Valid SAT ACT Concordance Tables Released!

The 2-year wait is over.  Today we have accurate SAT-ACT concordance tables derived from the analysis of 600,000 graduates from the class of 2017 who took both the SAT and ACT.  The new tables, based on collaboration between the College Board and ACT, Inc. are available here: Guide to the 2018 ACT® /SAT® Concordance

Moving past the old tables

For 2 years the admissions world relied upon derived concordance tables which had their basis in a 2006 collaboration between the College Board and ACT, Inc.  The College Board compared Redesigned SAT scores to “old” SAT scores and concorded those with the 2006 ACT. There was more room for error in this method, but it was the only means we had to compare scores. Everyone used the concordance tables, but many worried about their accuracy.

Updated SAT/ACT Conversion Tool

We've updated our Score Conversion Tool based on the new concordance tables.  Our tool will help you compare your scores and help you determine which test may be the best fit for you. Click through to our tool, input your score, and quickly get a converted score.

How do the new tables compare?

Long and the Short of it: the updated concordance tables are very close to the old ones. The tables we’ve all been using for 2 years turned out to be fairly accurate.  At many points across the concordance table, there is a small swing of 1 ACT point, and in many cases, the old concordance is an exact match with the new. As an example, If you scored a 1500 on the SAT, the old tables we used for two years concorded that 1500 SAT score to a 33 on the ACT, but the updated table concords it to a 34. So the 1500 appears to be a relatively stronger score than it was once thought to be.  Many had worried about “inflation” at the top of the SAT scale, but those fears seem to be unfounded. For the top 34 scores on the SAT, from 1270 to 1600, 26 of these scores are found to concord with a higher ACT score.

In a similar fashion, for the 34 score intervals from 590 to 920, 19 of the scores are found to concord with a slightly lower ACT score. An SAT score of 900 used to concord with an ACT score of 17, but now concords with a score of 16.  

The overall pattern here is that the top SAT scores now concord with relatively higher ACT scores, the middle shows little change, and the lower SAT scores now concord with relatively lower ACT scores. The differences are minimal. For those who were worried about the accuracy of the tables, the worry is gone. We used reasonably accurate tables for two years, and now we have official, verified tables to use for future admissions cycles.  
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