How the Act Is Scored (2026)
The ACT is scored in a few steps:
- Your raw score is calculated for each section.
- Your raw score is converted to a scaled score.
- Your individual section scores are combined into a Composite score.
- If you test more than once, you may also be able to report a Superscore.
Here’s how each step works.
Section Scores
Raw Scores
ACT starts by calculating your raw score for each section. Your raw score is the sum of all correct answers in that section. Each correct answer is worth one point. If you leave a question blank or get it wrong, you get zero points; there is no penalty for guessing on the ACT.
Each section on the ACT contains a certain number of field-test questions. These questions don’t count toward your score. However, you won’t be able to tell which questions are field-test questions and which are operational questions. To learn more about how the field test works and why it exists, please see our post: The ACT Embedded Field Test, Explained.
Scaled Scores
Your raw score for each section is then translated into a scaled score between 1 and 36 through a statistical process called equating.
Equating accounts for minor differences in difficulty from one test date to another, so that scores from different test forms and administrations can be compared on equal footing. In other words, it keeps things fair no matter which date you took the test.
Composite Score
Your scaled section scores are then used to calculate your Composite score. The Composite is the average of your English, Math, and Reading scores, rounded to the nearest whole number.
STEM Score
Science is now an optional section on the ACT. If you choose to take it, you’ll receive a Science score between 1 and 36, as well as a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) score, which is the average of your Math and Science scores. As of 2026, Science is no longer included in the Composite score. Learn more about the ACT Science section.
ELA Score
If you choose to take the optional Writing section, you’ll receive a Writing score between 2 and 12 and an ELA (English Language Arts) score between 1 and 36. The ELA score reflects your performance across English, Reading, and Writing. For a full breakdown of how the ELA score is calculated, see ACT’s official guide.
Superscores
If you take the ACT more than once, many colleges will allow you to report a Superscore, which is your highest score for each section across all of your sittings and the resulting Composite score.
For example, let’s say you took the test three times and earned the following scores:
Test 1
- English: 31
- Math: 27
- Reading: 34
- Composite: 31
Test 2
- English: 33
- Math: 29
- Reading: 33
- Composite: 32
Test 3
- English: 32
- Math: 31
- Reading: 33
- Composite: 32
Your Superscore would take Reading from Test 1, English from Test 2, and Math from Test 3, resulting in:
Superscore
- English: 33
- Math: 31
- Reading: 34
- Composite: 33
Not every college accepts Superscores, so make sure to check the admissions policies of each school on your list.
| ENGLISH | MATH | READING | COMPOSITE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
TEST 1 |
31 |
27 |
34 |
31 |
|
TEST 2 |
33 |
29
|
33
|
32 |
|
TEST 3
|
32 |
31 |
33 |
32 |
|
SUPERSCORE
|
33 |
31 |
34 |
33 |
Your Guide to the Enhanced ACT
This post is part of our series on the 2025/2026 ACT updates. Explore our guides for every section of the new test:
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Originally published on January 17, 2020. Updated on June 5, 2026.
