Understanding ACT Scaling

I took the ACT and I'm trying to understand the scaling system. How exactly does ACT scale the raw scores to the final composite score? Is there a particular range that I should aim for in each section to boost my composite score?

ACT scores are based on a somewhat complex scaling system. Here's a bit of a breakdown to help you understand how the process works.

Raw scores from each section (English, Math, Reading, and Science) are converted into scaled scores. These scaled scores range from 1 to 36. The conversion isn't straightforward and can fluctuate from test to test as it's designed to account for variations in difficulty across different version of the test. So, the same raw score on two different ACT tests may not lead to the same scaled score.

Next, an average of the four section scores is taken to formulate the overall composite score, which also ranges from 1 to 36. If the average from the four sections ends up being a fraction, it gets rounded to the nearest whole number--.5 rounds up.

While it's useful to aim for high raw scores in each section to boost your composite score, there isn't a specific raw score range that can guarantee a specific composite score due to the nature of the scaling system. Also, remember that different sections might carry different weights for different colleges depending on the major you're interested in. For instance, a STEM major might find that their math and science scores carry more weight.

All things considered, it's key to strive for the best scores you can achieve in all sections to maximize your composite score and show a strong performance across the board. Prepping for ACT systematically, understanding the question types across sections, honing your test-taking strategies, and taking practice tests can help in achieving your ACT score goals. Good luck!