Enter your English, Math and Reading scores to calculate your ACT composite (1–36) under the current enhanced ACT, plus your optional Science and STEM scores and your national rank.
Since the 2025 redesign, the ACT has three required sections: English (50 questions, 35 minutes), Math (45 questions, 50 minutes) and Reading (36 questions, 40 minutes). Science (40 questions, 40 minutes) is optional. Each section is scored 1–36, and your composite is the average of English, Math and Reading, rounded to the nearest whole number. If you take Science, ACT also reports a STEM score, the average of Math and Science. The enhanced format reached online national tests in April 2025, paper national tests in September 2025 and state and district testing in spring 2026.
An optional Writing section is scored separately on a 2–12 scale and does not affect your composite. Some colleges require it, so check before registering.
National ranks show the percent of ACT-tested graduates (classes of 2022–2024) who scored at or below each composite.
| Score | Rank | Score | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 100th | 24 | 79th |
| 34 | 99th | 22 | 71st |
| 32 | 97th | 20 | 61st |
| 30 | 94th | 18 | 49th |
| 28 | 91st | 16 | 37th |
| 26 | 86th | 14 | 23rd |
English: Grammar, punctuation, sentence structure and rhetorical skills — 50 questions in 35 minutes on the enhanced ACT.
Mathematics: Pre-algebra through basic trigonometry, 45 questions in 50 minutes with four answer choices each. No penalty for guessing, and a calculator is permitted throughout.
Reading: 36 questions in 40 minutes. Pace still matters, but the enhanced test allows more time per question than the old four-passage, 35-minute section.
Science (optional): Data interpretation and scientific reasoning from graphs, tables and experiments, 40 questions in 40 minutes. It no longer counts toward the composite but produces a separate Science score and a STEM score that some programs look at.
Middle 50% ranges (25th–75th percentile) are published by each college. Two examples from fall 2025: Ohio State's Columbus campus admitted students scored 29–33, and MIT's class of 2029 scored 34–36. Look up your own target schools rather than relying on a generic tier.
Your composite hides important information. A 26 composite could mean three balanced 26s, or a 30 in English and Reading with a 19 in Math. These profiles read differently to schools with strong STEM programs versus liberal arts colleges.
A low section score pulls down your composite significantly, so it's usually the highest-leverage place to focus prep. A student scoring 28 English, 20 Math and 28 Reading has a composite of 25 — raising just Math from 20 to 28 pushes the composite to 28. Some schools also look at section scores directly for course placement: a 28 in Math may place you into calculus while a 22 might place you into remedial algebra regardless of your composite.
Superscoring — where schools accept your best section scores across multiple ACT sittings to construct a composite — is offered by many but not all colleges. Check the policy at each school you're applying to before deciding whether to retake.
The average ACT composite for the class of 2025 was 19.4. On ACT's national ranks, a 20 is the 61st percentile, a 24 the 79th (top 21%) and a 30 the 94th (top 6%).
"Good" is always relative to your target schools. A 28 is an excellent score for most programs but falls below the 25th percentile at highly selective schools. The most useful benchmark is the middle 50% range at your specific target schools, not national averages.
Both are accepted by virtually all four-year colleges in the United States. The ACT offers an optional Science section and still moves at a faster pace per question. The SAT has more reading comprehension and data analysis, and slightly more time per question. Taking a free practice test for each is the most reliable way to find out which suits you — many students score meaningfully higher on one than the other.
Most students improve their ACT composite by focusing on their single weakest section rather than spreading effort evenly. Because the composite is an average of three sections, raising one section by 6 points lifts the composite by 2, the same as raising all three by 2 — and one weak section usually has the most room to grow. Identify your lowest section and spend 60% of your prep time there.
Practice test timing matters more for ACT than SAT. The ACT still moves faster — 50 English questions in 35 minutes. Students who struggle on ACT often struggle with pace, not content. Timed full-length practice tests are more useful than untimed content review for most ACT takers.
A retake makes sense when: your practice scores on full-length tests are consistently higher than your official score (suggesting test-day nerves or logistics affected performance), you have identified specific skill gaps you have addressed since the last test, or your target schools' middle 50% range is clearly above your current score. Most students see improvement on a second attempt after targeted preparation. Diminishing returns typically appear after two or three attempts.
Test scores are most useful when paired with a strong GPA. See our GPA Calculator to track your academic standing alongside test preparation.
Is this the same as an "ACT calculator"? Yes — this composite score calculator is what most students mean by "ACT calculator." Enter your English, Math and Reading scores to get your composite and national rank; add Science if you took it to see your STEM score.
Does this account for the ACT's optional Writing section? No — the Writing (Essay) section is scored separately on a 2–12 scale and does not factor into your composite score. Most colleges that still consider ACT Writing weigh it independently.
Is the ACT curved like the SAT? Both tests convert raw answers to scaled scores that adjust for form difficulty. The ACT is not adaptive: every student on a given form answers the same questions, while the digital SAT adapts its second module to your first-module performance.
SAT Score Calculator — calculate your SAT total and percentile.
GPA Calculator — calculate your current cumulative GPA.
What GPA Do You Need for Med School? — how test scores and GPA work together in admissions.