Hey, everyone! I've been trying to wrap my head around the ACT scoring system. What's the highest possible score on the ACT? And how does the scoring work exactly? All help is appreciated!
Hello! The highest possible score you can earn on the ACT (American College Testing) is a 36. Your ACT score is calculated based on four different sections: English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science. Each of these sections is scored separately, also on a scale of 1-36.
What happens is that after you take each section, you get a 'raw score' for that section, which is just the number of questions you answered right. This raw score is then converted to a 'scaled score' each on a scale of 1 to 36 using the ACT's conversion table, which can vary slightly test to test.
Your Composite score (the one most people refer to as just your "ACT score") is the average of these four scores, rounded to the nearest whole number. For example, if your scaled scores were 35 for English, 29 for Mathematics, 33 for Reading, and 31 for Science, you'd add those together (128), divide by 4 to get the average (32), and that average is your composite ACT score.
Remember, though, that while a high ACT score can boost an application, colleges look at more than just test scores during the admissions process. Good luck with your studying!
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