Understanding your ACT® score report can be confusing! Our detailed blog helps you decode your composite score and subscores and interpret results.
The ACT® score report provides detailed information about your exam performance to you, your high school, and the colleges or universities to which you have applied. This blog details everything you need to know about your score report and its components.
Your ACT score report displays your composite score, section scores, cross-test scores, and subscores. In addition, you’ll also receive information about reporting categories for each subject, along with your national and state ranks. The score report is divided into the following three parts:
On your score report, the most important score that you will see is your ACT composite score. This score will range from 1 (lowest) to 36 (highest). The scaled scores from the four sections (English, Math, Reading, and Science) are averaged and rounded off to the nearest whole number to get the composite score.
Additionally, you will see ACT section scores for each of these four sections, evaluated on the same scale of 1-36. For the optional writing section, the score ranges from 2 to 12; however, it does not contribute to your composite score.
Your score report gets more detailed as you scroll down the page. The ACT section scores are further divided into categories and percentages of correct answers. You will also find the college readiness range for each reporting category. These ACT benchmarks denote a student’s readiness for college-level coursework. Having in-depth information about each reporting category will help you analyze your performance and decide if you need to improve your score or retake the test.
Your score report also displays two cross-test scores for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and ELA (English Language Arts), ranging from 1-36. The STEM score represents how you performed on your Math and Science tests, whereas your ELA score combines your performance on the English, Reading, and Writing tests. If you do not take the Writing test, the ELA score will not be reported.
You will also receive seven subscores, ranging from 1-18 to further analyze your performance in different subject areas.
You get national and state ranks for both your composite and section scores. Your rank displays the percentage of students who scored the same or lower than you. For example, receiving a rank of 80 would mean that 80% of the test-takers earned that composite score or below.
To learn in detail how ACT scores for each subject are calculated, read our ACT scoring guide.
