The last concordance table between ACT and SAT seems to be from 2018.
The SAT has gone digital with changes to Math where many people consider the second module to have hard questions and English which has short passages and poetry.
Do you see an update to this concordance table happening in the near future? If so, would a ACT score be worth more than the SAT score as it is now or less?
I frankly dont.
Looking back on the concordance table, I’ve read arguments both for and against it that say it’s unfair to weigh the two on a scale. Those arguments say that with ACT, you can survive a worse score in one section via the overall composite score, but with SAT if you screw up one section it’ll impact your final score significantly.
The only place I see a potential concordance table between the SAT/ACT is through the sections they share, and they offer concordance based upon each sub-section (SAT math to ACT math, SAT reading to ACT reading, etc.). But past that? Who knows, but I’m not betting on it.
I was under the impression schools do use this. For example, if you look at this example from Georgia Tech below the composite numbers for SAT/ACT seem to match the concordance table.
I somewhat see what you’re getting at, and schools probably do have some sort of concordance table that’s unique to their own admissions office, however, that sort of data is most likely kept private. This data is subjective to their own policies, so any potential concordance would be different by each university.
What I was saying in the prior post is more about the potential of the College Board and the ACT coming together to create a brand new concordance table. If colleges are and have probably been coming up with their own concordance table, it defeats the purpose of the College Board and ACT working together and coming up with an updated table.
CollegeBoard has released data showing the digital SAT produces similar scores to the paper SAT: https://research.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/Digital_SAT_Score_Relationships_with_Other_Educational_Measures.pdf
I expect they will release further data on this, but for now the concordance tables from 2018 are doing what they are meant to do.
I expect most colleges use the official concordance table, mine does. Some might have taken their data over the years from students who submitted both ACT and SAT and devised their own equipercentile concordance, but that seems like a lot of work to probably end up in same ballpark as the official concordance tables.
Is it true that ACT composite is not used much since it includes a science section that does exist in SAT? The math, english(r+w) are the only sub scores which are compared according to the concordance table and used by the colleges?
No. The science section is really reading and comprehension. If you look at schools with merit grids to take one example, those are based on composite scores.
I don’t think there is much comparison between candidates’ test scores. Test scores (if submitted) are generally just a part of a given applicant’s profile. And when looking at an application there is no need to take an ACT score (whether composite or sections) and look at the concordance table to see what that is for the SAT.
Back when the CSU system in California used SAT or ACT scores in its admission formula, there were tables of minimum eligibility based on (recalculated) HS GPA and SAT or ACT score. Based on those tables, the implied concordance between SAT and ACT for the CSU system was slightly different from the concordance listed by the College Board and ACT at the time.
Another difference between the SAT and ACT is that the ACT is lower resolution, in that each ACT score is equivalent to three of four SAT scores. Also, the ACT overall score (composite) is the average of the section scores, while the SAT overall score is the sum, so 36 ACT is possible even with some <36 sections, but a 1600 SAT needs 800 on both sections. This means that, for a student who has potential to get a top score on both tests, getting a 36 ACT may be easier than getting a 1600 SAT (e.g. if they are trying for the University of Alabama Presidential Elite Scholarship).
Thanks. This snippet from UIUC below is it trying to say they do not sum (SAT) or average (ACT) the sub scores? Seems like they are saying they will superscore without creating a sum or average.
Right, UIUC does not formally superscore but does look at highest section scores.
I don’t know of any school that superscores across SAT and ACT.
This example agreeing with the official concordance may be a coincidence, or maybe not. It’s possible that other schools’ CDS data might not be so congruent.
Also, GT requires scores, yes? In general, CDS data for other schools seem less reliable with so many test optional. I like to check the % reporting and sometimes I like to refer to the old, pre-test optional CDS (2020-21) though now that’s getting old.
So UIUC says
SAT Score1 = [a, b]
SAT Score2 = [c, d]
I look at max(a,c) and max(b,d) , but will not add them.
For all practical purposes there is very little difference between this and superscoring.
Correct. UIUC isn’t the only school with this policy.
Sure. The original question was about the change to digital SAT and if it requires a update to the concordance table. It was answered above. If the college board convincingly proves that the paper SAT and digital SAT are equivalent, then there is no need for a new concordance table.
