You’re sitting there with a 1350 SAT score, staring at your screen and wondering if that’s actually "better" than the 29 ACT your best friend just bragged about at lunch. It’s a classic dilemma. Honestly, the college admissions world loves to make this feel like you're comparing apples to oranges, or maybe like comparing a marathon to a sprint. But here's the thing: colleges don't actually care which test you take. They just want to know how you stack up against everyone else in the applicant pool. To do that, they use a specific set of numbers known as the SAT to ACT equivalent tables.
Most people think these scores are just a rough guess. They aren't. They are based on massive data sets from the College Board and ACT Inc., who—despite being fierce competitors—actually sat down together to figure out how to translate these scores so admissions officers wouldn't lose their minds.
Why the SAT to ACT Equivalent Tables Changed Everything
Back in the day, the SAT was out of 2400, and everything was a mess. When the SAT shifted back to the 1600-point scale in 2016, the "old" conversion charts became useless overnight. This caused a lot of panic. If you're looking at a chart from 2015, throw it away. It’s wrong.
The current standards, which most universities use for the 2025 and 2026 admissions cycles, come from the 2018 Concordance Tables. These are the gold standard. When a school like Vanderbilt or Georgia Tech looks at your application, they aren't just "feeling out" your score. They are looking at a concordance table to see where your 1450 lands on the ACT scale. It’s a 33, by the way.
Why does this matter? Because some students are naturally better at one test than the other. The SAT gives you more time per question but asks things in a "trickier" way. The ACT is a frantic race against the clock, but the questions are usually more straightforward. If you get a 1300 on the SAT but your ACT equivalent would be a 30, you’re basically leaving points on the table by sticking with the SAT.
Breaking Down the Big Numbers
Let’s look at the heavy hitters—the scores that get you into the Ivy League or top-tier state schools.
If you have a perfect 1600, that’s a 36. Simple. But the range is wider than you might think. A 1570, 1580, and 1590 are all technically considered a 36 equivalent. This is because of the "standard error of measurement." No test is perfect, so there’s a little wiggle room at the top.
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Middle-of-the-pack scores have a lot more granularity. Take the 1200 SAT. That’s roughly a 25 ACT. If you move up just 30 points to a 1230, you’ve hit the 26 mark. This is where it gets interesting for scholarship money. Many state schools have "automatic" merit scholarships based on these numbers. If a school requires a 27 ACT for a full-ride, and you have a 1250 SAT, you are literally 10 points away from a life-changing amount of money because a 1260 is the SAT to ACT equivalent of that 27.
The Math of the Mid-Range
- 1100 SAT is basically an 22 ACT. This is the "average" territory for many solid four-year universities.
- 1400 SAT translates to a 31 ACT. This is usually the threshold where you start becoming competitive for honors colleges.
- 1000 SAT lands you at a 19 ACT.
It’s not a linear 1:1 ratio. The SAT has 160 possible point jumps (since it goes by 10s), while the ACT only has 36. This means the SAT is a much finer ruler. One "bad" section on the ACT can tank your composite score significantly, whereas the SAT allows for a bit more padding if you’re strong in one area but "meh" in another.
The Secret "Third Section" and Why Concordance Matters
Most people forget that the ACT has a Science section. The SAT doesn’t. When you’re looking at an SAT to ACT equivalent, the math gets weird because you’re comparing a test with a science component to one that embeds those skills into "Reading" and "Writing."
If you are a total science nerd but hate complex, wordy math problems, the ACT might actually result in a higher equivalent score for you. Conversely, if the idea of reading a graph about fruit fly genetics in 35 seconds makes you want to cry, stay with the SAT. The concordance tables don't account for your potential—they only measure the result.
I’ve seen students spend six months trying to move an SAT score from 1350 to 1400. That’s a 50-point jump. Hard, but doable. However, that same student might take a practice ACT and score a 32 on their first try. A 32 ACT is the equivalent of a 1430 SAT. They just "gained" 80 points by switching tests. This is why you must take a full-length practice test of both before committing.
The Superscore Trap
Here is where the SAT to ACT equivalent conversation gets really spicy. Most colleges now "superscore." This means they take your best Reading score from March and your best Math score from June and combine them.
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The ACT also allows superscoring, but because the ACT has four sections (English, Math, Reading, Science), it is statistically harder to move your composite score than it is to move an SAT total. If you improve your ACT Math score by 2 points, it only moves your total composite by 0.5. On the SAT, if you improve your Math by 40 points, your total score goes up by exactly 40 points.
What Schools Like Stanford or MIT Actually See
Do they prefer one? No. Honestly. I know people say they do, but they don't.
Admissions officers at elite schools use "Academic Index" calculators. They plug in your GPA and your test score. If you submit both, they will simply use the SAT to ACT equivalent chart to see which one is higher and discard the lower one. They want their "average freshman" stats to look as high as possible for the U.S. News & World Report rankings. If your ACT makes them look better than your SAT, that’s the one they’re taking to the committee.
Don't Forget the "New" Digital SAT
In 2024, the SAT went fully digital (the dSAT). It’s shorter, the passages are tiny, and you can use a calculator on everything. The ACT, meanwhile, is still hanging onto its paper roots in many areas, though its digital version is expanding.
Does the dSAT change the SAT to ACT equivalent? Not officially. The College Board maintains that the scores are "vertical," meaning a 1400 on the old paper test is a 1400 on the digital one. But anecdotal evidence from the 2025 testing cycle suggests many "ACT-style" students—the ones who are fast but get bored—are performing much better on the dSAT. If you’re a fast worker, the dSAT might give you a higher equivalent than the ACT ever could.
Real World Examples of Score Disparities
I remember a student named Leo. Leo was a math whiz. He got a 790 on the SAT Math section but struggled with the "Evidence-Based Reading and Writing." His total was 1420.
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- 1420 SAT = 32 ACT.
Leo took the ACT. Because the ACT Math section is 25% of the score (just like the other three), his math "dominance" was diluted. He ended up with a 30 ACT. For Leo, the SAT was the better choice.
Then there was Sarah. Sarah was a voracious reader but got "tricked" by the SAT’s weird phrasing. She had a 1250 SAT.
- 1250 SAT = 26 ACT.
She switched to the ACT. She loved the straightforward questions. She got a 29.
- 29 ACT = 1340 SAT.
Sarah "gained" nearly 100 points just by changing the format. This is why understanding these equivalents isn't just for admissions officers; it's a strategic tool for you.
How to Use This Information Right Now
Stop guessing. If you have a score in one, find the equivalent in the other. If your current score is significantly lower than the average for your "reach" school, don't just study harder. Consider if you're playing the wrong game.
Check the specific concordance for your target score range. The relationship isn't the same at the 1000 level as it is at the 1500 level.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Download the Official 2018 Concordance Tables. Don't use a random blog's calculator. Go to the source.
- Take a "Cold" Practice Test. If you've only done the SAT, take a timed ACT at home. Use an official practice test from the ACT website.
- Calculate Your Differential. Use the tables to see if your ACT practice score is "worth" more than your current SAT score.
- Check Your State's Scholarship Requirements. Many local grants have strict SAT/ACT cutoffs. See which test gets you to that "magic number" faster.
- Look at Section Scores. If you are applying for Engineering, a 35 in ACT Math is huge, even if your composite is a 31. Sometimes the "equivalent" doesn't tell the whole story for specific majors.
The SAT and ACT are just tools. You wouldn't use a hammer to turn a screw. Find the test that feels less like a fight and more like a showcase of what you actually know. Once you find that, the numbers will take care of themselves.