Understand your scores
- How ACT figures the multiple-choice test scores and the Composite score
- Relationship between the tests, questions, and subscores
- What are national ranks?
The information on this page applies only to the four multiple-choice tests (English, Reading, Mathematics, Science) and Composite score. Scoring information for the Writing Test is also available.
You can also download a copy of Using Your ACT Results (PDF; 16 pages, 475KB). It can help you compare your scores to other students who have taken the ACT, learn more about which colleges may be good choices for you, and explore careers before you decide on a college.
How ACT figures the multiple-choice test scores and the Composite score
- First we count the number of questions on each test that you answered correctly. We do not deduct any points for incorrect answers.
- Then we convert your raw scores (number of correct answers) to "scale scores." Scale scores have the same meaning for all the different versions of the ACT offered on different test dates.
- Your Composite score and each test score (English, Mathematics, Reading, Science) range from 1 (low) to 36 (high). The Composite Score is the average of your four test scores, rounded to the nearest whole number.
- We compute your seven subscores (Usage/Mechanics, Rhetorical Skills, etc.) in the same way, but subscores range from 1 (low) to 18 (high). There is no direct, arithmetic relationship between subscores and test score—this means your subscores usually won't add up to your test score.
Relationship between the tests, questions, and subscores
| Test | No. of Questions |
Subscore(s) |
|---|---|---|
| English Test | 75 | Usage/Mechanics (40 questions) Rhetorical Skills (35 questions) |
| Mathematics Test | 60 | Pre-Algebra/Elementary Algebra (24 questions) Intermediate Algebra/Coordinate Geometry (18 questions) Plane Geometry/Trigonometry based (18 questions) |
| Reading Test | 40 | Social Studies/Sciences reading skills (20 social studies & natural sciences questions) Arts/Literature reading skills (20 prose fiction & humanities questions) |
| Science Test | 40 | None: the total test score is based on all 40 questions. |
What are national ranks?
As your report explains, the ranks show the percent of recent high school graduates who took the ACT and scored at or below each of your scores. (See also National Ranks for ACT Scores.)
You can use the ranks to get a sense of your strengths and weaknesses in the four broad areas represented by the test scores and in the seven specific areas represented by the subscores. A high rank in a content area may suggest a good chance of success in related college majors and careers. A low rank may indicate that you need to develop your skills more in that area. If you haven't yet read the part of your report that explains the ranks of your scores, do so now.
Your grades are another way to identify your academic strengths and weaknesses. When you registered for the ACT, you reported your grades in up to 30 specific courses. The average of those grades (on a 4-point scale) is reported on your Student Report. Test scores and high school grades together are usually better indicators of future academic success than either is alone.
If you want to know more about what your test scores can tell you about the skills you are likely to know and what you are likely to be able to do in each content area measured by the ACT, see ACT College Readiness Standards.