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If you’ve taken the SAT before 2024 or are comparing older practice results with the new Digital SAT, you have to understand the score differences. The format and scoring system have all shifted—so a score that once meant “above average” may now mean something very different. Here’s what you need to know about the old and new SAT scoring scales.
What Is the Difference Between the Old and New SAT?
Here’s how the two versions stack up:
Element | Old SAT (Paper) | New SAT (Digital) |
Total Test Time | ~3 hours | 2 hours and 14 minutes |
Format | Pencil & paper | Digital (Bluebook™ app) |
Section Design | Fixed-length | Section-adaptive (modules) |
Math Calculator Policy | One no-calculator section | Calculator allowed throughout |
Reading/Writing Approach | Long passages | Short passages, 1 question each |
Question Types | Mixed grammar and reading | Paired by skill, more focused |
Score Scale | 400-1600 | 400-1600 |
Old SAT Percentiles vs. New SAT Percentiles
Percentiles can completely change how you view your SAT score. Here’s what that context looks like across versions:
Total SAT Score | Old SAT Percentile (Estimated) | New SAT Percentile (Digital, 2024) |
1600 | 99+ | 99+ |
1500 | ~98 | 98 |
1400 | ~94 | 93 |
1300 | ~87 | 84 |
1200 | ~77 | 72 |
1100 | ~63 | 59 |
1000 | ~47 | 44 |
900 | ~31 | 28 |
800 | ~18 | 15 |

What Is Considered a Good Score on the New SAT?
A “good” SAT score depends on where you want to go—and how strong the rest of your application is. But with the switch to the digital SAT, many students are asking: Do the old score benchmarks still apply? The short answer: yes and no. The score range is still 400-1600, but how you reach your number—and how it compares to others—has shifted.
Let’s break it down like this:
SAT Score | Percentile (Digital SAT) | How Colleges Typically View It? |
1500-1600 | 98th-99th+ | Ivy League / Top 10% Schools |
1400-1490 | 93rd-97th | Competitive (e.g. Boston U, NYU) |
1300-1390 | 84th-92nd | Solid (e.g. UMass Amherst, Baylor) |
1200-1290 | 72nd-83rd | Acceptable (e.g. Arizona State, Kansas) |
1100-1190 | 59th-71st | Regional / Test-Optional Friendly |
Below 1000 | Below 44th | Unlikely to stand out without strong GPA, essays, or ECs |
Where Can You Find the Official Score Conversion Chart?
The official conversion and concordance tools are published directly by the College Board:
- Digital SAT to Paper SAT Concordance Table (PDF)
- Interactive Concordance Tool
Legacy Online School also provides custom conversion tools during digital SAT tutoring to help students align their practice goals with real score expectations.
What Changed in the SAT Format and Why It Matters?
Legacy Online School helps students build the confidence and skills they need to succeed on the SAT® and ACT®. All lessons are delivered live online, with real-time support and feedback from qualified instructors who are fully invested in your progress. If you’re serious about improving your score, we’re here to guide you every step of the way.
It’s now adaptive and modular. That means the test adjusts its difficulty based on how you do in the first part of each section. It also means that every student no longer takes the same exact set of questions.
Instead of long multi-question passages in reading and writing, students now see one short passage followed by one question. This change was based on feedback from thousands of test takers who felt overwhelmed by traditional reading sections.
You can use a calculator throughout the entire math section, which lets College Board include more real-world applications and layered problem-solving. Instead of testing memorization or arithmetic speed, it now rewards students who understand how to break down a problem logically.
Why does it all matter? Because the SAT is still a critical piece of many college admissions decisions. And if you’re using old prep methods, you’re prepping for the wrong test. Schools like Yale are reinstating test requirements. They don’t care if you took the SAT on paper or a tablet—but they do care whether you mastered the format you were given.
How to Convert Your Old SAT Score to the New SAT?
Use the concordance chart from the College Board. Here’s an example:
Paper SAT Score | Approx. Digital SAT Equivalent |
1400 | 1410-1430 |
1300 | 1290-1310 |
1200 | 1180-1200 |
1100 | 1070-1100 |
“My advice would be to use the official score conversion tables to convert your score”
Top Tips from Our Expert
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Alyssa Mendoza, AP Coordinator and College Prep Specialist
Sources: College Board, Reddit