CLT Scores: Scale, Percentiles and SAT Conversion (2026)

How CLT scores work, what the report shows and when it arrives, how a CLT score converts to the SAT and ACT on the CLT's own concordance, and what counts as a good score for scholarships and admission.

CLT scores run from 0 to 120. The Classic Learning Test has three sections, Verbal Reasoning, Grammar/Writing and Quantitative Reasoning, each scored from 0 to 40, and your total is the sum of the three. On the CLT's own concordance, a 100 lines up with a 1390 on the SAT and a 31 on the ACT, an 80 with a 1170 and a 24, and a 60 with a 1000 and a 19. As for a good score, the clearest published bars are Florida's: the CLT says students graduating in 2026 or 2027 need a 95 for the top Bright Futures award and an 82 for the second tier.

Below is how the scale works, what the score report shows, where the percentiles come from, a short conversion table, and the thresholds that make a score "good" in practice. If you are new to the test itself, start with what the CLT is and who accepts it.

How CLT Scores Work

Each of the three sections has 40 multiple-choice questions. According to the CLT's 2026 technical report, your answers in each section are converted to a scaled score from 0 to 40, and the three section scores are added to make your total CLT score from 0 to 120. A perfect raw score in a section converts to a 40 and a raw score of zero converts to a 0. The CLT's FAQ prints the ranges as 1 to 120 and 1 to 40, but the technical report and the CLT's comparison pages use 0 as the bottom.

Two practical consequences follow. First, wrong answers and guesses are not penalized, so a blank is always a lost chance. Second, because the total is a plain sum, every section counts equally: a 3-point gain in Quantitative Reasoning moves your total exactly as much as a 3-point gain in Verbal Reasoning. That makes your weakest section the cheapest place to find points.

How CLT Scores Are Reported, and When

Your scores appear in your online CLT account. The technical report describes a score report with five parts:

• Score summary: your total and section scores, plus a concorded SAT and ACT score and a national percentile.
• CLT user percentiles: the percentage of CLT scores equal to or below yours.
• Score bell curve: a chart of all CLT scores with a line where yours falls.
• Domains and subdomains: your top question types and areas for improvement, with example problems in each category.
• Detailed performance: your percentage correct in each subject, domain and subdomain.

Timing depends on how you tested. The CLT's FAQ says remotely proctored scores come out on the third Wednesday after the test, because remote sittings go through extra review. In-school online testers usually see scores within about a week, and paper tests take about 30 days after the answer sheets arrive. The CLT's test page lists these release dates for the next remote tests (the December one falls on a Tuesday):

• November 14, 2026 (register by November 5): scores December 2.
• December 8, 2026 (register by December 3): scores December 22.
• January 23, 2027 (register by January 14): scores February 10.

Sending scores is free and unlimited, and the CLT does not share your scores with anyone unless you ask it to. You send them from your student account to any college you choose, and the college receives your CLT scores along with your projected SAT and ACT scores from the concordance.

CLT Percentiles: Two Different Numbers

We found no public percentile chart of CLT test takers on the CLT's site, unlike the national tables College Board and ACT publish. Your report shows two percentiles, and they answer different questions:

• The CLT user percentile compares you with other CLT test takers. The CLT calls it user-referenced: it reflects the students who chose the CLT, not all students, so it is not a national rank.
• The national percentile is an estimate. The CLT takes the SAT score that your CLT score concords to and reports the SAT national percentile for that score. The technical report says the concordance is strong enough to estimate national percentiles this way.

So when you read "national percentile" on a CLT report, read it as "where the equivalent SAT score would rank nationally," not as a ranking produced by the CLT itself. The anchor rows below include it.

CLT to SAT and ACT Conversion

The CLT publishes its conversion on its CLT vs SAT and CLT vs ACT pages. The CLT-SAT link comes from a concordance study dated April 2023, built on CLT administrations from 2016 to 2023, scores reported by partner colleges and schools, and a special in-school Florida administration in March 2023 that added 435 students with CLT scores and verified SAT scores. The CLT-ACT column is derived from that table and the official SAT-ACT concordance that College Board and ACT set in 2018. Here are selected anchor rows:

The technical report also concords the sections. A 30 in Quantitative Reasoning lines up with a 680 in SAT Math (93rd national percentile), and a combined 60 in Verbal Reasoning plus Grammar/Writing lines up with a 640 in SAT Reading and Writing (88th).

Keep two cautions in mind. The CLT notes that some colleges have built their own concordance tables, so a college may not read your 90 as exactly 1270. And a concordance tells you what a score is roughly equivalent to, not what you would have scored on the other test. For the SAT and ACT pair itself, see our ACT to SAT conversion guide.

What Is a Good CLT Score?

A good CLT score is one that clears the bar where you are sending it. The thresholds we could verify:

• Florida Bright Futures. The CLT's Florida page says students graduating in 2026 or 2027 qualify for the Florida Academic Scholars award with a 95 or above and for Florida Medallion Scholars with an 82 or above. Bright Futures accepts superscored CLT results. Bright Futures requirements are set for each graduating class, so check the current Bright Futures Student Handbook on Florida's own student financial aid site before you set a target. Our Florida Bright Futures guide covers the rest of the program.
• Florida public university minimum. Board of Governors Regulation 6.002 sets a minimum CLT total of 67 for applicants whose high school program is not measured in Carnegie units, beside a 1060 on the SAT or a 21 on the ACT.
• Everywhere else, the SAT equivalent. Most colleges publish SAT and ACT ranges, not CLT ranges, and the University System of Georgia says outright that it reads CLT scores through the CLT-SAT concordance. Convert your CLT score with the table above, then compare it with the college's SAT range.

As a rough guide on the CLT's own national estimate, an 82 sits at the 80th percentile, a 90 at the 88th, and a 100 at the 97th. That is why the Bright Futures 95, at the 93rd, is a demanding line. If your converted score is near 1330, our page on whether 1330 is a good SAT score shows how it plays at different colleges, and what makes a good SAT score gives the wider picture.

How to Raise Your CLT Score

The CLT has an open retake policy, with one exam per test date, and some programs superscore: Bright Futures accepts superscored CLT results, IU Bloomington combines your best section scores from different sittings, and the Naval Academy uses your highest verbal and quantitative scores. So a retake that lifts one section can lift your usable total.

1. Start from the domain report. The subdomain percentages tell you which question types cost you points.
2. Train math without a calculator. Quantitative Reasoning gives you about 67 seconds a question and no calculator.
3. Take a full timed practice test. The CLT offers free practice exams in its student account; our guide to the CLT practice test covers how to use them.
4. Book the next date early. As of November 1, the November 14 remote test closes registration on November 5.

Many CLT students also take the SAT or ACT. Larry Learns has 30,000+ SAT and ACT practice questions on web, iPhone and Android, with 3 free quizzes a day and a score estimate that tracks your progress. Larry does not have CLT questions, so use it for the SAT or ACT side of your plan.

Frequently Asked Questions About CLT Scores

What is the highest CLT score?

The highest CLT score is 120, which is a 40 in each of the three sections. On the CLT's concordance, a 120 lines up with a 1600 on the SAT and a 36 on the ACT.

Is 80 a good CLT score?

An 80 concords to a 1170 on the SAT and a 24 on the ACT, which the CLT's national estimate places at the 77th percentile. It is two points short of the 82 that the CLT lists as the Florida Medallion line for the classes of 2026 and 2027.

How do I convert my CLT score to an SAT score?

Use the CLT's published concordance on its CLT vs SAT page. For example, 100 converts to 1390, 90 to 1270, 82 to 1190 and 70 to 1080. Some colleges use their own tables, so check how each school reads CLT scores.

When do CLT scores come out?

Remotely proctored scores usually come out on the third Wednesday after the test. For the November 14, 2026 remote test, that is December 2. In-school online scores usually arrive within about a week, and paper tests take about 30 days.

Does the CLT have percentiles?

Yes, two kinds. Your report shows a CLT user percentile, which compares you with other CLT test takers, and a national percentile, which is the SAT national percentile of the SAT score your CLT score concords to.

Does the CLT superscore?

Superscoring is up to the program reading your scores. Florida Bright Futures accepts superscored CLT results and IU Bloomington combines your best section scores, but check each college's own testing page.

Planning to send an SAT or ACT score as well? Take a free SAT or ACT practice quiz, or create a free account to track your score estimate before your next test date.