A 29 on the ACT converts to a 1340 on the SAT, with an official concordant range of 1330 to 1350. That mapping comes from the 2018 ACT/SAT concordance, the only conversion the College Board and ACT still endorse and the one every admissions office uses.
The single number is the easy part. What most students miss is that a 29 and a 1340 describe the same rank three different ways, and that converting each section separately gives a total that undershoots the composite by about 40 points.
29 SAT to ACT Score Converter
A 29 ACT equals a 1340 SAT. That is the official single-point value from the concordance, meant for any time you need one number rather than a band.
The concordance also gives a range: 1330 to 1350. A college comparing an ACT applicant to its SAT pool reads that whole band, not just the midpoint.
Convert any score in either direction below. The widget runs the same official tables as AskSia's ACT score calculator and the paired SAT calculator.
The table below shows the same mapping around a 29 for quick reference without the widget.
How does ACT–SAT concordance work?
Concordance is not equating. It lines up scores by percentile rank, so a 29 and a 1340 sit at roughly the same spot in a national pool of students who took both tests.
The College Board and ACT built these tables together in 2018 from a sample of students who sat both exams. They remain the current standard and are not refreshed each year.
One caveat is built into the math. Converting an ACT composite to an SAT total carries a standard error of about 80 SAT points. A concorded score is a comparison tool, never a promise of how you would actually score on the other test. The 2018 tables also apply cleanly to the digital SAT, since the 400-to-1600 scale did not change.
Why don't the sections add up?
Here is the trap. Convert each ACT section on its own and the pieces do not rebuild the composite.
An ACT Math 29 concords to about a 650 on SAT Math. A 29 in English plus a 29 in Reading, summed to 58, concords to about a 650 on SAT Reading and Writing. Add those and you get roughly 1300, not 1340.
Two things drive the gap. The composite and section tables are built separately, and the ±80-point error means the composite carries more information than two section conversions can rebuild. ACT Science has no SAT counterpart, so it drops out entirely. College Board's guidance is direct: convert sections one at a time, and never treat the composite as their sum.
This matters if a target school lists section ranges rather than a total. Map your Math and your English-Reading against their SAT Math and Reading-Writing bands, not against the combined 1340. To see where your weaker section sits, run both through our breakdown of what a strong SAT total looks like.
What percentile is a 29 ACT?
A 29 puts you near the 90th percentile among ACT takers. On the concorded SAT side, the number splits in two.
The College Board reports every SAT score against two populations. A 1340 lands at the 94th percentile nationally representative, and the 89th percentile among actual test-takers. Same score, two ranks.
The user group is smaller and more college-bound, so it is harder to beat. That is why the same 1340 looks stronger against the national pool than against fellow test-takers.
Colleges almost always mean the user percentile when they publish a middle-50% range. When you compare yourself to a school's band, use the 89th, not the 94th.
Which colleges fit a 29 ACT?
A 29 clears the bar at most public flagships and lands you in the middle of many top-100 pools. It sits below the range at the most selective schools.
The table below shows where a 29 composite and a 1340 total fall against five well-known universities. Read these as directional. Test-optional policies inflate published ranges because weaker scorers withhold.
The pattern holds across the country. At a flagship like Michigan State, a 29 sits at the top quartile and reads as a likely admit on scores alone. At Michigan or Wisconsin, the same score sits at or below the 25th percentile, so the rest of your file has to carry more weight.
For the most selective tier, a 29 is below the entry point. Ivy League ranges cluster around 33 to 35 on the ACT. Our guide on how to get into an Ivy League school covers what compensates for a score under that band.
Should you retake or switch tests?
A 29 is already strong. Retake only if your list leans toward schools whose 75th percentile reaches 32 or 33, where a few points changes your standing.
Before retaking the ACT, take one timed practice SAT. If your concorded SAT comes out meaningfully above 1340, your skills may fit that format better, and switching beats grinding the same test.
AskSia runs both prep tracks in one workspace instead of a stack of separate apps. Mock Exam mode rebuilds either test in real format and auto-grades with rationale, so a practice ACT and a practice SAT sit side by side for a clean comparison. Its Flashcards use FSRS spaced repetition tuned to your test date, and the Concept Map pins down exactly which section is dragging your composite.
Point your prep at the weak section, not the whole test. If Math is the gap, a targeted plan moves the composite faster than broad review. Start with a diagnostic on the SAT prep hub, then work the tools in our roundup of score-raising tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a 29 on my ACT good?
Yes. A 29 sits near the 90th percentile among ACT takers, meaning you scored above roughly 9 in 10 students nationally. It concords to a 1340 SAT, which the College Board places at the 94th percentile against all U.S. 11th and 12th graders and the 89th among actual SAT takers. That makes a 29 competitive at most state flagships and inside the middle 50% at many top-100 universities. It falls short only at the most selective schools, where 75th-percentile scores reach 33 to 35. To see where your specific number lands, run it through AskSia's ACT score calculator and compare it against your target schools' published ranges.
Is a 29 ACT good enough for the Ivy League?
Generally no, on scores alone. Ivy League middle-50% ranges cluster around 33 to 35 on the ACT and 1500 to 1560 on the SAT, so a 29 and its 1340 equivalent sit below the 25th percentile at every Ivy. Students admitted with a 29 almost always bring something exceptional elsewhere: a standout talent, a compelling story, recruited-athlete status, or a transcript with the hardest available courseload. A retake toward 33-plus is the more reliable path if the Ivies are the goal. AskSia's Concept Map can isolate the one or two sections costing you those points so a retake is targeted rather than a full redo.
Is a 1350 SAT or a 29 ACT better?
They are effectively identical. A 1350 SAT sits at the very top of the concordant band for a 29 ACT, which runs 1330 to 1350, and a 29 concords to a 1340 single-point SAT. In practice, a 1350 is a hair stronger than a 1340, but both convert to a 29 and colleges treat them as equivalent. There is no advantage to reporting one over the other. If you have both scores, submit whichever is higher relative to your target school's own middle-50% range, since some schools skew slightly toward one test. Check each school's Common Data Set section C9 for its exact SAT and ACT bands.
Which is better, 30 ACT or 1400 SAT?
A 1400 SAT is the stronger score. A 30 ACT concords to a 1370 single-point SAT, with a band of 1360 to 1380. A 1400 SAT concords upward to a 31 ACT, since it falls in the 1390-to-1410 range. So a 1400 is worth about one ACT point more than a 30. If you hold a 30 and can push your SAT to 1400 on a practice test, the SAT is the better score to submit. Convert both directions with the live widget above before deciding which to send.
Is a 29 ACT good for merit scholarships?
Often yes, at public universities with published automatic-award grids. Many state flagships tie merit money to a test-score-plus-GPA matrix, and a 29 ACT paired with a high GPA clears the threshold for partial awards at a range of schools. The largest automatic scholarships usually start at 32 or above, so a 29 tends to land mid-tier rather than top-tier merit. Competitive named scholarships also weigh essays and activities heavily. Look up each school's automatic merit chart before applying, since the cutoffs are public and vary widely. A single ACT point can move you an entire award bracket, which is often the strongest argument for a retake.
Concordance answers one question: how your score compares in a national pool. It does not predict your score on the other test, and it does not guarantee admission.
The 2018 tables carry an 80-point error on the SAT side and were built on a pre-digital sample. Treat a converted score as a reference point, not a verdict. The number that decides your application is your best real score, read alongside your GPA, courseload, and the rest of your file.
