SAT/ACT Converter Calculator
Convert between SAT and ACT scores using official concordance tables.
About this calculator
The SAT and ACT are scored on entirely different scales -- the SAT runs 400 to 1600, the ACT composite runs 1 to 36 -- so there is no simple linear formula that translates one into the other. Instead, this calculator uses a concordance table, a lookup built by testing organizations from large samples of students who took both exams, mapping each SAT score band to the ACT score band that represents roughly equivalent performance. This calculator's table reflects the College Board's 2018 concordance study, which was a joint update between the College Board and ACT, Inc. after the SAT was redesigned in 2016; your score is matched to the score range (band) that contains it rather than interpolated between two nearby points.
Concordance tables are useful for a rough sense of where a score on one test compares to the other, which matters for students trying to decide whether a retake on a different test might yield a stronger application. They are not a perfect or permanent equivalence, though -- concordance tables get revised periodically as testing organizations gather new data, and individual students' relative strengths on the different question formats and content emphases of each test can make actual performance diverge from what a population-level concordance table predicts.
Convert
Results
Figures current as of 2018. Source: ACT, Inc. & College Board, "2018 ACT/SAT Concordance Tables"
How to Use This Calculator
- Select your conversion direction — 'SAT to ACT' or 'ACT to SAT' — from the Convert From dropdown.
- Enter your SAT Score (400–1600) or ACT Score (1–36) depending on the direction chosen.
- The calculator uses the official College Board 2018 concordance table to convert the score.
- Review the converted score for the other test.
- Use the Competitiveness rating to gauge how your score compares to national applicants.
- Submit both your original and converted scores on college applications if the school accepts both tests.
How the result changes with SAT Score
| SAT Score | SAT Score | ACT Score |
|---|---|---|
| 600 | 600 | 9 |
| 900 | 900 | 16 |
| 1,600 | 1,600 | 36 |
What each input means
- Convert From
- Choose which test score to convert.
- SAT Score
- Total SAT score (400-1600).
- ACT Score
- Composite ACT score (1-36).
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input ParametersConvert From = 0, SAT Score = 1200, ACT Score = 25 = 3 input(s) provided
- Calculate SAT ScoreSAT Score1200 = 1200
- Calculate ACT ScoreACT Score25 = 25
- Determine CompetitivenessCompetitivenessCompetitive (Top 30%) = Competitive (Top 30%)
Figures and sources
- 2018 ACT/SAT Concordance Tables (Tables A1/A2) (2018) — ACT, Inc. & College Board, "2018 ACT/SAT Concordance Tables"
Engine last updated . Checked against 3 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators. Built by Paul Gunder, a software engineer, not a licensed financial, medical, or legal professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
How was this concordance table derived?
It reflects the official 2018 SAT-ACT concordance study, a joint effort between the College Board and ACT, Inc. following the SAT's 2016 redesign, built from data on large numbers of students who took both exams. It maps score bands on one test to the score band representing roughly equivalent population-level performance on the other, rather than using a simple linear conversion formula.
Is a converted score guaranteed to be exactly what I'd score on the other test?
No -- concordance tables represent population-level statistical equivalence, not a guarantee for any individual student. Your actual performance on the other test depends on your personal strengths across each exam's different question formats and content emphases (the ACT includes a dedicated science section and moves faster overall, for example), so an individual score can reasonably land somewhat above or below the concordance table's predicted equivalent.
What happens if I enter a score outside the table's range?
The calculator clamps your entered score to the nearest value the concordance table actually covers -- 590 to 1600 for the SAT side, 9 to 36 for the ACT side -- before looking up its score band. Scores below those floors aren't meaningfully distinguished by the underlying 2018 concordance study, so very low entries will all map to the same lowest table entry rather than continuing to scale downward.
Should colleges care whether I submit my SAT or ACT score?
Most US colleges that consider standardized testing accept both SAT and ACT scores interchangeably and do not prefer one over the other, which is exactly why concordance tables matter -- they let applicants and counselors compare an SAT score against an ACT-based scholarship threshold or admissions profile, or decide which of the two tests to retake for a stronger application.
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