Key Takeaways
Virtually all test-takers know that the ACT exam score lies between 1 and 36. But only a small proportion of students understand the details. For instance, different sections have a different number of questions, yet all the sectional scores fall also between 1 and 36. Also, the score is reported as an integer.
The overall ACT scores that you see go through several stages before they appear on the scorecard. For instance, the number of correct answers in each section is converted to a score between 1 and 36 using an ACT score chart. Your composite score is the simple average of the scores you’ve received in each of the sections.
This blog will act as your guide for ACT scores. You will understand what are raw scores and scaled scores. Then you’ll get to understand how the ACT scoring chart is used. We’ll also discuss how tests, questions, and reporting categories relate to one another. After that, we look at what are good ACT scores and average scores. We conclude with some helpful, actionable tips on how you can improve your ACT scores.
How are ACT scores calculated?
To begin with, the ACT looks at the number of correct answers in each section. For every correct answer, you get one point. For instance, if you’ve answered 37 questions correctly in the Math test, you get 37 points, which is called the raw score.
Using a conversion chart, the ACT converts the raw score into scale score. Remember, there’s no penalty for incorrect answers.
Finally, the ACT corporation calculates the average scale score of all the compulsory sections. If the average contains fractions, it is rounded to the nearest integer.
Any values below 0.5 will be rounded off to the previous whole number, while any value equal to or above 0.5 will be rounded off to the next whole number. So an average of 30.1 or 30.4 is rounded off to 30, while an average of 30.5 or 30.9 will be rounded off to 31.
Your ACT scorecard reports the sectional scale scores as well as the composite score.
What are raw scores and scale scores?
The number of correct answers in a section is called the raw score of the section. It’s called so because it’s yet not ready for reporting. They do not accurately compare your performance with that of someone else who took the ACT on a different date.
Raw scores are adjusted so that the slight variations across different test dates are neutralized. The final scores arrived at after this adjustment are called scale scores.
ACT Scoring Chart for Reference
The conversion chart is a tabular reference that the ACT uses to convert raw scores into scale scores.
Look at the screenshot of a conversion chart the ACT used for its practice tests.
Let’s say you answered 67 questions correctly in Test 1 English. From the table, you can see that a raw score of 67 in English corresponds to a scaled score of 31 (In contrast, a scaled score of 31 in Mathematics would need 51 or 52 correct answers).
Different test dates may use different conversion charts to calculate scale scores..
Why the ACT uses the conversion chart
There are two reasons the ACT uses the conversion chart. One, while the number of questions in each section may be different, the scorecard needs to report your performance in each section on a score range of 1 to 36. That’s what the conversion chart helps do.
Secondly, conversion brings parity of scores for tests conducted on different dates. The ACT clearly says, “ Scale scores have the same meaning for all the different forms of the ACT test, no matter which date a test was taken”. That means you can compare the scores of tests conducted on different dates without having to worry about their difficulty levels.
While ACT tests on different dates are meant to be similar, there’s a small variation in their difficulty level. So getting 31 Mathematics questions correct on one date might just be as difficult as getting 27 Mathematics questions correct on another date.
Two students who took the ACT on different dates might have received slightly different raw scores, but the ACT raw score conversion grid gives them the same scaled scores. This adjusts the scores to the difficulty level of each test and ensures that the scores reported are fair.
Different test dates may use different conversion charts, based on various factors including the difficulty level of the test of that date.
ACT Test Score Ranges
There are three things we need to understand when we talk about the ACT scores.
1. The composite score
The ACT score range demonstrates how well did the student perform in the actual exam. How good is your performance if you scored 31? Or 14? Or 22?
We divide the ACT scores into three ranges.
You scored between 25 and 36:
You’ve scored above average. And if you’re above 33, well, consider it an excellent score. The closer you’re to 36, the better your chances for scholarships as well as for admissions to competitive schools.
In addition to highly competitive schools like Harvard, Stanford, and Yale, some of the other universities best suited for this score range are:
- Johns Hopkins University
- The University of Texas at Austin
- University of Pennsylvania
- The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- University of California, Los Angeles
- Texas A&M University
You scored between 17 and 24:
This score is considered average and shows considerable competence. You might have some chance at a few good schools, subject to the strength of other factors in your application.
For this range of ACT scores, you could target universities like:
- Portland State University
- La Salle University
- Western Michigan University
- California State University, Fullerton
- California State University, Northridge
- North Carolina A&T State University
You scored below 17:
Scores below 17 are considered below average. If you plan to take the ACT again (which you probably will), you know the areas that need improvement. As a general practice, most universities will require a minimum ACT score of 18.
Note: The names of universities above are indicative only. Be sure to do your research or speak to a qualified counselor.
2. College Readiness Benchmark
But there’s more. The ACT also displays a score called a College Readiness Benchmark. Think of it as a certain standard that indicates the probability of how you’ll do in the first year of your college.
According to the ACT, if you’ve scored equal to or more than the CRB, ”you have at least a 50% chance of obtaining a B or higher or about a 75% chance of obtaining a C” in a corresponding subject in the first year at college.
In the sample ACT scorecard of a student above, the circled numbers are College Readiness Benchmark (CRB) scores. The student has scored 24 in English, while the CRB for the same is 18. That means the student has a good chance of doing well in that subject area at college.
3. Score range
The Score Range refers to the very small margin of error with similar standardized tests.
The ACT clearly says these scores are “estimates of your educational development”. That means there could be a deviation of about 1 point in the Composite scores above or below your score.
In simpler words, if you were to take a similar standardized test elsewhere, your composite score could turn out 1 point more or 1 point less than the score you’ve received on the ACT.
This is actually a very powerful statement about the reliability of the ACT. The variation of just 1 point indicates that the test has measured your skills to a very high level of accuracy and hence the scores are reliable for further use.
The ACT also mentions the variation possible in writing, STEM, and ELA scores.
How do tests, questions, and reporting categories relate to one another?
The ACT test-makers take great care in ensuring that every section covers all the relevant topics in the right proportion. Which means it’s impossible that one ACT exam has 13 questions from Probability while another has none.
It’s no surprise that the categories that each section will cover are fixed. The number of questions within each category too are pre-defined.
The below table shows the reporting categories of the English test in the ACT. Note how one category takes up over half the section.
The reporting categories of the ACT Mathematics test show a preference for integrating essential skills. Nearly all the remaining categories enjoy an equal weightage.
The Reading test in the ACT has three categories. Here too, one category ('Key Ideas and Details') have more than half the weightage.
Here’s what the table means. Take any official ACT. If you look at the Mathematics test, you’ll find 7 to 9 questions from Geometry. These Geometry questions form approximately 12 to 15 percent of the entire Mathematics section.
When preparing for the ACT, be sure to pay particular attention to the categories that have the maximum weightage in each section.
Please note that the above relationship will likely change a little in the digital ACT, which is shorter and has fewer questions.
What is a good ACT score?
How your scores compare to the other students vying for the same university significantly impact your chances of getting into your dream university.
The answer to the question ‘what is a good ACT score’ depends upon the school you’re looking to get into. At more selective schools like Princeton, for instance, you’d stand a better chance if your ACT score is 33 and above. Against that, the average ACT score at the University of Utah is 27. But then, its course in Research and Experimental Psychology at the University of Utah is highly prized.
Research the schools you intend to apply to. Collect information from their websites, speak to their admission office, and meet with counsellors. That will tell you the target ACT score you should aim for. And that’s what would be a good ACT score for you.
What is the average ACT Test score?
Knowing what are the average scores of the ACT you plan to take could provide you some context and direction.
According to the ACT report, the national average of ACT composite scores from 2019 to 2024 have hovered around 20. In 2023-2024, for instance, the average was 19.4. So one way of looking at your performance is if you’ve scored above the national average, you could say you’ve got a good score.
In 2024, roughly 1 out of every 2 (51 percent) of the students who took the ACT met the College Readiness Benchmark for the English section. Against that, a little less than 1 in 3 (29 percent) students met the College Readiness Benchmark for Mathematics. And the number of students who met the College Readiness Benchmark for all the sections was 20 percent.
How to improve your ACT scores
Understanding is the first step. So begin by understanding the sections in the ACT. Look at the types and categories of questions covered in each section.
Next, take the practice ACTs. Once you get the scores, you’ll know the gap between where you are and where you need to be.
Finally, consider a trusted test-prep service. Prepare a study schedule, utilize the resources you get, and keep learning from the mistakes you commit. Book a demo to see how a powerful platform can hugely improve your ACT scores.
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