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ACT Score Calculator
Use this free ACT score calculator to work out your ACT composite score from your four section scores. Enter your English, Math, Reading, and Science scores, each from 1 to 36, and the calculator averages them using the official rounding rule, shows your composite score and its approximate percentile, and highlights your strongest and weakest sections.
Enter the section score shown on your score report. If you are estimating from a practice test, use the scaled score for each section, not the number of correct answers.
Composite score to percentile
| Composite | Approx. percentile | Composite | Approx. percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 99 | 22 | 63 |
| 35 | 99 | 21 | 57 |
| 34 | 99 | 20 | 51 |
| 33 | 98 | 19 | 45 |
| 32 | 97 | 18 | 39 |
| 31 | 96 | 17 | 33 |
| 30 | 94 | 16 | 27 |
| 29 | 92 | 15 | 21 |
| 28 | 89 | 14 | 16 |
| 27 | 86 | 13 | 11 |
| 26 | 83 | 12 | 8 |
| 25 | 79 | 11 | 5 |
| 24 | 74 | 10 | 3 |
| 23 | 69 | 9 and below | 2 and below |
Percentiles are approximate, based on recent national norms. A percentile of 92 means the score was higher than about 92 percent of test takers.
How it works
The ACT is a college admissions test with four scored sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science. Each section is scored on a scale from 1 to 36, and the composite score is the average of the four section scores, rounded to the nearest whole number. That rounding rule matters: an average ending in .5 rounds up, so an average of 28.5 becomes a composite of 29, while an average of 28.25 rounds down to 28. This calculator applies that exact rule, so the composite it shows matches the one on an official score report for the same section scores.
Each section tests something different. English, with 75 questions in 45 minutes, covers grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and rhetoric. Math, with 60 questions in 60 minutes, covers algebra, functions, geometry, and trigonometry, and a calculator is allowed for the whole section. Reading, with 40 questions in 35 minutes, tests comprehension of passages in prose fiction, social science, humanities, and natural science. Science, with 40 questions in 35 minutes, tests how well you read graphs, interpret experiments, and weigh conflicting viewpoints — it is a reasoning test, not a test of memorized science facts. There is also an optional writing section, scored separately from 2 to 12, which does not affect the composite.
The percentile tells you where a composite stands against other test takers. A composite of 29 sits around the 92nd percentile, meaning it is higher than about 92 percent of scores. A composite of 20 is around the 51st percentile, close to the middle, and a composite of 24 is around the 74th percentile. Percentiles shift slightly from year to year as the testing population changes, so the table on this page is approximate — use it to judge a score in context, not as an exact ranking.
Colleges use the composite as a quick summary, but they also read the section scores. A student applying for engineering with a Math score of 34 and a Reading score of 24 tells a different story than a student with 29 in every section, even though both might have a similar composite. Some colleges superscore, combining your best section score from each test date into a new composite, which can lift your reported score by a point or two if your best sections came on different dates. Check each college's policy, because not all of them superscore.
If your composite is below the range of the colleges you want, the section breakdown shows where to focus. Raising your lowest section by 3 points lifts the composite by about 0.75, which often rounds up to a full point, while raising your highest section by the same amount may not move the composite at all if it is already near the top. That is why the calculator highlights your strongest and weakest sections: the weakest section is usually the cheapest place to gain a point.
Worked example
A student scores English 28, Math 30, Reading 26, and Science 32.
Step 1: Add the four section scores — 28 + 30 + 26 + 32 = 116.
Step 2: Divide by 4 — 116 ÷ 4 = 29.0.
Step 3: Round to the nearest whole number — 29.0 is already whole, so the composite is 29.
The composite score is 29, which sits around the 92nd percentile. The strongest section is Science at 32 and the lowest is Reading at 26. If this student raised Reading from 26 to 29, the total would become 119, the average 29.75, and the composite would round up to 30 — a full point gained from three points on the weakest section.
FAQ
How is the ACT composite score calculated?
The composite is the average of your four section scores — English, Math, Reading, and Science — rounded to the nearest whole number, with halves rounding up. For example, section scores of 28, 30, 26, and 32 average to 29.0, so the composite is 29. An average of 28.5 rounds up to 29, and an average of 28.25 rounds down to 28.
What is a good ACT score?
The national average composite is around 19 to 20. A score of 24 is around the 74th percentile, 28 is around the 89th percentile, and 30 is around the 94th percentile. Many state universities admit students around 22 to 26, while the most selective colleges typically look for 33 and above. A good score depends on the colleges on your list, so compare your composite with the middle range of admitted students at each school.
Do colleges look at section scores or just the composite?
Both. The composite is the headline number, but colleges also look at section scores, especially the ones related to your planned major — math and science for engineering, English and reading for humanities. Some colleges superscore, which means they take your best section score from each test date and combine them into a new composite.
What is ACT superscoring?
Superscoring means a college takes your highest English score from any test date, your highest Math score from any date, and so on, then averages those best section scores into a superscore composite. If you scored 30 in Math in June and 33 in October, the superscore uses the 33. Not every college superscores, so check each college's policy before deciding whether to retake the test.
How long is the ACT and what does each section cover?
The full test takes about 3 hours including the optional writing section, or about 2 hours 55 minutes without it. English covers grammar, punctuation, and rhetoric; Math covers algebra, geometry, and trigonometry; Reading covers comprehension of passages in prose, social science, humanities, and natural science; Science covers interpreting data, experiments, and conflicting viewpoints rather than memorized facts.