Updated December 10, 2025

How to Read Your ACT Score Report Step-by-Step

Bonus Material: ACT Score Ranges for 750+ Schools

After you take the ACT, you’ll get a score report breaking down how you scored on each section.

These reports contain a lot of information – some of which is super important for your college applications, and some of which isn’t as necessary.

Here, we’ll break down what you actually need to know about your score report and how you can use it to get closer to your goal ACT score.

And what ACT score should you be aiming for in the first place? Find the colleges you’re applying to in our free download of the average ACT score ranges at more than 500 schools to see what score you’re likely to need.

Jump to section:
What will your ACT score report look like?
How do the optional test sections affect your ACT score?
What’s the extra information in the score report?
How to use your score report to study 
Next Steps

What will your ACT score report look like?

After you take the ACT, you’ll get a score report whose main graphic looks something like this:

Source: Using Your ACT Results (ACT)

To understand where your section scores come from – and how many questions you need to get right for a certain score – check out our detailed post on how the ACT is scored. Here, we’ll go through how that information is presented in your score report.

Section scores

This presentation is honestly a little confusing. If you’re familiar with the ACT test format, you’ll know that the ACT consists of 3-5 sections:

  • Math
  • Science (optional in the new test format, which will be rolled out by Spring 2026)
  • Reading
  • English
  • Writing (optional)

So, besides the section scores for those parts of the test, what are the extra scores doing here?

  • The composite score is a combination of your Reading, English, and Math scores – the non-optional parts of the test. This is your overall “ACT score.”
  • The ELA score is a combination of your Reading, English, and Writing scores.
  • The STEM score is a combination of your Math and Science scores.

Depending which parts of the ACT you chose to take, you might not see all of these scores in your report – more on that below.

Score ranges

Your ACT score for each section is a single whole number. So why are you given a “score range” on your score report?

The ACT test-makers want to recognize that your scores will vary a little bit depending on when you take the test. You could take the ACT twice without extra studying and still get different scores, just because one test happened to have a couple more questions on a topic that’s easier or harder for you personally – or even because you got a better night’s sleep before one of the tests.

The test-makers acknowledge that by giving you a “score range” that covers the range a little bit above and below the score you actually got.

The student in the sample score report above got a composite score of 20. That’s represented by the thick line at the “20” mark in the composite score column. But the score range for this student is 19-21, as reflected by the shaded area in the column.

Is this useful information? The score range can be useful for your own understanding of your performance. But colleges will primarily look at the score you actually got, so in terms of college applications, the score range isn’t the most useful detail on your score report.

How do the optional test sections affect your ACT score?

The optional ACT sections are Science and Writing. These sections are not part of your composite ACT score, so whether or not you choose to take them will not affect your overall score.

But these optional sections are part of the ELA and STEM scores. Not every student gets these scores.

If you choose to take the Writing section, you’ll get a Writing score on a 2-12 scale, plus an overall “English Language Arts” (ELA) score. Your ELA score is on a 1-36 scale and includes your scores for the Writing, Reading, and English sections. 

If you don’t take the Writing section, then your score report will not include the ELA score.

If you choose to take the optional Science section, you’ll get a Science score on a 1-36 scale. You’ll also get an overall STEM score, which is the average of your Science and Math scores and is also on a 1-36 scale. 

If you don’t take the Science section, then your score report will not include a STEM score.

In the example above, the student chose to take both Science and Writing, so they got both ELA and STEM scores.

If you’re having trouble getting up to your goal ACT score on any section, you might consider test-prep tutoring. An experienced tutor can help you make your test prep plan and master tricky ACT content, as well as learn valuable test-taking strategies.

What’s the extra information in the score report?

As well as your section and composite scores, the score report includes some more information:

  • Your US rank
  • Your state rank
  • Your performance compared to “college readiness benchmarks”
  • A breakdown for each test section showing your performance by subject area

The last item – your performance by subject area – is the most important and useful for most students, so we’ll devote a whole section to that in just a minute.

Meanwhile, let’s take a look at the rest of the information you’ll get in your score report.

US and State Rank

Source: Using Your ACT Results (ACT)

These graphics show you how you performed compared to the average student in your state and across the US. 

This student was in the 54th percentile overall. That means that they performed better than 53% of test-takers across the country, but not as well as the top 46%. In short, they’re slightly above average.

In their state, they did a little bit better (meaning that average ACT scores in their state are a bit lower than nationally). For example, they did better than over two-thirds of test-takers on the English section, because they’re in the 69th percentile.

Is this information useful? It’s not as important as your composite ACT score or your section scores. Those are what colleges will primarily be looking at.

You can use your state and national rank to get a sense of how “good” your ACT score is compared to the average student. 

But it’s most helpful to focus on your overall ACT score when you’re preparing for the test. That’s a goal that’s more within your control than your rank.

College Readiness Benchmarks

The score report also shows you how you did compared to the ACT’s own “college readiness benchmarks.” This is defined as the score you need to predict success in first-year college courses. 

If you hit the benchmark, the ACT predicts that you have a 50% chance of getting at least a B, and a 75% chance of getting at least a C, in a first-year college course in that subject area.

Of course, that depends heavily on where you go to college and what classes you take – not to mention how much you study for them.

Again, focusing on your goal score while studying for the ACT is your best bet. The college readiness benchmarks don’t account for what score you need to do well in college – or in the college application process.

And if you’re not sure what that goal score should be, check out our spreadsheet comparing the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile ACT scores for more than 500 colleges to see what ACT score could give you a good shot at the schools on your list.

How to use your score report to study

One of the most useful parts of your ACT score report is on the second page. It’s the breakdown of your section scores by subject area.

Source: Using Your ACT Results (ACT)

This information can help you put together a tailored study plan if you’re planning to retake the ACT (which is a good idea if you want to take advantage of superscoring [insert link to ACT superscoring post when live]).

This student got an 18 on the Reading section – their lowest section score. If they plan to retake the test, it makes sense to focus on that area.

But they actually did pretty well on two of the Reading subject areas, getting 64% and 67% of the questions right. There’s just one area – Key Ideas and Details – that’s dragging down their section score.

So instead of hammering away at the entire Reading section, this student should focus on content and strategies for that specific question type.

How do you make an ACT prep plan based on the information in your score report? We have resources to help you focus on your test-taking strategies in specific sections of the test: Reading, English, Math, and Science. 

An experienced tutor can also help you learn test content and strategies that work on your weaker areas. Give us a call to see how we can help you work towards your personal goals on the ACT.

Next Steps

Now that you understand how to read your ACT score report, how can you start working towards your goal score?

Below, we have a collection of posts covering a broad range of key strategies to help you prepare for the ACT. We’ve been working with students on ACT prep for over two decades, and we believe that it’s entirely possible to work towards your goal score with plenty of hard work, practice, and expert resources like these.

But if you’re looking for support to take your score to the next level, individual tutoring can make a big difference. Learn more about our programs here, and get in touch with our team for a free consultation on the right option for you.

And if you’re wondering what ACT score you really need to stand out in the college application process, check out our free resource below. It shows the median ACT scores for hundreds of schools, so you can find the colleges on your list and set your goal score to match.   

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Ro

Rosamond graduated summa cum laude from Princeton. During college, she worked as a peer tutor for Italian, French, Greek, and academic writing. Since graduation, she’s continued to tutor students of all ages in French, Italian, Latin, English, and math, some of them for several years. She’s currently a graduate student studying the relationship between religion and secular law, and she works as a freelance journalist and translator.

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