Enhanced vs legacy: which mode is your practice test?
| Enhanced (Apr/Sep 2025 →) | Legacy (before 2025) | |
|---|---|---|
| English | 50 questions · 35 min (40 scored) | 75 questions · 45 min |
| Math | 45 questions · 50 min (41 scored) | 60 questions · 60 min |
| Reading | 36 questions · 40 min (27 scored) | 40 questions · 35 min |
| Science | Optional · own score, not in composite | Required · in composite |
| Composite | (E + M + R) ÷ 3 | (E + M + R + S) ÷ 4 |
The enhanced ACT rolled out online in April 2025 and on paper that September. If your practice book predates 2025 — and most in circulation do — its answer keys follow the legacy format, which is exactly what this calculator's legacy switch (official form 1874F) is for. One enhanced-mode subtlety: each multiple-choice section embeds unscored field-test questions that ACT doesn't identify, so this tool's inputs use scored-question counts from the official practice form. Your raw count on a real answer sheet can run a few questions higher than the scored maximum.
How the composite is rounded
ACT's official rule: average the composite sections, then round to the nearest whole number with halves rounding up (an average below 1 becomes 1); a completely blank section gets no score and drops out of the average. Worked example from the enhanced defaults above: scale scores of 26, 28 and 26 average to 26.67, which rounds to a composite of 27— an 88th-percentile score. The rounding step matters at the margins: a 25.5 average posts as 26, while 25.49 posts as 25, so a single extra raw point in any section can move your composite.
Official National Ranks
| Score | Composite rank | English | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| 34 | 99 | 97 | 99 | 97 |
| 32 | 97 | 95 | 98 | 93 |
| 30 | 94 | 93 | 96 | 89 |
| 28 | 91 | 90 | 93 | 85 |
| 26 | 86 | 86 | 88 | 80 |
| 24 | 80 | 81 | 81 | 75 |
| 22 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 66 |
| 20 | 63 | 63 | 68 | 55 |
| 18 | 52 | 53 | 60 | 46 |
| 16 | 40 | 46 | 45 | 37 |
National Ranks are ACT's official percentiles — the share of recent test takers (2023–2025 graduating classes) at or below each score, applicable to tests taken through August 2026. Note how the middle compresses: three composite points from 20 to 23 jump you from the 63rd to the 76th rank, while the same three points from 33 to 36 move you just two. For students taking both tests, the SAT score calculatoroffers the same official-data treatment, and ACT reports a separate STEM score (Math + Science average) for Science takers — we don't compute it here because its method is not yet documented on ACT's own pages, only in third-party summaries.
Frequently asked questions
How is the ACT composite score calculated?
On the enhanced ACT (from April 2025 online, September 2025 on paper), the composite is the average of English, Math and Reading scale scores, rounded to the nearest whole number — halves round up, and an average below 1 becomes 1. Science is now optional and reported separately; on the legacy ACT it was part of a four-section average.
What changed with the enhanced ACT?
The 2025 redesign shortened the core test to 125 minutes (English 50 questions, Math 45, Reading 36), made Science and Writing optional, dropped Science from the composite, and embedded unscored field-test questions in every multiple-choice section. Scores stay on the familiar 1–36 scale.
Does Science count toward my ACT score now?
Not toward the composite. On the enhanced ACT, Science is optional and gets its own 1–36 score; ACT reports a STEM score based on Math and Science for students who take it. Colleges see the Science score if you sat the section, but your composite is English + Math + Reading only.
What is a good ACT score?
By ACT's official National Ranks, a composite of 20 is right at the median (63rd rank), 24 beats 80% of test takers, 28 beats 91%, and 32 beats 97%. 'Good' is relative to your target schools — check the middle-50% range each college publishes and aim at or above its 75th percentile.