Your ACT Composite is the average of your English, Math and Reading scores, each on a 1-36 scale, rounded to the nearest whole number. Science and Writing are optional and do not touch it. Only 108 of the 131 core questions count toward those three scores. The other 23 are unscored trial questions, and nothing on the page tells you which ones they are.
Which ACT questions count?
ACT publishes the split on its understanding your scores page, checked on 18 September 2026. ACT calls the unscored ones field-test questions. They are new questions being tried out for future tests.
| Section | Questions | Scored | Unscored | Share unscored |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | 50 | 40 | 10 | 20% |
| Math | 45 | 41 | 4 | 9% |
| Reading | 36 | 27 | 9 | 25% |
| Core total | 131 | 108 | 23 | 18% |
| Science (optional) | 40 | 34 | 6 | 15% |
One Reading question in four does not count. You cannot use that, because the unscored questions look exactly like the scored ones. What you can use: a question that felt strange may not have counted at all. Do not let one bad question change how you pace the rest of the section.
How is the ACT Composite calculated?
ACT adds your three section scores, divides by three and rounds. Fractions under one half round down. One half or more rounds up.
| English | Math | Reading | Average | Composite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 30 | 30 | 30.00 | 30 |
| 29 | 30 | 31 | 30.00 | 30 |
| 30 | 30 | 31 | 30.33 | 30 |
| 30 | 31 | 31 | 30.67 | 31 |
| 27 | 33 | 32 | 30.67 | 31 |
The last row is worth a second look. A 27 in English does not stop a 31 Composite if Math and Reading carry it. The average does not care where the points come from.
Why does the half-point rounding rule never apply?
Three whole numbers divided by three can only end in .00, .33 or .67. No set of three ACT section scores averages to exactly one half, so the "round a half up" rule never gets used on the Composite.
It used to matter. The old ACT averaged four sections, Science included, and four scores can land on a half: a total of 118 averaged 29.5 and rounded up to 30. With three sections, that case is gone.
What replaced it is more useful to know. Where your total sits decides how many more section points you need for the next Composite point.
| Your three scores add up to | Example | Composite | Section points to the next Composite |
|---|---|---|---|
| A number that divides by 3 | 29, 29, 29 (87) | 29 | 2 |
| One more than that | 29, 29, 30 (88) | 29 | 1 |
| Two more than that | 29, 30, 30 (89) | 30 | 3 |
The student at 29, 29, 30 is one section point from a 30. The student at 29, 30, 30 already has the 30, but only because the average of 29.67 rounded up, so the 31 is three section points away. Same neighborhood, very different distance. Add up your three scores before you set a retake target, and set it in section points, not Composite points.
This also explains why a superscore can beat every single sitting. Pulling your best section from each test only needs to move the total by one or two points to cross a rounding line.
How do raw scores become a 1-36 score?
Your raw score in each section is the number of scored questions you got right. ACT converts it to 1-36 with a table that belongs to that test form, so the same raw score can convert slightly differently on different dates. ACT publishes a conversion table with each official practice test, and My Answer Key includes the table used for your real test.
ACT does not take points off for wrong answers. Its scores page says your score is based only on the questions you answer correctly. A blank and a wrong answer cost the same, so never leave a question empty. On Math, a blind guess now has a one in four chance, because ACT cut the answer choices from five to four.
What are the ACT STEM and ELA scores?
If you take Science, ACT reports a STEM score, the average of your Math and Science scores. ACT also reports an ELA score, which it describes as the average of English, Reading and, if you took it, Writing. Neither one changes your Composite. Whether a college wants Science at all is covered in should you take ACT Science.
Writing is scored separately, from 2 to 12. ACT grades the essay in four areas and your Writing score is the rounded average of those four.
Does a new ACT score compare with an old one?
ACT's FAQ says its research found that scores on the three-section Composite line up with scores on the old four-section one. ACT also lets your superscore combine sections from old and new tests. How the content inside each section changed is in what's on the ACT now, and the timing side is in the Enhanced ACT pacing guide.
Frequently asked questions
How is the ACT Composite score calculated?
ACT averages your English, Math and Reading scores, each on a 1-36 scale, and rounds to the nearest whole number. Fractions under one half round down and one half or more rounds up. Science and Writing do not count.
Does ACT Science count toward the Composite?
No. Since the 2025 changes, the Composite uses only English, Math and Reading. If you take Science, it gets its own 1-36 score and feeds a separate STEM score.
How many questions on the ACT are scored?
108 of the 131 core questions: 40 of 50 in English, 41 of 45 in Math and 27 of 36 in Reading. The other 23 are unscored field-test questions that look the same as scored ones.
How does the ACT round the Composite?
To the nearest whole number, with halves rounding up. Because the Composite averages three whole numbers, the average can only end in .00, .33 or .67, so a result of exactly one half never happens.
What is the ACT STEM score?
The average of your Math and Science scores. You only get one if you take the optional Science section, and it does not change your Composite.
Is there a penalty for wrong answers on the ACT?
No. ACT scores are based only on the number of questions you answer correctly, so a wrong answer costs the same as a blank. Answer every question.