Each test-taker receives a composite score between 1 and 36, and those who take the optional writing portion also receive an additional score between 2 and 12 for this section. But how does ACT, Inc. arrive at these numbers?
The English portion tests three areas over the course of 75 questions: production of writing, knowledge of language, and conventions of standard English. "Production of writing" refers to the purposes of given texts — such as to persuade or inform — rather than the test-taker's own writing ability.
On the ACT, mathematics consists of 60 questions covering three focus areas, which are referred to as "preparing for higher math," "integrating essential skills," and "modeling."
The 40 reading questions cover key ideas and details, craft and structure, and integration of knowledge and ideas.
The science section is also 40 questions long, broken into portions covering interpretation of data, scientific investigation, and evaluation of models and inferences.
Students who take the writing test will produce an essay responding to a prompt. The scorers judge the essay by its ideas and analysis, development and support, organization, and language use and conventions.
Each of the four required sections is scored from 1 to 36 based on the number of correct responses you give in that section. The test rewards correct answers but doesn't subtract for wrong answers; therefore, guessing isn't penalized. Once the scorers have your four subject scores, they calculate your composite score, which is the average of these sections rounded to the nearest whole number.
If you take the writing portion, you'll receive a 2-12 score for each of the four components. Your overall writing score is the average of those four scores. ACT, Inc. does not refer to this as a composite score, even though it's the average of four separate writing scores. Your writing score does not affect the composite score for the other four sections.
You'll also receive a STEM score, which is the average of only your math and science sections combined. If you take the writing test, you'll get an English language arts (ELA) score, which averages your English, reading, and writing sections.
| Section | First Attempt Score | Second Attempt Score |
|---|---|---|
| English | 29 | 29 |
| Mathematics | 20 | 19 |
| Reading | 27 | 28 |
| Science | 22 | 24 |
The superscore would take the average of 29, 20, 28, and 24, which are the highest scores in their respective categories. Because this average is 25.25, the superscore is rounded to 25, which is the nearest whole number.
Individual colleges can decide whether to accept a candidate's superscore, or instead accept the best composite score from among all their attempts.
ACT, Inc. claims that test-takers who meet a particular benchmark have a greater than 50% chance of earning a B or higher in an introductory college course in that subject. For example, the idea is that a student who earns a 24 on the science portion of the ACT has a reasonable chance of getting an A or B in their first-year biology class.
The benchmarks are as follows:
It's worth noting that ACT, Inc.'s claims about benchmarks have been challenged. For example, researchers at the University of Chicago found that college admissions test scores didn't accurately predict students' performance in college; their high school GPA was a much more reliable predictor.
Now that we know how ACT, Inc. scores the exam, you may wonder how well most students do. Below, we break down average ACT scores along a few different lines.
