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SAT ↔ ACT Concordance Calculator

Convert an SAT total score (400-1600) to its approximate ACT composite equivalent (1-36), or go the other way — instantly, in both directions, using the official 2018 College Board / ACT concordance table.

2018 official table Both directions Free, no sign-up Updated: Jul 22, 2026
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Enter your SAT total (EBRW + Math, 400-1600). Scores are always reported in multiples of 10, so your entry is rounded to the nearest 10 before the lookup.
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Enter your ACT composite (the rounded average of English, Math, Reading, and Science, 1-36). Because several SAT totals can share one ACT composite, the result shows a concordant SAT range.
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Enter either box — the SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score (200-800) or the ACT English + Reading average, i.e. (English + Reading) ÷ 2 rounded to the nearest whole number (1-36) — and the other field fills in automatically.
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Enter either box — the SAT Math section score (200-800) or the ACT Math test score (1-36) — and the other field fills in automatically, using the official 2018 section-level concordance table.
Quick answer A concordance table shows which SAT score and which ACT score correspond to a similar percentile standing among test takers who took both exams. On the official 2018 table, SAT 1200 ≈ ACT 25 and SAT 1600 ≈ ACT 36. It's an approximate comparison for your own reference — not an official score, and not something colleges require you to compute.
1600Max SAT ≈ ACT 36
1200SAT ≈ ACT 25
36Max ACT ≈ SAT ~1590
19ACT ≈ SAT 1000
⚠️ Note: This is an unofficial, informational comparison based on the 2018 College Board / ACT concordance table. It is not an official score conversion, and no admissions office is required to treat a concordant score as equivalent to a real test result. Colleges accept the SAT and ACT independently — you never need to convert one into the other, and you should submit whichever test's actual score you'd like considered.
🎓 SAT ↔ ACT Concordance Calculator — ToolPico ↗

What is SAT-ACT concordance, and how does it work?

A plain-English guide to what the SAT and ACT measure, why concordance tables exist, and how the official 2018 table was built.

The SAT and ACT are the two national college-admissions tests used across the United States. Nearly every four-year college accepts either one, and neither is "harder to get into college with" — but because the two tests use completely different scales, students, parents, and counselors often want a quick way to compare a score on one test to a score on the other. That comparison is called concordance, and it's built from a joint statistical study by the two testing organizations rather than a simple formula.

What is the SAT?

Quick answerThe SAT reports a total score from 400 to 1600, in multiples of 10, made up of two section scores: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) and Math, each scored 200-800. Since 2024 the SAT is administered digitally, but it still uses the same 1600-point scale introduced in the 2016 redesign.
  • Total score: 400-1600 (sum of the two section scores)
  • Section scores: EBRW 200-800, Math 200-800
  • Format: multiple-choice and student-produced-response questions; the separate SAT Essay was discontinued in 2021

What is the ACT?

Quick answerThe ACT reports a composite score from 1 to 36, which is the average of four section scores — English, Math, Reading, and Science — each also scored 1-36, rounded to the nearest whole number. An optional Writing test is scored separately (2-12) and is not part of the composite.
  • Composite score: 1-36 (rounded average of four sections)
  • Section scores: English, Math, Reading, Science — each 1-36
  • Optional Writing: scored 2-12, reported separately, not folded into the composite

Why do SAT-ACT concordance tables exist?

Quick answerConcordance tables let students, counselors, colleges, and scholarship programs compare scores from applicants who took different tests, without requiring anyone to retake either exam. Some scholarship criteria and internal benchmarking tools reference concordant score ranges, and students use them to gauge how a score on one test "would have looked" on the other.

Because a growing share of students take only one of the two tests, admissions offices, honor societies, and NCAA eligibility centers occasionally need a shared reference point. Concordance tables provide that reference without pretending the two tests are interchangeable question-for-question.

How was the 2018 concordance table built?

Quick answerAfter the SAT's 2016 redesign, the College Board and ACT, Inc. jointly ran a concordance study, matching the scores of students who had taken both the redesigned SAT and the ACT. The result, published in 2018, lines up scores that correspond to similar percentile ranks rather than using a fixed arithmetic formula, and it replaced an earlier interim 2016 table.

How do you convert an SAT score to an ACT score, and back?

Quick answerUse the calculator above: pick a direction, enter your score, and the tool looks it up directly in the official 2018 table. Because the SAT has many more possible totals than the ACT has possible composites, several SAT scores can share one ACT composite — so the ACT-to-SAT direction returns a small concordant range plus a representative value, while SAT-to-ACT returns a single ACT number.

What this tool does not do

This calculator is a lookup against the official concordance table — nothing more. It does not compute an official score, does not know your superscore or writing/essay score, does not predict admissions outcomes, and does not replace guidance from your school counselor or the testing organizations. Colleges evaluate the actual test you took; concordance is only for your own comparison.

Popular SAT ↔ ACT conversions (example table)

A handful of well-known anchor points from the official 2018 concordance table. Use the calculator above for any exact score.

Selected SAT total ↔ ACT composite equivalents
SAT totalACT composite
160036
152034
140031
130028
120025
110022
100019
90017
80014

Popular lookups

Full concordance & score-structure tables

The complete official 2018 concordance table in both directions, plus the score structure of each test.

Every SAT total (400-1600) with its concordant ACT composite and official 2018 percentile
SAT totalACT compositeSAT percentileACT percentile

Source: College Board & ACT, Inc., 2018 concordance tables. Percentiles are the official 2018 SAT User Percentile and ACT National Percentile (nearest-score match, share of test takers scoring at or below). Highlighted rows mark 200-point SAT milestones.

Every ACT composite (1-36) with its concordant SAT range and official 2018 percentile
ACT compositeSAT rangeRepresentative SATACT percentile

Multiple SAT totals can concord with a single ACT composite; the range shows the full span, and the representative value is its midpoint (rounded to the nearest 10). ACT percentile is the official 2018 ACT National Percentile for that composite.

SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing ↔ ACT English + Reading (2018 section concordance)
SAT EBRWACT English + Reading
SAT Math ↔ ACT Math (2018 section concordance)
SAT MathACT Math

Source: College Board & ACT, Inc., 2018 official section-level concordance tables. "ACT English + Reading" is the average of the English and Reading test scores, rounded to the nearest whole number, as defined in the official study.

SAT score structure
ScoreRange
Total score400-1600
Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW)200-800
Math200-800
ACT score structure
ScoreRange
Composite score1-36
English1-36
Math1-36
Reading1-36
Science1-36
Writing (optional, not in composite)2-12

SAT & ACT terms glossary

Short definitions of the core terms used when comparing SAT and ACT scores.

SATA national college-admissions test scored 400-1600, combining Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Math section scores (200-800 each).
ACTA national college-admissions test scored 1-36 (composite), the rounded average of English, Math, Reading, and Science section scores.
Concordance tableA statistical cross-reference matching SAT and ACT scores that correspond to a similar percentile rank, published jointly by the College Board and ACT, Inc.
Composite scoreThe ACT's single overall score (1-36) — the rounded average of its four section scores.
Total scoreThe SAT's single overall score (400-1600) — the sum of its two section scores.
EBRWEvidence-Based Reading and Writing, one of the SAT's two section scores, ranging 200-800.
SuperscoreThe best individual section scores combined across multiple test sittings — a college-specific policy, not part of the official concordance study.
PercentileThe share of test takers who scored at or below a given score; concordance tables aim to match SAT and ACT scores with similar percentiles.
Digital SATThe computer/tablet-based SAT administered since 2024. It still reports scores on the same 400-1600 scale, so the 2018 concordance table still applies.
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In-depth guides

Step-by-step explanations of the most commonly asked SAT-ACT concordance questions.

How was the 2018 SAT-ACT concordance table built? (step by step)

Step 1: After the SAT was redesigned in 2016 (returning to a 1600-point scale), the College Board and ACT, Inc. jointly gathered scores from a large group of students who had taken both the redesigned SAT and the ACT.
Step 2: Statisticians matched each student's percentile rank on one test to their percentile rank on the other, producing a table of "equally ranked" score pairs rather than a simple arithmetic formula.
Step 3: Because the SAT reports 10-point increments across 121 possible totals and the ACT reports whole numbers across 36 possible composites, several SAT scores can land on the same ACT rung (and vice versa) — which is why the ACT-to-SAT direction in this tool shows a small range.
Step 4: The result, published in 2018, replaced the interim 2016 concordance and is the version most colleges, scholarship programs, and test-prep resources reference today.

SAT 1200 vs. ACT 25 — are they really "the same" score?

They represent a similar percentile standing among the students in the concordance study — not identical content mastery. The SAT and ACT differ in structure: the ACT has a dedicated Science section and is typically faster-paced with more questions per minute, while the SAT has no Science section and includes a no-calculator-friendly Math design with more time per question. Two "equivalent" concordant scores can still reflect different underlying strengths.

That's why concordance is best used as a rough comparison, not proof that a student would score identically on both tests — actual performance on either exam depends on which test format better fits the student.

Using concordance to decide which test to focus on

If you've taken a full practice test for each exam and one test's concordant score is meaningfully higher than the other, that's a useful signal — though not a guarantee — that the higher-scoring test format may suit your skills better. Consider whether the ACT's faster pace and dedicated Science section, or the SAT's Math design and reading passages, play more to your strengths.

Since colleges accept both tests equally, the decision ultimately comes down to comfort and score potential, not the concordance number alone. Many students take a practice test for each before committing to one.

Frequently asked questions

What is an SAT-ACT concordance table?
A concordance table is a statistical cross-reference showing which SAT score and which ACT score correspond to roughly the same percentile standing among test takers. It doesn't mean the two scores measure identical content — the SAT and ACT are different tests with different section structures — but it lets you compare performance on one test to performance on the other. The current standard table was published jointly by the College Board and ACT, Inc. in 2018, based on the scores of students who took both tests.
How accurate is the SAT-ACT concordance table?
It's a reliable statistical approximation, not an exact science. The SAT reports scores in 10-point increments on a 400-1600 scale while the ACT reports whole numbers on a 1-36 scale, so several SAT scores can map to the same ACT score (and vice versa) — that's why the ACT-to-SAT direction on this tool shows a small range rather than a single number. Treat the result as "in the same ballpark," not a precise substitute for taking the test.
What SAT score is roughly equivalent to an ACT 25?
Based on the official 2018 concordance table, an ACT composite of 25 corresponds to an SAT total in the 1190-1210 range, with about 1200 as the representative value.
What ACT score is roughly equivalent to an SAT 1200?
An SAT total score of 1200 corresponds to an ACT composite of about 25 on the official 2018 concordance table.
Do colleges use concordance tables to compare my application scores?
Some colleges and scholarship programs may reference concordance tables informally when comparing applicants who submitted different tests, but admissions offices evaluate the actual score you submit — you are not required to convert one test's score into the other, and both tests are accepted independently at essentially all US four-year colleges. Concordance is a personal comparison tool, not an official substitution.
Is the 2018 concordance table different from earlier tables?
Yes. The SAT was redesigned in 2016, returning to a 1600-point scale from the 2005-2015 2400-point scale, so the College Board and ACT, Inc. jointly re-ran the concordance study in 2018 using scores from students who took the redesigned SAT. The 2018 table replaced the earlier interim concordance and is the version colleges and counselors currently reference.
What are the score ranges and sections of the SAT and ACT?
The SAT total score ranges from 400 to 1600, combining two section scores — Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) and Math — each scored 200-800. The ACT composite ranges from 1 to 36 and is the rounded average of four section scores: English, Math, Reading, and Science, each also scored 1-36. The ACT's optional Writing test is scored 2-12 separately and is not part of the composite.
Can I use this tool to decide whether to retake a test?
It can help you sanity-check whether your score on one test looks unusually low or high compared to the other, but a retake decision should also weigh each college's superscoring policy, your target schools' score ranges, and how much realistic improvement more preparation could bring. Concordance alone isn't a retake strategy.
Does superscoring change how concordance works?
No — concordance tables compare a single sitting's total/composite score on one test to a single sitting's total/composite score on the other. If a college considers your superscore (your best section scores combined across multiple sittings), that is a separate policy set by each individual college and isn't part of the official concordance study.
Can I convert SAT section scores like EBRW and Math to their ACT equivalents?
Yes. The calculator's "Section scores" mode uses the official 2018 section-level concordance tables to convert your SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) score to an ACT English + Reading average, and your SAT Math score to an ACT Math score, in either direction. These are separate tables from the total/composite concordance, since each SAT section (200-800) is matched against a different ACT section pairing (1-36).

Methodology & sources

ToolPico's SAT to ACT Concordance Calculator looks up your score directly in the concordance table jointly published by the College Board and ACT, Inc. in 2018, built from the scores of students who took both the redesigned SAT and the ACT. Because the two scales don't align one-to-one, the ACT-to-SAT direction returns the range of SAT totals associated with your ACT composite plus a representative midpoint value, while the SAT-to-ACT direction rounds your score to the nearest 10 (matching how SAT totals are always reported) before the lookup. Results are computed instantly in your browser; no data is sent to a server.

Basis: College Board & ACT, Inc. (2018) concordance tables. Last updated: July 22, 2026. This tool is for informational and comparison purposes only — it is not an official score conversion, and colleges evaluate the SAT and ACT independently, so submitting either test's genuine score is accepted at essentially all US four-year colleges.

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