Your ACT score report lives on the Scores tab in MyACT. It shows a 1 to 36 Composite built from English, Math and Reading, your section scores, STEM and ELA if you took Science or Writing, your US and state ranks, the College Readiness Benchmarks, and a Detailed Results breakdown by skill. Here is how to read every part of it.
If you took the ACT on September 19, your scores began posting on October 6. If you test this Saturday, October 17, ACT lists October 22 as the first release for online tests and October 27 for paper tests. Most students read the Composite and close the page, which skips the parts that tell you what to do next: the score ranges, the ranks, and the skill categories that show where your points went. This guide walks through each part as ACT lays it out for the enhanced ACT. For release dates and what to do if your scores are late, see when ACT scores come out. For the step-by-step on sending them, see how to send ACT scores to colleges.
Where to Find Your ACT Score Report in MyACT
Sign in to MyACT and select View Score Details under your scores on the home page, or open the Scores tab. It works on a phone. The report has three views:
- My Score Details: your performance by subject area, plus your progress toward the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate.
- How Do I Compare?: your US and state ranks.
- Am I Ready for College?: your scores against the College Readiness Benchmarks.
From the same Scores tab, Send this Score is where you order more reports.
Every Score on the ACT Score Report
The enhanced ACT reports up to eight scores. Which ones you see depends on whether you added Science, Writing, or both. All scores run from 1 to 36 except Writing.
| Score | Scale | How it is built | Who gets it |
|---|
| Composite | 1 to 36 | Average of English, Math and Reading, rounded | Everyone who completes all three |
| English, Math, Reading | 1 to 36 each | Raw score (number correct) converted to a scale score | Everyone |
| Science | 1 to 36 | Same as the other sections; not in the Composite | Only if you took Science |
| STEM | 1 to 36 | Average of Math and Science | Only if you took Science |
| Writing | 2 to 12 | Four domain scores, combined | Only if you took Writing |
| ELA | 1 to 36 | Average of English, Reading and Writing | Only if you took Writing |
The Composite
ACT's Understanding Your Scores page defines the Composite as the average of your English, math and reading scores, rounded to the nearest whole number. Fractions under one-half round down and one-half or more round up. So 27 + 29 + 30 = 86, divided by 3 is 28.67, which prints as a 29. Since September 2025 every ACT uses this three-section Composite; on most earlier tests, Science was part of it. ACT treats the two versions as interchangeable. If any of the three sections is missing, no Composite is computed.
STEM and ELA
STEM averages your Math and Science scores and appears only if you took Science. ELA averages English, Reading and Writing, and ACT reports it only for students who take Writing. Neither changes your Composite, but ACT notes that colleges and scholarship programs may still consider Science and STEM scores.
The Writing Score
If you took the essay, you get four domain scores (Ideas and Analysis, Development and Support, Organization, Language Use and Conventions) and an overall Writing score on a 2 to 12 scale. Writing never enters the Composite. It can also take longer to score than the multiple-choice sections. You will see your multiple-choice scores and Composite in MyACT as soon as they are ready, but ACT holds your report to colleges until every score from that test date is available.
Your Score Range: Why Each Score Has a Band
On the report, each score sits inside a shaded band, your score range. Test scores are estimates, and ACT explains the band as the typical up-or-down movement you might see if you retook the test within a short time. It is a reminder that one point either way is normal noise.
US Rank and State Rank
Your ranks are percentiles. A US rank of 80 means about 80% of recent high school graduates who took the ACT scored the same as you or lower. Your state rank does the same comparison against graduates in your state, so the two numbers can differ. For tests taken from September 2026 through August 2027, the US rank comes from ACT's 2026-2027 national ranks, based on ACT-tested graduates of 2024, 2025 and 2026. A few Composite ranks from that table:
| Composite | US Rank (2026-27) |
|---|
| 34 | 99 |
| 30 | 94 |
| 26 | 86 |
| 22 | 72 |
| 19 | 58 |
| 16 | 41 |
Section ranks are not interchangeable. A 30 is the 93rd percentile in English, the 95th in Math and only the 89th in Reading, because more students score high in Reading. Our ACT percentiles chart lists every score.
ACT College Readiness Benchmarks
The "Am I Ready for College?" view compares each score with a Benchmark. ACT defines a Benchmark as the score that gives a student a 50% chance of earning a B or higher, or about a 75% chance of a C or higher, in a related first-year college course.
| Score | Benchmark | College course it predicts |
|---|
| English | 18 | English Composition I |
| Math | 22 | College Algebra |
| Reading | 22 | History, psychology, sociology, political science, economics |
| Science | 23 | Biology |
| STEM | 26 | Calculus, chemistry, biology, physics, engineering |
| ELA | 20 | English Composition I plus the social science courses |
There is no Benchmark for Writing, and ACT's Benchmark table has no Composite entry. Treat a missed Benchmark as a study signal, not a verdict: it marks the section where a semester of college coursework would feel hardest right now.
Detailed Results: The Reporting Categories
This is the most useful part of the report and the most skipped. Under Detailed Results, each section is split into reporting categories. For each one you see how many questions were in it, how many you got right, and your percent correct. A bar called the ACT Readiness Range shows where a student who met that section's Benchmark would typically score in that category, so you can see at a glance which categories fall short of it.
| Section | Scored questions | Reporting categories (share of the section) |
|---|
| English | 40 (plus 10 field test) | Production of Writing (38-43%), Knowledge of Language (18-23%), Conventions of Standard English (38-43%) |
| Math | 41 (plus 4 field test) | Preparing for Higher Math (80%: Number and Quantity, Algebra, Functions, Geometry, Statistics and Probability), Integrating Essential Skills (20%), Modeling |
| Reading | 27 (plus 9 field test) | Key Ideas and Details (44-52%), Craft and Structure (26-33%), Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (19-26%) |
| Science | 34 (plus 6 field test) | Interpretation of Data (38-50%), Scientific Investigation (18-32%), Evaluating Scientific Arguments and Models with Evidence (24-38%) |
Modeling questions overlap with the other math categories, so the Math counts can add up to more than 41. Field-test questions are unscored and left out, which is why a 50-question English section reports out of 40.
How to use it: find the category with the lowest percent correct that also carries the most questions. In ACT's sample student report, Algebra and Functions each sit at 2 of 8 correct. That is the student's next month of math practice.
The Planning and Retest Panels
The back half of the student report is about what comes next. Expect three panels:
- Interest-Major Fit: compares the interest inventory you completed before the test with the major you said you plan to enter.
- Progress Toward the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate: estimates the certificate level students with your Composite are likely to earn.
- Typical Composite Score on a Retest: a chart of how often a retest raised, matched or lowered the Composite, beside a short list of reasons to consider retesting.
On retesting, ACT says 43% of test takers take the ACT more than once, and more than half of them improve.
Student Report vs. the High School and College Reports
Your report is not the only copy. Your high school gets your scores and college and career planning details through ACT's online reporting portal, as a data file and a downloadable PDF. Colleges you send scores to also receive your self-reported grades in up to 30 courses and, where available, predictions of how you might do there. If you have tested more than once since September 2016, MyACT also shows an automatic Superscore built from your best English, Math and Reading scores, and you choose whether a college gets that or a single test date. Our ACT superscore guide explains the math and which colleges use it.
Sending Your Score Report to Colleges
The quick version, from ACT's current fees page and its page on sending scores:
- Every test fee includes reports to you, your high school and up to four colleges, if you give the college codes when you register.
- A fifth and sixth college cost $20 each and must be requested before the test date.
- Additional Score Reports cost $20 each, per test date.
- Reports go out after your test is scored and all results for your test option are available, usually the same day.
The full walkthrough is in how to send ACT scores to colleges. If you are also sorting out the SAT, our SAT score report guide covers the College Board side.
If Something Looks Wrong: Verification, Corrections and Cancellation
| Option | Fee | Deadline and details |
|---|
| Score verification, multiple choice | $67 | Up to 12 months after the test, by mailed form and check; ACT confirms your answers were checked against the right key |
| Score verification, writing | $67 | Same window; ACT confirms the scoring process and rescores if it finds an error |
| Both verifications | $134 | Results by letter about three to five weeks after ACT gets the request |
| ACT My Answer Key | $36 before the test, $44 after | Four national dates a year (October 2026 and December 2026 included); order within 6 months of the test |
| Fix your personal information | No fee | ACT recommends within three months of your report; corrected reports to colleges cost the usual report fee |
| Cancel a test record | Not listed | Contact ACT for the form; not available for state or district testing |
If verification finds a scoring error, ACT corrects your scores, sends corrected reports to you and every earlier recipient at no charge, and refunds the verification fee. My Answer Key is the cheaper diagnostic for most students: it gives you the scored questions, your answers, the answer key and the conversion table used for your scores. Fees are as listed on ACT's site on October 8, 2026.
About deleting a test: ACT calls it canceling. Outside state and district testing, you can ask ACT to cancel the scores for one test date; ACT then permanently cancels that record and notifies anyone who already received it. Since you choose which test date or Superscore a college sees, most students never need this.
What to Do After You Read Your Report
Write down your Composite, your lowest section, and the lowest-scoring reporting category inside it. That category is your study plan. After October 17, the next national test is December 12, 2026 (register by November 6, late deadline November 29). Our good ACT score guide helps you set the target.
Frequently Asked Questions About the ACT Score Report
Where do I find my ACT score report?
Sign in to MyACT and open the Scores tab, or select View Score Details under your scores on the home page. The full report, including Detailed Results and your ranks, is there.
Does the ACT score report include Science in the Composite?
No, not for tests taken since September 2025. The Composite is the rounded average of English, Math and Reading. If you took Science, it is reported on its own along with a STEM score.
What does US rank mean on my ACT score report?
It is the percentage of recent ACT-tested high school graduates who scored the same as you or lower. For tests from September 2026 through August 2027, a 30 Composite has a US rank of 94.
Why is my ACT Writing score not showing?
Writing can take longer to score than the multiple-choice sections. Your multiple-choice scores and Composite appear first, and ACT waits until every score from that test date is ready before it sends your report to colleges.
Can I delete an ACT score from my record?
Outside state and district testing, you can ask ACT to cancel the scores for a specific test date. The cancellation is permanent, and ACT notifies anyone who already received those scores. You can also simply choose not to send that test date.
Now practice the skill your report flagged: take a free ACT practice quiz on Larry Learns. You get 3 free quizzes a day across English, Math, Reading and optional Science from a bank of 25,000+ practice questions, on the web, iPhone and Android. Create a free account to track your score estimate as you go.
