Enter your section scores from up to 3 ACT test dates. We'll combine your best English, Math, and Reading scores into your superscore composite.
Your ACT superscore takes your single best score in each section — regardless of which test date it came from — and averages them into a new composite. If you scored higher on English in your first sitting but higher on Math and Reading in your second, your superscore combines all three best results into one number that no single test day actually produced.
Since the Enhanced ACT rollout (April 2025 for online tests, September 2025 for paper), the superscore Composite uses only three sections — English, Math, and Reading — divided by 3 and rounded to the nearest whole number. Science is now optional on test day and is no longer part of the Composite. If you do take Science, it's combined with your Math score into a separate STEM score instead, reported alongside your superscore but not folded into it.
| Format | Sections in Composite | Divided By |
|---|---|---|
| Legacy ACT (before 2025) | English, Math, Reading, Science | 4 |
| Enhanced ACT (2025 onward) | English, Math, Reading | 3 |
You can still combine scores from a legacy test and an Enhanced test in the same superscore report — ACT's official superscore pulls your best section results from any test event since September 2016, regardless of format. This calculator focuses on the current Enhanced ACT (English/Math/Reading) composite, since that's what almost every upcoming test date now uses.
Roughly two-thirds of selective colleges superscore the ACT, but there's no universal rule — always verify the specific policy of each school on your list. A few patterns worth knowing:
When in doubt, send your full superscore report. Colleges that don't superscore will simply use your highest single-sitting composite from the scores you send; colleges that do superscore will apply the more favorable combined calculation automatically.
Because your superscore only keeps your best section from each attempt, a retake can never lower your superscore — even a rough test day is a "free roll." That changes how you should prepare for a second or third attempt: instead of trying to improve every section evenly, it's usually more efficient to identify your single weakest section from your last attempt and concentrate the bulk of your prep time there, while doing lighter maintenance review on the sections where you already scored well.
Most guidance suggests 2–3 total attempts captures most of the available superscore gain; a fourth or fifth attempt tends to produce smaller improvements relative to the added cost and time, unless a specific section score is still meaningfully below your practice-test ceiling.
How is the ACT superscore calculated? Take your highest score in each section across every ACT you've taken, then average them and round to the nearest whole number. Under the Enhanced ACT format (2025 onward), only English, Math, and Reading count toward the superscore — so it's your best English plus your best Math plus your best Reading, divided by 3. For legacy tests taken before the Enhanced ACT, Science was also included, dividing by 4 instead.
Does the ACT superscore still include Science? Not for the composite. Starting with the Enhanced ACT rollout in 2025, Science became optional and is no longer part of the superscore Composite calculation. If you take the Science section, it's instead combined with your Math score to produce a separate STEM score, reported alongside — but not inside — your superscore.
Do all colleges accept ACT superscores? No. Roughly two-thirds of selective colleges superscore the ACT, but policies vary by school and can change year to year. Harvard and Princeton, for example, evaluate your highest single-sitting composite rather than combining section scores across dates. Always confirm the current policy on each college's admissions website before deciding which scores to send.
How many times should I take the ACT to superscore effectively? Most test prep guidance recommends 2–3 attempts. That's usually enough to let your strongest section from each sitting combine into a meaningfully higher composite, without the diminishing returns and added cost of a fourth or fifth attempt. Focusing your prep on one section per test — rather than trying to peak on all three simultaneously — is the strategy most superscore-focused test-takers use.
Is my superscore higher than any single test I took? It's higher than or equal to your best single-sitting composite — it can never be lower. Because it combines your single best section scores regardless of which test date they came from, a superscore is mathematically guaranteed to match or exceed your highest individual composite.
ACT Score Calculator — calculate your composite score from a single test's raw section results.
New ACT Format 2025–2026: What Changed — the full Enhanced ACT vs. Legacy ACT breakdown.
What Is a Good ACT Score? — percentile benchmarks by college tier, plus when a retake is worth it.
SAT Score Calculator — if you're deciding between the SAT and ACT.