SAT Owl

ACT to SAT conversion

Convert an ACT composite score to an SAT total score, or an SAT total to an ACT composite. The numbers come from the official concordance tables that College Board and ACT published together, which are still the current official tables in 2026.

ACT to SAT conversion chart

This is Table A2 from the 2018 concordance. The single SAT score is the one to use when you need one number. The range lists every SAT total that concords to that ACT composite.

ACT composite	SAT total	SAT range
36	1590	1570 to 1600
35	1540	1530 to 1560
34	1500	1490 to 1520
33	1460	1450 to 1480
32	1430	1420 to 1440
31	1400	1390 to 1410
30	1370	1360 to 1380
29	1340	1330 to 1350
28	1310	1300 to 1320
27	1280	1260 to 1290
26	1240	1230 to 1250
25	1210	1200 to 1220
24	1180	1160 to 1190
23	1140	1130 to 1150
22	1110	1100 to 1120
21	1080	1060 to 1090
20	1040	1030 to 1050
19	1010	990 to 1020
18	970	960 to 980
17	930	920 to 950
16	890	880 to 910
15	850	830 to 870
14	800	780 to 820
13	760	730 to 770
12	710	690 to 720
11	670	650 to 680
10	630	620 to 640
9	590	590 to 610

SAT to ACT chart for every SAT total (Table A1)

The official table covers SAT totals from 1600 down to 590. It doesn't list lower totals.

SAT	ACT
1600	36
1590	36
1580	36
1570	36
1560	35
1550	35
1540	35
1530	35
1520	34
1510	34
1500	34
1490	34
1480	33
1470	33
1460	33
1450	33
1440	32
1430	32
1420	32
1410	31
1400	31
1390	31
1380	30
1370	30
1360	30
1350	29
1340	29
1330	29
1320	28
1310	28
1300	28
1290	27
1280	27
1270	27

SAT	ACT
1260	27
1250	26
1240	26
1230	26
1220	25
1210	25
1200	25
1190	24
1180	24
1170	24
1160	24
1150	23
1140	23
1130	23
1120	22
1110	22
1100	22
1090	21
1080	21
1070	21
1060	21
1050	20
1040	20
1030	20
1020	19
1010	19
1000	19
990	19
980	18
970	18
960	18
950	17
940	17
930	17

SAT	ACT
920	17
910	16
900	16
890	16
880	16
870	15
860	15
850	15
840	15
830	15
820	14
810	14
800	14
790	14
780	14
770	13
760	13
750	13
740	13
730	13
720	12
710	12
700	12
690	12
680	11
670	11
660	11
650	11
640	10
630	10
620	10
610	9
600	9
590	9

Where these numbers come from

College Board and ACT built these tables together and published them in June 2018 in the Guide to the 2018 ACT/SAT Concordance. The guide calls them the only official ACT/SAT concordance tables and says they replace the tables released in 2016. The researchers used scores from 589,753 students in the class of 2017 who took both the ACT and the SAT, weighted to look like everyone who takes either test. They then matched scores that had the same percentile rank in that group. An ACT 30 and an SAT 1370 sit at about the same rank.

The SAT scale has more steps than the ACT scale, so each ACT composite lines up with a range of SAT totals. The tables name one SAT score in each range for when you need a single number. The calculator shows that number first and the range under it.

Is the 2018 table still current?

Yes. ACT's concordance page says the latest version was released in 2018 and is not updated annually, and College Board's SAT and ACT comparison page links to the same 2018 tables. Both tests have changed since 2018, and neither change replaced the table.

• The SAT moved to a digital, adaptive format. College Board says a score on the digital SAT means the same thing as the same score on the paper SAT. Its example is that a 1050 on the digital SAT corresponds to a 1050 on paper.
• The enhanced ACT, which rolled out in 2025, made science optional. The composite is now the average of English, math and reading, still on the 1 to 36 scale. In its guidance on interpreting enhanced ACT scores, ACT reports that the new and old composites match point for point above 13 and that the current ACT/SAT concordance can continue to be used. ACT also says formal work on updating the concordance has not begun, and that an update would need data from students who have taken both the enhanced ACT and the digital SAT.

How precise is a converted score?

A concorded score is an estimate, not a prediction of what you'd get. The concordance guide puts the standard error at about 80 SAT points when you convert ACT to SAT, and about 2 points when you convert SAT to ACT. A student with an ACT 26, which the chart lists as SAT 1240, could plausibly score anywhere from about 1160 to 1320 on the SAT. Treat the converted number as a starting point and check it against a real practice test.

The guide and College Board's comparison page add a few rules:

• Convert individual scores, not averages or ranges. Don't convert a college's median or middle 50% range from one test to the other. Most colleges publish both, so compare your SAT with their SAT range and your ACT with their ACT range.
• Don't combine the two tests in a superscore. If a college superscores, it does so within one test. Our SAT superscore calculator works out the SAT version.
• This page converts the ACT composite and the SAT total. The 2018 guide also has separate tables for ACT math to SAT Math and for ACT English plus reading to SAT Reading and Writing.

Which test should you take?

If your two scores land within a point or two of each other on the ACT scale, either test is a reasonable choice, and the decision comes down to format. The SAT gives you more time per question and one short passage per question. The ACT moves faster and uses longer passages with several questions each. Our SAT vs ACT comparison goes through the differences section by section. If one score is clearly higher after conversion, put your prep time into that test.

Questions about ACT and SAT conversion

Sources: College Board and ACT, Guide to the 2018 ACT/SAT Concordance (Tables A1 and A2); ACT, ACT/SAT concordance tables; ACT, Interpreting Scores on the Enhanced ACT (2025); College Board, SAT and ACT comparison and digital SAT score scale. Checked October 2026.