How is the ACT scored

I’m taking the ACT soon, and I’m trying to figure out how the scoring works so I can better understand my target score and how to study effectively. I’ve seen some conflicting information online, so I wanted to get a clear picture.

Specifically, I’m confused about a few things:

• Composite Score: I know the ACT has four sections (English, Math, Reading, and Science) that are each scored out of 36. But how is the composite score calculated? Is it a simple average? Does it round up or down?

• Section Scoring: What types of questions are on each section? And more importantly, how many questions do I need to get right in each section to achieve, say, a score of 30? Is there a curve? Does it vary from test to test?

• Essay (Writing) Score: I understand the writing section is optional now, but I’m still considering taking it. How is the essay scored? What are the graders looking for? And how does the essay score affect the overall ACT score, if at all?

• Superscoring: Is "superscoring" a common practice with colleges? If so, how does that work with the ACT? Can I just combine my best section scores from different test dates to get an even higher composite score? I’m concerned about taking the ACT multiple times and my past scores being counted against me when I apply to colleges.

• Reporting: Finally, what kind of information is reported to colleges? Do they see all my scores from every test I’ve taken, or can I choose which scores to send?

I’d really appreciate a detailed explanation of the ACT scoring process. Any insights you can provide would be very helpful!

Answer

The ACT is scored through a multi-step process, resulting in individual section scores and a composite score. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

1. Raw Score Calculation:

• For each of the four multiple-choice sections (English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science), the number of questions you answer correctly is your raw score for that section. There is no penalty for incorrect answers. Therefore, it is always best to answer every question, even if you have to guess.

2. Conversion to Scaled Scores:

• Each raw score is then converted into a scaled score. These scaled scores range from 1 to 36 for each section. The specific conversion table used varies slightly for each test administration to account for minor differences in difficulty between different versions of the ACT. ACT uses a process called equating to ensure scores are comparable across different test forms.
• The conversion tables are not publicly released after each test administration (only for some previously administered tests). ACT uses statistical methods to ensure that a particular scaled score represents a similar level of achievement regardless of which version of the test a student took.

3. Composite Score Calculation:

• The composite score is the average of your four scaled section scores (English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science). The sum of the four scaled scores is divided by 4.
• The composite score is then rounded to the nearest whole number. For example, an average of 20.5 would be rounded up to 21, while an average of 20.4 would be rounded down to 20. The composite score also ranges from 1 to 36.

4. English Section: Subscores (Effective September 2020):

• The English section also has three subscores, each ranging from 1 to 18:
  • Production of Writing: Assesses skills related to topic development, organization, unity, and cohesion.
  • Knowledge of Language: Measures effective language use and conciseness.
  • Conventions of Standard English: Evaluates grammar, usage, punctuation, and sentence structure.

5. Mathematics Section: Subscores (Effective September 2020):

• The Mathematics section also has three subscores, each ranging from 1 to 18:
  • Preparing for Higher Math: Measures skills necessary for college and career readiness, including number and quantity, algebra, functions, geometry, and statistics and probability.
  • Integrating Essential Skills: Measures skills in statistics & probability, geometry, functions, and number & quantity
  • Modeling: Measures skills in interpreting, understanding, evaluating, and improving models.

6. Reading Section: Subscores (Effective September 2020):

• The Reading section also has three subscores, each ranging from 1 to 18:
  • Key Ideas and Details: Assesses the ability to understand explicit meanings and draw logical inferences and conclusions.
  • Craft and Structure: Assesses the ability to determine word and phrase meanings; analyze an author’s choices and purpose; and analyze text structure.
  • Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: Assesses the ability to understand relationships between multiple texts, determine the validity of an argument, and utilize evidence.

7. Science Section: Subscores (Effective September 2020):

• The Science section also has three subscores, each ranging from 1 to 18:
  • Interpretation of Data: Measures skills in graph literacy, drawing conclusions, and finding trends.
  • Scientific Investigation: Measures skills in experimental design and evaluating experimental conclusions.
  • Evaluation of Models, Inferences, and Experimental Results: Measures skills in evaluating experimental results.

8. ACT with Writing (Essay):

• If you take the ACT with Writing, you will receive a separate score for the essay.
• Two trained readers score your essay independently, each assigning a score from 1 to 6 in four domains:
  • Ideas and Analysis: Assesses the clarity and focus of your argument.
  • Development and Support: Evaluates the quality and relevance of your supporting evidence.
  • Organization: Assesses the logical structure and coherence of your essay.
  • Language Use and Conventions: Evaluates your vocabulary, sentence structure, and command of standard written English.
• The two readers’ scores in each domain are added together, resulting in a domain score ranging from 2 to 12 for each domain.
• The writing score is reported as four domain scores (Ideas and Analysis, Development and Support, Organization, and Language Use and Conventions), each ranging from 2 to 12. There is no single combined essay score. The composite ACT score (1-36) is based only on the four multiple-choice sections and is not affected by the essay score.

9. Reporting:

• Your score report will include:
  • Composite score (1-36)
  • Individual section scores for English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science (1-36 each)
  • Subscores for each section (1-18 each)
  • If you took the Writing section, the four domain scores for the essay (2-12 each)
  • Percentile ranks, which indicate how you performed compared to other students who took the ACT.
  • Information about your college and career readiness based on your scores.

Important Considerations:

• Guessing: Since there is no penalty for wrong answers, always guess if you’re unsure of an answer.
• Preparation: Familiarize yourself with the test format, question types, and content areas to maximize your score. Practice tests are crucial.
• Score Choice: The ACT allows you to choose which scores you send to colleges. You can retake the test and only send your best scores. However, some colleges may require you to send all scores.
• Superscoring: Some colleges practice "superscoring," which means they will take your highest section scores from different test dates to create a new, higher composite score. Research the policies of the colleges you are applying to.