Overview
If you’re just starting to prepare for the ACT, you’re probably wondering how the ACT is scored. It’s important to fully understand how the ACT scores their exams in order to get a leg up and prep in a more efficient and effective manner. Below we’ve outlined how the ACT is scored, section by section, with official ACT scoring charts. This post has been updated to reflect the new ACT with Enhancements.
The ACT has three mandatory sections: English, Math, and Reading. It has two optional sections: Science and Writing. Each section is given a scaled score between 1 and 36. Your composite score is the average of your three mandatory section scores (English, Math, and Reading).
An important note: THERE IS NO POINT DEDUCTION FOR ANSWERING INCORRECTLY ON THE ACT – so NEVER leave a question blank.
How are raw ACT scores converted into scaled scores?
A raw score is the total number of questions you answer correctly, which is converted into a scaled score between 1 and 36. The ACT scales scores to make sure their scores are consistent across multiple test dates.
How is a composite score calculated?
We know that each section receives a scaled score between 1 and 36, but how do these three section (English, Math, and Reading) scores combine to create a composite score? It’s actually quite simple; your composite score is the average of your three section scores, rounded up to the nearest whole number. Two-thirds of a point or more is rounded up, one-third of a point is rounded down.
For example, if you got a 24 on English, 25 on Math, and a 24 on Reading:
(24 + 25 + 24) / 3 = 24.33.
So your composite score would be a 24.
What are ACT subscores?
Not only does the ACT provide a composite score and individual section scores, you will also receive subscores in the three mandatory sections (English, Math, Reading). This will give you some more information about your strengths and weaknesses.
Subscores are scaled from your raw score, but range from 1 to 18. There is no direct relationship between subscores and final scaled scores. Subscores merely provide more information about your performance and what you might need to improve.
Do not worry about ACT subscores. Colleges care more about your ACT composite score, and will also look at your individual section scores.
ACT Section Breakdown
How many raw points possible are on each section? How are scores calculated?
English
The English section on the ACT has 50 multiple choice questions, 10 of which are non-scored Field questions, so the highest raw score one could achieve is a 40. Questions answered incorrectly or left blank are simply not added on to the raw score.
Math
The Math section on the ACT has 45 multiple-choice questions, 4 of which are non-scored Field questions, so the highest raw score one could achieve is a 41. Questions answered incorrectly or left blank are simply not added on to the raw score.
Reading
The Reading section on the ACT has 36 multiple-choice questions, 9 of which are non-scored Field questions, so the highest raw score one could achieve is a 27. Questions answered incorrectly or left blank are simply not added on to the raw score.
Science
The Science section on the ACT is optional and has 40 multiple-choice questions, 6 of which are non-scored Field questions, so the highest raw score one could achieve is a 34. Questions answered incorrectly or left blank are simply not added on to the raw score.
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ACT Writing
The ACT also offers an additional writing section that occurs after the Science section. The writing section is NOT multiple choice – you will be writing the essay by hand. The essay is evaluated by two graders who score your essay from 1-6 based off of four domains; the highest score you can get per domain is 12. Your Writing score is a number between 2 and 12, calculated from the average of your four domain scores.
One question asked rather frequently: Will the Writing or Science scores affect my composite score? The answer is no. The composite score solely consists of English, Math, and Reading. People take ACT Science and Writing depending on what their colleges or scholarships or majors require.
