Reading and Math↔Math. There is no official concordance entry for ACT Science or the optional ACT Writing test, since neither has a direct SAT counterpart.
Who this approach helps most
Short answerSection-level concordance is most useful for students who have already taken one test and are deciding whether to prep for a retake on the same test or switch to the other one before college application deadlines.
Students choosing their first test: if you've only taken a PSAT or a practice ACT, comparing section scores can suggest which full test to commit to before investing prep time in either.
Students deciding on a retake: if your two sections concord unevenly, it can clarify whether more prep on your weaker section is worth it, or whether the other test's format might suit you better overall.
Parents and counselors: section-by-section comparison gives a shared reference point for a conversation, rather than debating two different scales side by side.
In every case, section concordance is a starting point for a conversation or a prep-planning decision — not a verdict. Actual full-length timed practice tests remain the most reliable way to confirm which format suits a given student.
What the section tables don't cover
Short answerThe section concordance tables don't include ACT Science, the optional ACT Writing test, or any weighting for how a college might use superscores. They also don't account for test-day factors like anxiety, timing pressure, or familiarity with a particular format.
Because ACT Science has no SAT equivalent, a student who struggles specifically with that section won't see it reflected anywhere in a section-level SAT comparison — it simply isn't part of the concordance study. Likewise, if a college practices superscoring (combining a student's best section scores across multiple sittings of the same test), that's a policy set individually by each college and sits entirely outside what any concordance table, section-level or otherwise, was designed to capture.
Bottom line: use section concordance to spot a pattern worth investigating, then confirm it with a full practice test under real timed conditions before committing to a retake or a test switch.
Compare your SAT EBRW and Math scores against their ACT section equivalents in seconds.
How do I use section scores to decide between the SAT and ACT?
Convert your SAT EBRW score to its ACT English + Reading equivalent, and your SAT Math score to its ACT Math equivalent (or vice versa), then compare each converted section to how you'd likely perform on that section of the other test given its format and pacing. If your Math section concords much higher than your EBRW/English-Reading section (or the reverse), that gap is a hint about which test's structure plays to your strengths, since the ACT and SAT weigh and pace their sections differently.
Does the ACT Science section have an SAT equivalent?
No. The official 2018 concordance study only published section-level tables for SAT EBRW versus ACT English + Reading, and SAT Math versus ACT Math. The ACT's Science section and its optional Writing test have no SAT counterpart to concord against, because the SAT has no equivalent sections.
My SAT total and ACT composite concord evenly, but one section feels much stronger. What does that mean?
It means your two overall scores land at a similar percentile even though your underlying strengths aren't evenly spread across the two tests' section structures. This is common because the ACT's per-question pacing and its Science section have no SAT parallel, so a student strong in fast, formula-driven work can post a higher ACT composite than their SAT total would suggest, or the reverse for a student who benefits from the SAT's slower per-question pace.
Should I retake the SAT or switch to the ACT (or vice versa) based on concordance alone?
Concordance can flag a mismatch worth investigating, but it shouldn't be the only input. Weigh a full-length practice test under timed conditions on the test you're considering switching to, your target colleges' score ranges, how much time you have before deadlines, and any superscoring policy your colleges use, alongside what the section-level concordance suggests.
Can section-level concordance help parents or counselors advise a student?
Yes. Comparing a student's SAT EBRW and Math scores against their ACT-equivalent sections (or the reverse) gives parents and counselors a quick, shared reference point for discussing which test's format might suit the student better, without needing to interpret two unrelated scoring scales side by side.
Methodology note: Section-level figures referenced here come from the official 2018 College Board / ACT, Inc. concordance study. All student examples in this article are hypothetical illustrations, not real score records. This article is for general informational purposes only and is not admissions, financial, or test-prep advice — always confirm current scoring policies directly with the College Board, ACT, Inc., or the colleges you're applying to.