SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

New SAT Conversion Chart: Old 2400 to New 1600 (Official)

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In March 2016, the SAT underwent a massive redesign, part of which included a change to its scoring system: it shifted from a 2400-point scale to a 1600-point scale. But how do you compare a new SAT score with one on the old SAT 2400 scale? What scores are colleges looking for since some still don't have data on the new SAT?

The official new SAT to old SAT conversion charts below offer the most accurate score conversions from one SAT to the other. If you need to convert your new SAT score to an old SAT score, or vice versa, simply use our handy conversion tool below to find your score.

After you get your SAT conversion, keep reading—I tell you why it's easier to get a higher SAT score than before due to the new SAT scoring advantage (the new SAT score is higher in certain score regions!).

Disappointed with your scores? Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

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Old 2400 SAT to New 1600 SAT Conversion Tool

If you've taken both the new SAT and old SAT and want to know which test you've done better on, this tool will do that automatically for you.

Enter your old SAT scores on the LEFT to get your new SAT scores on the RIGHT.

Enter your old 2400 SAT here:
Get new 1600 SAT scores here:

 

 

New 1600 SAT to Old 2400 SAT Conversion Tool

Alternatively, if you want to input your new SAT scores and get old SAT scores, here's how to do it:

Enter your new 1600 SAT here:
Get old 2400 SAT scores here:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Official Old SAT to New SAT Conversion Charts

We created our conversion tools above using the College Board's official SAT conversion charts. Now, we give you actual conversion tables so that you can see more clearly how new SAT scores match up with old SAT scores (and vice versa).

Before you use these tables, know that the most accurate conversion method is to split up the score conversion section by section. In other words, don't just use the College Board's total composite conversion chart (from 2400 to 1600); these can be inaccurate as they ignore the fact that individual sections convert scores differently.

For example, if you're converting from an old SAT score to a new SAT score, you'd do the following:

  • Get your old SAT Math score (out of 800) and convert it to a new SAT Math score (out of 800).
  • Get your old Reading + Writing score (out of 1600) and convert it to a new SAT Reading + Writing score (out of 800).

 

Old SAT Math to New SAT Math Conversion Table

Math is straightforward because both the new SAT and old SAT Math sections are out of 800.

Old SAT Math New SAT Math   Old SAT Math New SAT Math   Old SAT Math New SAT Math
800 800   600 620   400 440
790 800   590 610   390 430
780 790   580 600   380 420
770 780   570 590   370 410
760 780   560 580   360 400
750 770   550 570   350 390
740 760   540 570   340 380
730 760   530 560   330 370
720 750   520 550   320 360
710 740   510 540   310 360
700 730   500 530   300 350
690 720   490 520   290 340
680 710   480 510   280 330
670 700   470 510   270 310
660 690   460 500   260 300
650 670   450 490   250 280
640 660   440 480   240 260
630 650   430 470   230 250
620 640   420 460   220 230
610 630   410 450   210 220
            200 200

 

Old SAT Reading + Writing to New SAT Reading + Writing Conversion Table

On the old SAT, Reading and Writing were separate sections, each out of 800. On the new SAT, however, these two sections are combined for a total Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) score out of 800.

In this table, we added the old SAT Reading and Writing sections together to get a single Reading and Writing score out of 1600.

Old R+W New R+W   Old R+W New R+W   Old R+W New R+W
1600 800   1200 650   800 450
1590 800   1190 650   790 440
1580 800   1180 650   780 440
1570 790   1170 640   770 430
1560 790   1160 640   760 430
1550 780   1150 630   750 420
1540 780   1140 630   740 420
1530 780   1130 620   730 410
1520 770   1120 620   720 410
1510 770   1110 610   710 400
1500 770   1100 610   700 400
1490 760   1090 600   690 390
1480 760   1080 600   680 390
1470 760   1070 590   670 380
1460 750   1060 590   660 380
1450 750   1050 580   650 370
1440 750   1040 580   640 370
1430 740   1030 570   630 360
1420 740   1020 570   620 360
1410 740   1010 560   610 360
1400 730   1000 560   600 350
1390 730   990 550   590 350
1380 730   980 550   580 340
1370 720   970 540   570 340
1360 720   960 540   560 330
1350 710   950 530   550 330
1340 710   940 530   540 330
1330 710   930 520   530 320
1320 700   920 510   520 320
1310 700   910 510   510 310
1300 700   900 500   500 310
1290 690   890 500   490 300
1280 690   880 490   480 290
1270 680   870 490   470 280
1260 680   860 480   460 270
1250 680   850 480   450 260
1240 670   840 470   440 240
1230 670   830 460   430 230
1220 660   820 460   420 220
1210 660   810 450   410 210
            400 200

 

Using the two section tables above, you can convert any scores from the new SAT to the old SAT, and vice versa. You can then add up the scores you find to get your composite score.

 

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Composite New SAT to Old SAT Conversion Chart

This SAT conversion table is the one I recommend not using since it goes from composite score to composite score. This manner of translating scores is less accurate than splitting up your composite score section by section as recommended above.

For example, here are two scenarios of a student with an 1800 score on the old SAT. If you just use the table below, you'd get 1290 as your new total SAT score. But this is just an approximation—if you use your section scores, you end up with entirely different conversions!

Scenario 1

  • Old SAT
    • Math: 800
    • Reading: 600
    • Writing: 400
    • Composite: 1800/2400
  • New SAT
    • New Math: 800
    • New Reading + Writing: 560
    • New Composite: 1360/1600

Scenario 2

  • Old SAT
    • Math: 600
    • Reading: 600
    • Writing: 600
    • Composite: 1800/2400
  • New SAT
    • New Math: 620
    • New Reading + Writing: 650
    • New Composite: 1270/1600

Notice how in both scenarios, the old composite score adds up to 1800, but the new composite score varies by nearly 100 points. Once again, if you were to use the table below, you'd get 1290 for both, but this conversion is clearly less accurate since the two scenarios above yield wildly different scores when converting by section.

Regardless, here's the official SAT composite score conversion chart for your reference:

New SAT Old SAT   New SAT Old SAT   New SAT Old SAT
1600 2390-2400   1200 1660-1670   800 1050-1060
1590 2360-2380   1190 1650   790 1040
1580 2340-2350   1180 1630-1640   780 1020-1030
1570 2320-2330   1170 1620   770 1010
1560 2300-2310   1160 1600-1610   760 990-1000
1550 2270-2290   1150 1590   750 980
1540 2250-2260   1140 1570-1580   740 960-970
1530 2230-2240   1130 1560   730 940-950
1520 2210-2220   1120 1540-1550   720 930
1510 2180-2200   1110 1520-1530   710 910-920
1500 2160-2170   1100 1510   700 900
1490 2140-2150   1090 1490-1500   690 880-890
1480 2120-2130   1080 1480   680 870
1470 2100-2110   1070 1460-1470   670 860
1460 2090   1060 1450   660 850
1450 2070-2080   1050 1430-1440   650 840
1440 2050-2060   1040 1420   640 830
1430 2030-2040   1030 1400-1410   630 820
1420 2020   1020 1380-1390   620 810
1410 2000-2010   1010 1370   610 800
1400 1980-1990   1000 1350-1360   600 790
1390 1970   990 1340   590 780
1380 1950-1960   980 1320-1330   580 770
1370 1930-1940   970 1310   570 760
1360 1920   960 1300   560 750
1350 1900-1910   950 1280-1290   550 740
1340 1880-1890   940 1270   540 730
1330 1870   930 1250-1260   530 730
1320 1850-1860   920 1240   520 720
1310 1840   910 1220-1230   510 710
1300 1820-1830   900 1210   500 700
1290 1800-1810   890 1190-1200   490 690
1280 1790   880 1180   480 680
1270 1770-1780   870 1160-1170   470 670
1260 1760   860 1150   460 660
1250 1740-1750   850 1130-1140   450 650
1240 1730   840 1120   440 640
1230 1710-1720   830 1100-1110   430 630
1220 1700   820 1090   420 620
1210 1680-1690   810 1070-1080   410 610
            400 600

 

 

What Does the Conversion Chart Say About the New SAT?

The official conversion tables show that the new SAT has higher scores than expected across the entire score range. For a full explanation, read our guide on the new SAT scoring advantage. That said, I'll summarize the main points below.

Without the College Board's concordance table, you might imagine that you could just multiply the old SAT score by 2/3 to get your new SAT score. For example, 2400 * 2/3 = 1600. Or, 1800 * 2/3 = 1200.

In fact, new SAT scores are much higher than this simple formula would predict. An 1800 on the old SAT actually translates to 1290—that's 90 points higher than 1200. Likewise, a 1500 on the old SAT translates to 1090, or 90 points higher than 1000.

This also reflects section by section. A 700 on the old SAT Math section is equivalent to a 730 on the new SAT Math section, while a 500 on the old SAT is equivalent to a 530 on the new SAT. What this means is that for the same performance on Math, you get a higher score on the new SAT than you would have on the old SAT.

So what does this mean for you? Some people worry that this means grade inflation is happening, and that scores are creeping up. But I'm not personally worried about it, and you don't need to be either. The College Board will always grade the SAT in such a way that top students can be distinguished from average students, and average students from below-average students.

What really matters is your score percentile, and the score that colleges believe is good. If everyone's SAT score goes up, then colleges will require higher scores for admission as well. This doesn't mean anything about how hard it is to get that score—the difficulty is likely going to stay similar.

For now, just focus on studying for the SAT and getting the highest score possible!

 

What's Next?

Curious about how the new SAT scoring system benefits you? Read our comprehensive guide to the new SAT scoring advantage to learn how the current version of the SAT gives you optically higher scores over a range of scores.

Want to get a perfect SAT score? Then check out our guide on getting a 1600 SAT score, written by a perfect SAT scorer.

What's a good SAT score for you? The answer to this question depends on your goals. Learn how to calculate a great SAT target score in our in-depth guide.

 

Disappointed with your scores? Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Get eBook: 5 Tips for 160+ Points

 

Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article!


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Allen Cheng
About the Author

As co-founder and head of product design at PrepScholar, Allen has guided thousands of students to success in SAT/ACT prep and college admissions. He's committed to providing the highest quality resources to help you succeed. Allen graduated from Harvard University summa cum laude and earned two perfect scores on the SAT (1600 in 2004, and 2400 in 2014) and a perfect score on the ACT. You can also find Allen on his personal website, Shortform, or the Shortform blog.



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