How the ACT® is scored
The enhanced ACT gives you a score from 1 to 36 in each section and a Composite from 1 to 36. Here is how those numbers are made, and what they mean for test day.
The short version
- English, Math and Reading are required. Each is scored from 1 to 36.
- Your Composite is the average of those three, rounded to a whole number.
- Science is optional. It gets its own 1–36 score and, with Math, a STEM score. It does not change the Composite.
- Wrong answers cost nothing. Answer every question.
- Some questions in every section are unscored field-test questions, and you can’t tell which.
Sections, questions and time
| Section | Questions | Of them scored | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 50 | 40 | 35 minutes |
| Math | 45 | 41 | 50 minutes |
| Reading | 36 | 27 | 40 minutes |
| Science (optional) | 40 | 34 | 40 minutes |
English, Math and Reading together are 131 questions in 2 hours 5 minutes, before breaks. Science adds 40 minutes. Every question has four answer choices. A calculator is allowed on Math only (the calculator policy on act.org lists which models).
From right answers to a 1–36 score
Each section score comes from the number of questions you answered correctly. ACT turns that count into a 1–36 score with a conversion made for each test form, so the same number right can lead to slightly different scores on different forms. That keeps a score meaning the same thing whichever form you took.
Peakscor doesn’t copy or approximate the conversions ACT uses. The scores on Peakscor’s ACT practice tests are estimates from our own model, and we label them that way.
The Composite
Add your English, Math and Reading scores, divide by 3, and round: below one-half rounds down, one-half or more rounds up. English 27, Math 25 and Reading 29 average 27, so the Composite is 27. Try your own numbers in the ACT Composite calculator.
STEM and other scores
STEM. If you take Science, you also get a STEM score: the average of Math and Science.
ELA. If you take the optional Writing test, ACT also reports an ELA score that combines English, Reading and Writing. Writing itself is scored 2 to 12 and doesn’t change the Composite.
Reporting categories. Your score report breaks each section into categories, with the number of questions, how many you got right and the percent correct. They show where to practice next.
Field-test questions don’t count
English has 10 unscored field-test questions, Math 4, Reading 9 and Science 6. ACT is trying them out for future tests, and they look exactly like the scored ones. If a question seems unusually odd, it may be one of them: make your best guess and keep moving.
No penalty for guessing
A wrong answer costs nothing more than a blank. Never leave a question empty. When time runs short, eliminate what you can and fill in an answer for every question that’s left.
Superscores
If you test more than once, ACT can build a superscore from your best English, Math and Reading scores across dates and average them into a superscore Composite. You choose whether colleges see a single date or your superscore. ACT explains the details in Understanding Your ACT Scores.
When scores come out
Multiple-choice scores usually arrive within a few weeks, often sooner for online testing. Writing scores can take longer. The ACT test dates page lists the first release date ACT publishes for every test date.
Questions
Is there a penalty for wrong answers on the ACT?
No. Your section scores depend only on how many questions you get right, so a wrong answer costs no more than a blank. Answer every question.
How many ACT questions are unscored?
English has 10, Math 4, Reading 9 and Science 6. They are field-test questions mixed in with the scored ones, and you can’t tell which they are.
Does Science count toward the Composite?
No. On the enhanced ACT the Composite is the average of English, Math and Reading. Science is optional; if you take it you get a Science score and a STEM score.
Is the ACT adaptive?
No. Everyone taking the same form sees the same questions in the same order, whether online or on paper.
What is a good ACT score?
It depends on the colleges you are applying to. Look up the middle Composite range of admitted students at each one and aim for the top of that range.
See where you stand
Find your level in English, Math, Reading and Science, then practice the skills that move your Composite.
Take the ACT diagnostic