SAT to ACT Conversion: A Complete Score Concordance Table for 2026

If your student has scores from both tests, or you’re trying to make sense of a single score in a world where half the families you know are talking about the other exam, one tool does more work than almost anything else: a reliable SAT to ACT conversion chart. That’s what this post is built around.

Below is the SAT to ACT concordance table we use with our own students. It maps scores on one test to their equivalents on the other, so you can compare them on a level playing field. Bookmark it. Between score comparisons, scholarship cutoffs, and college research, most families end up reaching for it more than once.

What Is an SAT to ACT Conversion Chart?

A concordance table is an officially recognized tool that maps equivalent performance between the SAT and the ACT. The numbers aren’t estimates or someone’s best guess. They come from concordance data jointly published by the College Board and ACT, based on large groups of students who took both exams, so they reflect how real test-takers actually performed across the two scales.

Reading the table is straightforward. Find a score on one test and look across to see its equivalent on the other. An SAT in the 1200 to 1220 range, for example, lines up with roughly a 25 on the ACT, while a 1490 to 1520 corresponds to about a 34. The same logic works in reverse for an ACT to SAT conversion.

What the SAT to ACT Conversion Chart Can Help You Figure Out

The reason this table is worth keeping handy is that it quietly answers several of the most common questions I hear from families during testing season. Here are the big ones.

“My student took both tests. Which score should we send?”

This is the question I get most often, and it’s usually accompanied by a little anxiety about sending the “wrong” one. The good news is that colleges accept both tests equally and don’t average them. So the move is simple: convert both scores to a common scale using the chart, and submit whichever one is stronger in equivalent terms. A student who feels like their ACT “looks better” may find, once converted, that their SAT is actually the higher of the two, or vice versa. The table takes the guesswork out of it.

“The scholarship lists an ACT cutoff. What’s the SAT equivalent?”

This is where a conversion chart can have real dollar value. Many universities publish merit aid thresholds in terms of only one test, and plenty of them use the ACT. If a scholarship requires “a 30 ACT or equivalent” and your student took the SAT, you need to know what SAT score clears that bar. Running the ACT to SAT conversion gives you the answer in seconds and tells you whether your student already qualifies or how far away they are. Given how many automatic merit awards are tied to specific score thresholds, this is not a small thing.

“Is this score actually good?”

Sometimes parents simply lack intuition for one test’s scale. If you took the ACT decades ago, a number like 1340 on the SAT may not mean much on its own, but seeing that it converts to a 29 might immediately tell you where your student stands. Using the chart to find the SAT equivalent of an ACT score, or the reverse, gives families a familiar reference point for judging whether a result is strong, average, or in need of another attempt.

“My student only took one test. Is it worth trying the other?”

Before investing weeks of prep into switching tests, it helps to set a realistic baseline. Converting your student’s current score gives you a rough sense of where they’d likely start on the other exam. If the equivalent score is already in a comfortable range, a switch may not be worth the effort. If there’s reason to think your student is better suited to the other test’s style and pacing, the conversion helps you weigh that decision with actual numbers rather than a hunch.

A Few Things to Keep in Mind

The chart is a strong benchmark, but a couple of caveats are worth remembering. Concordance scores describe ranges, not exact one-to-one equivalencies. A given SAT score doesn’t guarantee an identical performance on the ACT; it reflects how students in that range tend to score. And while the table is an excellent comparison tool, the most reliable way to know which test fits your student is still to sit them down with a full-length, timed practice test for each and compare the results directly.

Want Help Making Sense of Your Student’s Scores?

A conversion chart can tell you how two numbers compare, but it can’t tell you what to do next. Whether your student should retest, focus on one exam, or aim for a specific scholarship threshold depends on the full picture, and that’s exactly the kind of thing I work through with families one-on-one.

If you’d like an outside perspective on where your student stands and what a smart next step looks like, reach out to schedule a free consultation. We can look at the scores together and map out a plan that makes sense for your family.