Comparing SAT & ACT Scores

The SAT and ACT are alike in many more ways than they differ: both serve as widely respected college entrance exams that test fundamental overlapping reading, writing, and math skills in a standardized fashion. Unfortunately, one primary difference–their two dramatically divergent scoring scales–have made comparing SAT and ACT scores challenging to say the least.

While College Board and ACT have released official Concordance Tables in the past, these tables rapidly fall out of sync with those organizations’ internal data. The following ACT/SAT Percentiles Table organizes test scores side by side with percentile ranks, which provides the easiest and most accurate comparisons for most purposes. This table was most recently updated in June 2025.

WHAT DO PERCENTILES MEAN?
Percentiles for these tests indicate how an individual score compares to a select population. An SAT or ACT test taker’s percentile rank represents the percentage of students whose score is equal to or lower than their score. For example, a score in the 65th percentile ranks equal to or better than 65% of a comparison group or cohort. Anyone prepping in search of higher scores on standardized tests should pay close attention to percentiles.

DATA SOURCES
ACT Percentiles are based on National Ranks for English, Math, Reading, Science, Composite, and STEM Scores, based on ACT-tested high school graduates of 2022, 2023, and 2024.

SAT Percentiles are based on the 2024 SAT Understanding Scores for Total Scores of SAT Users. SAT User Percentiles are based on the actual scores of students in the past three graduating classes who took the current SAT during high school. Some of the SAT scores above the 85th percentile represent the minimum SAT composite score associated with a given percentile rank.