ACT to SAT Conversion: Official Chart and Score Converter

ACT to SAT conversion chart

Find your ACT composite in the first column. The second column is the SAT total that lines up with it. The third column is every SAT total that converts back to that ACT score.

Source: ACT, Official Concordance Tables, Table A2. The same tables are in College Board's Guide to the 2018 ACT/SAT Concordance.

SAT to ACT conversion chart

Every SAT total from 590 to 1600 and the ACT composite it lines up with. Scroll the table to find yours.

Source: ACT, Official Concordance Tables, Table A1.

Section score conversions

The official tables also compare section scores. ACT Math lines up with SAT Math. For Reading and Writing, add your ACT English and Reading scores together, then find the sum below. For example, a 30 in English and a 32 in Reading is 62, which lines up with an SAT Reading and Writing score of 680.

College Board asks schools not to combine section scores from the ACT and the SAT into a single superscore, so use these tables to compare sections, not to build a new total.

Source: ACT, Official Concordance Tables, Tables B2 and C2. The SAT to ACT section tables (B1 and C1) are on the same page.

Is the conversion chart still accurate?

Yes, according to both testing organizations. The tables come from a 2018 study that ACT and College Board did together, and ACT says they are not updated every year. Both tests have changed since then:

• The digital SAT. College Board studied the digital SAT against the old paper test and confirmed “a straight-line concordance” between the two, so digital scores mean the same thing as paper scores. College Board still points schools to the 2018 ACT/SAT tables.
• The 2025 ACT. Since April 2025 online and September 2025 on paper, the ACT composite is the average of English, math, and reading. Science is optional and reported separately. ACT says composites with and without science are comparable and that “we believe that the concordance will hold.”

One caution from both organizations: a converted score is not a prediction of what you would earn on the other test. It means students with those two scores ranked about the same among students who took the tests around the same time.

Sources: College Board, Digital SAT Suite Concordance and Vertical Scaling Studies; College Board, SAT and ACT Comparison; ACT, Test Enhancements for Higher Ed.

SAT or ACT: how to use the converter to choose

1. Take one official, full-length practice test of each. The SAT's are free in College Board's Bluebook app (SAT practice tests), and ACT has free official practice tests. Time them like the real test.
2. Enter both scores in the converter above. It tells you which score is higher once they are on the same scale.
3. Focus on the stronger test. Colleges that consider test scores generally accept either one. If your scores are about even, pick the test whose format you liked better or whose dates fit your schedule.

For more on how the two tests differ, read SAT vs. ACT: which should I take? and SAT vs. ACT: the final word. If you have a PSAT score, see what your PSAT score means. For what a single score means on its own, see our SAT score checker and ACT score checker. High scores on either test can also earn merit aid.

Frequently asked questions

Every conversion on this page comes from the official ACT/SAT concordance tables. We are independent tutors and are not affiliated with ACT or College Board. Last checked October 27, 2026.