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Standardised test scales look similar and behave completely differently. Before converting anything, identify which test and which number you actually have, a PSAT total is out of 1520, a PSAT 8/9 total is out of 1440, and a PSAT Selection Index is out of 228. Mixing them up produces an answer that looks plausible and is wrong.
| Test | Section scale | Total scale | Calculator |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT (digital) | 200–800 each | 400–1600 | SAT score calculator |
| SAT, from raw practice answers | estimated 200–800 | estimated 400–1600 | SAT score predictor |
| ACT | 1–36 each | 1–36 composite | ACT score calculator |
| PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10 | 160–760 each | 320–1520 + Selection Index 48–228 | PSAT score calculator |
| IB Diploma | 1–7 per subject | 24–45 | IB grade calculator |
| IB, mark to grade | mark out of 100 | grade 1–7 | IB grade boundaries |
The SAT and ACT are different tests measuring overlapping skills through different formats, so no conversion is exact. The published concordance maps totals onto the composite with comparable percentile standing, which is the right way to read it, a 1400 SAT and a 31 ACT put you in roughly the same place in the applicant pool, not the same place in ability. The SAT to ACT conversion chart gives the full mapping.
Two structural differences are worth holding in mind when you choose which to take. The SAT gives you more time per question and an adaptive second module; the ACT is faster, has a science section that is really data interpretation, and its composite averages four sections equally. Students who read quickly and process data tend to prefer the ACT; students who want more thinking time per question tend to prefer the SAT.
Raw scale numbers are hard to interpret on their own. A 1300 on the SAT and a 28 on the ACT both sound like different quantities of achievement until you put them on the percentile scale, where they land within a few points of each other. Every calculator on this site reports an approximate percentile alongside the score for that reason, the percentile is what admissions offices compare, and it is what tells you whether a result is worth reporting at all.
Percentiles also move. The same scaled score can sit at a slightly different percentile from one year to the next as the testing population changes, which is why a score that was comfortably in the top 10% three years ago may not be today. Treat any percentile table, including the ones here, as a current approximation rather than a fixed property of the score.
| Situation | Reasonable next step |
|---|---|
| One section is clearly weaker | Retake and focus the whole preparation cycle on that section; most colleges superscore, so the other section is already banked |
| Both sections near the same level | Target the mid-range questions, score gains are largest where the conversion is steepest, not at the top of the scale |
| Score is above the middle 50% of your list | Stop testing. Additional points add little, and test-optional policies mean the score is not the binding constraint |
| Score is below the middle 50% | Consider whether to submit at all, and put the effort into grades, essays and course rigour instead |