ACT Score Calculator
If an impending ACT® test has you wondering about your potential performance, you've come to the right spot. Our interactive ACT® score estimator enables you to predict your scaled ACT® score from your raw score, helping you to answer the question, "Is my ACT® score up to par?"
Don't forget to check out our ACT® resources for additional free review articles for your ACT® preparation (Math, Reading, Science).
How do you estimate ACT® scores?
To estimate your ACT® score, you must know your respective raw scores in four sections: English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science. With this information, you can refer to a conversion table to see how your raw score corresponds to a scaled score.
The ACT® score conversion is straightforward since there is no penalty for incorrect answers. The only concern is the number of questions answered correctly.
Scaled scores range from 1-36, with 36 being the highest possible score on the ACT®. To calculate your overall ACT® score, average the scores of all four sections (English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science divided by four).
What distinguishes ACT® raw scores from ACT® scaled scores?
Your ACT® raw score reflects the number of questions you answered correctly on the test. For instance, if you answered 70 out of the 75 questions in the ACT® English section, your raw score would be 70.
In the ACT® Math section, if you answered 43 out of 60 questions correctly, your raw score would be 43.
Your ACT® scaled score is the equivalent of your raw score on a scale of 1-36. In the examples above, your raw scores would correspond to a 34 in ACT® English and a 27 in ACT® Math, referring to the official 2020-2021 practice test’s scoring charts.
What qualifies as a satisfactory ACT® score?
Declaring a numerical value as a "good ACT® score" is tricky. However, generally speaking, any score in the top 30% of all test takers is considered decent. This equates to approximately a 23 composite score on the ACT®.
The table below lists the typical percentiles for students taking the ACT®:
| ACT® Composite Score | Percentile |
| 36 | 100% |
| 34-35 | 99% |
| 31-33 | 96-98% |
| 29-30 | 92-94% |
| 28 | 89% |
| 27 | 86% |
| 26 | 82% |
| 25 | 78% |
| 24 | 74% |
| 23 | 69% |
To rank in the top 10% of all high school ACT® test takers, you would need to score above 28. Typically, high 20s will make you competitive for state colleges like the University of Texas, Austin, and the University of California, Irvine.
Scores in the 30s will make you competitive for an array of universities, including top-tier ones like the University of Virginia (a “Public Ivy”), and Top 25 schools like Northwestern, Georgetown, and Duke.
Scoring 34-36, near the perfect ACT® score range, makes you a strong contender for the nation's top schools such as Princeton, Harvard, and Yale.
Is a 27 on the ACT® a satisfactory score?
Absolutely! A 27 on the ACT® places you in the 86th percentile of test takers. Universities with average scores around 27 include Penn State University Park, Syracuse University, and Temple University.
Is a 30 on the ACT® sufficient for Ivy Leagues?
Scoring a 30 on your ACT® may get you into the running for the Ivy Leagues, but it does not guarantee an acceptance. That's because multiple factors are considered when applying to any elite university.
However, historically, a 30 could place you within the range of University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth College, Brown University, Columbia University, and Cornell University.
For Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, a score of 30 might not be enough, unless your application has something unique that sets you apart.
Is a 36 on the ACT® a good score?
Without a doubt! A 36 on the ACT®, a perfect score, is outstanding. Interestingly, the ACT® allows for a slight margin of error, still rewarding a perfect score under certain circumstances.
For instance:
At times, students have missed a problem but have still scored a 36 because the raw score range for a 36 allows for a question to be missed.
If you score between 35 and 36 and average out your total composite ACT® score, it could end up being above 0.5, which would round up to a perfect score!
What's the average ACT® score?
Based on the ACT® scores national norms data, the typical ACT® score ranges between 18-20 depending on the section, with the test typically normalized around 20.
The average ACT® English score is between 19-20.
The average ACT® Math score is between 18-19.
The average ACT® Reading score is roughly 20.
The average ACT® Science score is 20.
Why is the ACT® exam curved?
It's crucial to note that the ACT® exam is not curved relative to test takers. It is, however, curved through a process known as equating. This is when the ACT® organization scales test scores from a range of past test dates so that they’re all comparable in the ability that is being tested.
For more information about this process, refer to page 6 here. This equating process explains why you might notice variances in scores from one practice test to another when using our ACT® score calculator.
Generally, the ACT® has stayed consistent over time, with the number of correct answers in a section translating into a respective scale score.
Why use this ACT® score calculator?
Our ACT® score calculator, based on the official released practice tests curves from ACT®.org, provides 100% accurate and up-to-date calculations. If in doubt, refer to the ACT®’s practice test here for score calculations.
This calculator, an interactive tool, motivates and helps identify which sections to focus on for study. Knowing exactly how many correct answers you need to achieve your desired ACT® score ranges is crucial, especially for any ACT® score above 30.
How is the ACT® superscore calculated?
Calculating your ACT® superscore is straightforward. Collect all your past ACT® score reports, then look for your highest scores in each respective section.
Add up these highest scores and divide by four. Round to the nearest whole number—this is your ACT® superscore.
