The ACT Composite is the one number most colleges and scholarships ask for. This calculator works it out from your section scores using the current rules, shows how it ranks nationally, and tells you how close you are to the next Composite.
How to Use It
- Enter your English Score, Math Score and Reading Score (each 1 to 36).
- If you took Science, enter your Science Score to see your STEM score. Otherwise leave it blank.
- Press Calculate to see your Composite, its national rank and the points you’d need for the next Composite up.
How It Works
Since the 2025 changes to the ACT, the Composite is the average of three sections, rounded to the nearest whole number:
A fraction of one-half or more rounds up. Science is optional and reported on its own; with it, ACT also reports a STEM score, the rounded average of Math and Science.
The national rank is the percent of ACT-tested high school graduates of 2024 to 2026 who scored the same Composite or lower, from ACT’s own table.
Worked Example
A student scores 24 in English, 20 in Math and 18 in Reading:
That rounds up to a Composite of 21, which ranks at 68: 68% of recent test takers scored 21 or lower. A 22 needs an average of 21.5, a section total of 64.5, so 3 more points across the three sections would do it.
Tips and Common Mistakes
- Leave Science out of the Composite. Older guides average four sections; since 2025, the Composite uses only English, Math and Reading.
- Small gains can move the Composite. Because of rounding, one or two points on your weakest section can be worth a full Composite point.
- Colleges may superscore. Many average your best section scores across test dates; check each college’s policy.
- Compare with your colleges. A college’s middle 50% range for admitted students means more than a national rank.
- Use your official scores. Practice-test conversions vary, so treat a practice Composite as an estimate.