1–36 scale · Official benchmarks · Practice-test conversion tables
ACT Score Chart
Use this ACT score chart for the 1–36 scale, official readiness benchmarks, worked composites, and conversion
tables for Official Online Practice Tests 1–4.
ACT score scale
Section scores, the composite and STEM share the 1–36 scale. Writing uses a separate 2–12 scale and never
enters the composite.
ACT College Readiness Benchmarks are the section scores associated with a 50% chance of a B or higher in a
matching first-year college course. They are not an admissions guarantee for any college.
Examples calculated by this site — not an official raw-to-scale conversion table. Each row
takes whole-number section scores and shows the Enhanced composite (English, Math, Reading ÷ 3), the legacy
composite (all four ÷ 4) and the STEM score (Math, Science ÷ 2), all rounded half up.
Site-calculated examples (inputs chosen to span the 1–36 scale)
English
Math
Reading
Science
Enhanced composite
Legacy composite
STEM
12
13
14
15
13(39 ÷ 3 = 13)
14(54 ÷ 4 = 13.5)
14
16
18
17
19
17(51 ÷ 3 = 17)
18(70 ÷ 4 = 17.5)
19
18
22
22
23
21(62 ÷ 3 = 20.67)
21(85 ÷ 4 = 21.25)
23
20
19
21
20
20(60 ÷ 3 = 20)
20(80 ÷ 4 = 20)
20
24
25
26
27
25(75 ÷ 3 = 25)
26(102 ÷ 4 = 25.5)
26
27
26
28
29
27(81 ÷ 3 = 27)
28(110 ÷ 4 = 27.5)
28
30
30
31
—
30(91 ÷ 3 = 30.33)
n/a
n/a
30
31
32
33
31(93 ÷ 3 = 31)
32(126 ÷ 4 = 31.5)
32
33
34
35
36
34(102 ÷ 3 = 34)
35(138 ÷ 4 = 34.5)
35
36
36
36
36
36(108 ÷ 3 = 36)
36(144 ÷ 4 = 36)
36
Notice the row with section scores 30, 31, 32 and 33: the Enhanced composite is 31 (93 ÷ 3) while the legacy
composite is 32 (126 ÷ 4 = 31.5, rounded up). The full explanation of that rounding step is on the
ACT composite score calculator page.
Practice-test conversion tables
These tables are built from the same Official Online Practice Test 1–4 scoring-key data the estimator uses.
Even when two forms show the same numbers, they remain separate booklets. Expand a form to read every scored
total. JavaScript is not required.
Official Online Practice Test 4 · English · 0–40 scored questions
Scored questions correct
Scale score
0
1
1
2
2
4
3
5
4
6
5
7
6
8
7
9
8
10
9
10
10
11
11
11
12
11
13
12
14
13
15
14
16
14
17
15
18
15
19
16
20
17
21
18
22
19
23
20
24
20
25
21
26
21
27
22
28
23
29
23
30
24
31
25
32
26
33
27
34
28
35
30
36
32
37
34
38
35
39
35
40
36
Official Online Practice Test 4 · Math · 0–41 scored questions
Scored questions correct
Scale score
0
1
1
4
2
7
3
9
4
10
5
11
6
12
7
13
8
14
9
14
10
14
11
14
12
15
13
15
14
16
15
16
16
16
17
17
18
17
19
17
20
18
21
18
22
19
23
20
24
21
25
22
26
23
27
24
28
25
29
25
30
26
31
27
32
27
33
28
34
29
35
30
36
31
37
33
38
34
39
35
40
36
41
36
Official Online Practice Test 4 · Reading · 0–27 scored questions
Scored questions correct
Scale score
0
1
1
3
2
5
3
7
4
9
5
10
6
11
7
11
8
12
9
13
10
14
11
15
12
16
13
17
14
18
15
20
16
21
17
22
18
23
19
24
20
25
21
27
22
28
23
30
24
32
25
34
26
35
27
36
Official Online Practice Test 4 · Science · 0–34 scored questions
Scored questions correct
Scale score
0
1
1
3
2
5
3
7
4
9
5
10
6
11
7
11
8
12
9
13
10
14
11
15
12
16
13
17
14
18
15
18
16
19
17
20
18
21
19
21
20
22
21
23
22
23
23
24
24
24
25
25
26
26
27
26
28
27
29
28
30
30
31
32
32
34
33
35
34
36
What the 1–36 ACT score range means, according to ACT
Only figures with a published ACT source appear here. The numbers in the last column refer to the source list
below, with the date each figure was last verified.
Reference points on the ACT scale (ACT-published figures only)
Score or range
What ACT says
Source
1–36
The reporting scale for each multiple-choice section (English, Math, Reading, Science) and for the Composite. 1 is the lowest possible score.
STEM is the average of the Math and Science 1–36 scale scores, rounded to the nearest integer; fractions of .5 or greater round up. ACT reports a STEM score only when both Math and Science scores exist.
National average ACT Composite score for the 2024 U.S. high school graduating class, as published by ACT. Averages change every year; check ACT for the current figure.
ACT College Readiness Benchmarks for English, Math, Reading and Science respectively — the section score associated with a 50% chance of a B or higher in a matching first-year college course.
The four college-selectivity ranges (18–20, 20–23, 24–28, 30–36) are reproduced exactly as ACT publishes them.
They overlap at 20 and do not mention 29; this site does not fill those gaps or add labels of its own. They
describe general admissions patterns, not a guarantee for any particular college.
Enhanced vs Legacy on the same score chart
There is one ACT score chart, not two. Section scores, composites, benchmarks and the national average all sit
on the same 1–36 scale whether a test was the Enhanced ACT or the legacy four-section ACT. What changed in 2025
is the composite formula: since September 2025 every new composite averages English, Math and Reading, while
earlier reports averaged all four sections including Science.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good ACT score?
ACT itself frames a good score as one that meets or exceeds the average of students admitted to the colleges you are applying to. As reference points, ACT reports a national average composite of 19.4 for the 2024 graduating class and describes 18–20 as widely accepted at regional and open-admission colleges, 20–23 as competitive at many mid-tier colleges, 24–28 as strong for more selective colleges, and 30–36 as the range for top-tier schools. Check each college’s published score profile for its own expectations.
Is 36 the highest possible ACT score?
Yes. 36 is the maximum for the composite and for each section — English, Math, Reading and Science. Because the composite is a rounded average, a 36 composite requires section scores that average at least 35.5 (legacy) or at least 35.67 (Enhanced).
Do Enhanced and legacy composites use different score charts?
No. Both are reported on the same 1–36 scale with the same rounding rule; the difference is only which sections are averaged. A 30 from either formula is reported as 30. The worked-example table on this page shows how the same section scores can produce different composites under the two formulas.
Does this ACT score chart show percentiles?
No. National ranks depend on the official distribution of scores among recent high school graduates, which ACT recalculates and prints directly on your score report. This page only publishes figures with a dated ACT source; it does not estimate a percentile for a given score.
Is there a chart to convert raw scores to the 1–36 scale?
Not a universal one. This page lists conversion tables only for Official Online Practice Tests 1–4, each from that form’s official scoring-key table. Other forms — including the paper Preparing-for-the-ACT.pdf booklet — are not converted here. A single chart for every ACT would be inaccurate.
Sources for the reference table
[1]ACT, “Understanding Your ACT Scores”. Recorded as S1 in docs/sources.md. Verified 11 September 2026. Scale, Composite rounding wording, 2024 national average, and ACT-published college-selectivity ranges.
[3]ACT, “Graduating Class Trends Tool Instructions and Definitions”. Recorded as S5 in docs/sources.md. Verified 11 September 2026. STEM is the average of the Math and Science 1–36 scale scores, rounded to the nearest integer with .5 or greater rounded up, and is reported only when both scores exist.
Figures are quoted from these pages as published on the verification date. ACT updates averages and guidance
over time; when a figure here disagrees with act.org, act.org is correct.