{"id":8765,"date":"2024-09-30t01:00:08","date_gmt":"2024-09-30t08:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/act\/?p=8765"},"modified":"2022-09-06t00:00:53","modified_gmt":"2022-09-06t07:00:53","slug":"act-scores","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/act\/act-scores\/","title":{"rendered":"act scores: everything you need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"
good act scores are the key to getting into the college of your dreams! but what is a good score? for most students, scoring above average, 21 or higher, is a good score. for those applying to elite colleges, scores in the 93rd percentile (30+) or even the 98th percentile (33+) are good scores.<\/strong> but that\u2019s the short answer\u2026 there is more to it than that of course. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n this post has been updated for the new format of the act starting april 2025. for details on how the new act differs from the old one, see how to prepare for the act<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a> click the links below to go straight to that section, or keep reading to get everything you need to know act scores!<\/p>\n <\/a> the act test score range is between 1 and 36. there are two types of scores that fall in this range: your section scores<\/strong> and your composite score<\/strong>. <\/p>\n the act exam<\/a> comprises three required sections and two optional sections: optional:<\/em><\/p>\n the score on each section is calculated by converting the raw score<\/strong>\u2014the number of questions you answered correctly in a given section\u2014to a scaled score in that 1-36 range. (there are no penalties for questions with an incorrect answer). <\/p>\n our act score calculator<\/strong><\/a> can give you a sense of how many questions you need to answer correctly to get a certain scaled score. <\/p>\n to make your composite<\/strong>, or overall, score, the test maker then averages your three scores on english, math, and reading. this is also scored using the 1-36 act scale. if you take them, science and writing are scored separately.<\/p>\n so what is a good act composite score?<\/strong> many factors will help you determine what a good act composite score is for you. but before we get into that, know that the composite score is not the only score that matters! the act score report<\/a> will provide you even more<\/em> information about your test-taking experience in the form of subscores<\/strong>. <\/p>\n the reading, writing, and math sections also have categories with their own score ranges, as noted in the table below:<\/p>\n
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\n <\/p>\n\n
\n <\/p>\nhow are act scores calculated?<\/h2>\n
section scores<\/h3>\n
\n
\nrequired:<\/em><\/p>\n\n
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composite scores<\/h3>\n
subscores<\/h3>\n