ACT® Test Scores: Everything You Need to Know

The test is done. Your sharpened pencils are dull (or broken), and your granola bar has long been eaten. Now you wait until you get your ACT® Test scores. But once you get your scores back, what do they mean? We all know the importance of a high ACT® Test score, but it's also important to know how the scoring works to motivate you to prepare hard to increase your overall score. 

How Is the ACT® Scored? (1–36 Scale Explained)

ACT® Test scores range from 1-36. Your score is based on the number of correct answers in each section. Once you submit your scoresheet:

1. The ACT® Test counts the number of correct questions in each section. Incorrect answers do not penalize you (so guess rather than leave a question blank!). 
2. Raw scores are converted to scale scores.
3. Then, scale scores are averaged to create your composite score, rounded to the nearest whole number. 
4. Your composite score (and individual section scores) are sent to the colleges you selected when you registered. 
5. Beginning April 2025, the national online test composite excludes the optional Science section. Instead, Science scores will be reported separately and in a STEM Score with Math. Learn more.

ACT® Raw Scores vs. Scale Scores: How the Conversion Works

Raw scores are simply a count of your correct answers in each section. Those are converted to scale scores by ACT®. 

Here's an example: if you get 30 questions correct in an English section, your scale score may be 24 for that section. The exact raw-to-scale score conversion will vary slightly based on the difficulty of each ACT® Test. But the way they are used to calculate your composite score is consistent. The three scale scores (English, Math, Reading) are averaged to find your composite score. Here is a more detailed explanation from ACT® with Score Conversion Tables. 

What Is the Average ACT® Score? (2025 Data)

Where do your ACT® Test scores stand compared to national averages? The  ACT® Test national average composite score in 2025 was 19.4. While average scores can be a starting point to see how you compare, it’s typically better to compare your scores to the average scores at the schools you want to attend. Check your scores against the college minimums for attendance (usually a 20 at most public universities), and the scores that receive merit scholarships. After all, the goal is to attend college and graduate with minimal debt.

You can also use our OnToCollege Score Converter to see how you compare to other applicants at your target college.

When Do ACT® Scores Come Out?

Test scores generally begin to be released 10 days after the test date, but it may take up to 8 weeks to receive your score. In some instances, your scores take longer to be posted. Here are a few possible reasons:

• The information on the test admission ticket didn’t match the information on your answer sheet 
• Answer documents came late from a test center
• Incomplete or inaccurate test form information
• You owe registration fees
• Irregularity reported at your testing center

Another reason scores might be delayed is that the writing portion takes longer to score than the multiple-choice portion. But don’t start worrying if you don’t receive your scores right at the two-week mark. Just keep an eye on the ACT® timeline because most likely your scores are on the way.

What Is ACT® Superscoring — and Does Your College Accept It?

Another common question when it comes to ACT® Test scores is about superscoring. ACT® provides an automatically calculated ACT superscore to all students who have taken the ACT more than once since September 2016. It can be beneficial because it takes the three best subject scores from all your ACT® Tests— your best English, Math, and Reading scores from ALL your ACT® Tests—and combines those scores to create your superscore.

Each college has its own policy for accepting superscores. If you plan to submit your scores to a specific college or university, research whether it accepts superscores. An ACT® Test score report costs $20 to send, unless you have a fee waiver, and you can choose to send an individual test score or your superscore. If you do send a superscore report, the college will also receive your highest full composite score along with your superscore. Superscores will be available on your ACT® account after you take your second test. Superscores no longer include Science, but Science is included in the STEM score.

How to Improve Your ACT Score

Because the ACT® Test section scores are averaged, it doesn’t matter which scores you increase: your best section scores or your worst. Let’s say you scored a 23 on your last ACT® Test with an English score of 21, a Math score of 25, a Reading score of 23, and a Science (now optional, but strongly encouraged!) score of 24. Now, let’s say you really focus on Math, a subject you feel pretty comfortable with, practicing and increasing that section score to a 30. Increasing that subject alone brings your superscore up to 25. Imagine what a few points in your best subject could do for you, let alone on the entire test. 

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Understanding more about your ACT® Test scores can help you see how you might improve your score. With the right preparation and strategies, you can increase your score and graduate college on time and affordably, with minimal debt. Want to learn more? Take a look at OTC Prep for the ACT® Test courses, either online or in-person!