ACT vs. SAT Score Conversion & Comparison

ACT Comp.	Col. A Est. CR + M + W	Col. B SAT CR + M	Col. C Avg. section
36	2390	1600	800
35	2330	1560	780
34	2250	1510	750
33	2180	1460	730
32	2120	1420	710
31	2060	1380	690
30	2000	1340	670
29	1940	1300	650
28	1880	1260	630
27	1820	1220	610
26	1770	1190	590
25	1710	1150	570
24	1650	1110	550
23	1590	1070	530
22	1530	1030	510
21	1470	990	490
20	1410	950	470
19	1350	910	450
18	1290	870	430
17	1230	830	410
16	1170	790	390
15	1100	740	370
14	1020	690	340
13	950	640	320
12	870	590	290
11	780	530	260

Converting an ACT score to an SAT score isn’t like converting miles to kilometers. There’s no “right answer”, no exact value of what an ACT score is worth in SAT points. They are different tests, testing different skills, taken by different students. There are a lot of factors at work here, and several different ways to look at the data.

The makers of the ACT and The College Board, which administers the SAT, conducted a joint study of concordance between the two tests, available on the website for either program. This study examined the performance of students from the class of 2006 who took the newest versions of both tests, including the new Writing sections. The results were separated into two tables: one compared ACT Composite scores to SAT Critical Reading and Math scores (see Column B in the table); the other compared ACT English/Writing combined scores to SAT Writing scores (not shown).

Because they’re separated into two studies, the results can be difficult to use. Many students want to compare their final SAT score (the sum of Critical Reading, Math, and Writing scores) to their ACT Composite score. The ACT developed a formula to estimate a student’s final SAT score based on a given Critical Reading and Math score (see Column A). For your reference, we’ve also included the average single-section SAT score based on that Estimated combined score (see Column C).

This table is not a predictor of performance. It does not mean that a student who gets a 26 on the ACT will definitely get a 1770 on the SAT. That student may not even get close to 1770. It just means that those two scores represent, in general, a roughly similar skill level.

However, you can use this chart to see whether you’re doing better on one test than on another. Colleges often use charts like this to compare students who have taken different tests. So if you got a 26 on the ACT but a 1530 on the SAT, colleges will know your 26 is a better score and will likely value it more highly. If you’re not sure which test you should take, take a practice test of each type before doing any preparation work. If you score significantly higher on one of them, that’s the test you should focus your prep work on.

It’s also important to remember that these tables are approximations. SAT scores in particular should be thought of as a range, not an absolute number. If you got a 26 on the ACT and a 1740 on the SAT, that does not mean you are doing better on the ACT. The concordance considers any score within 20 or 30 points of the SAT scores shown in columns A and B to be equivalent.

Of course, the best source of information is from colleges themselves. Look up the schools you’re interested in and find out the SAT and ACT ranges of incoming students. That’s the best way you can see how well you stack up against your competition.

Sources:

http://www.act.org/solutions/college-career-readiness/compare-act-sat/

http://www.act.org/aap/concordance/estimate.html