How to Interpret Your ACT Scores

If you’re among the thousands of students nationwide who are registered to take the ACT ®college entrance exam on April 9^th, you’re probably doing some last-minute preparation, and hoping that you’ll perform your best this coming Saturday. But not long after you exhale a sigh of relief to be done with your test, your thoughts will likely turn to your scores. ACT® scores are typically available for review online, via the ACT® Student web site, roughly 2 weeks after each test. Actual score reports are mailed anywhere from 3 to 8 weeks after the test, according to the makers of the test. Whether you look online, or wait to have the report in-hand, how can you understand what the scores really mean? Read on for some helpful hints. As you may already know, the ACT® is scored by first counting the questions you answered correctly. There is no penalty for incorrect answers (which means you should always guess versus leaving an answer blank on the ACT®!) Those “raw” scores are then converted to a “scale” score, and you are given individual scores (for each test: English, Science Reasoning, Math, Reading, Writing*) as well as a composite score. The individual test scores, and the composite score, are both scored on a scale of 1 (low) to 36 (high), where the composite score is the average of your four test scores, rounded to the nearest whole number. *The Writing test is an optional test component of the ACT®; although, it is strongly recommended you take the Writing test to better demonstrate your English Language Arts mastery to your potential colleges. There are 75 questions on the English test, 60 questions on the Math test, 40 questions on the Reading test, and 40 questions on the Science test. The Writing (essay) test is scored by two independent readers, who score the submission on a scale of 1-6 for four (4) writing domains:

•          your ability to analyze and evaluate multiple perspectives,
•          state and develop your own perspective,
•          explain and support your ideas,
•          clearly and logically organize your ideas, and effectively communicate your ideas.

Those scores are then reported on a scale of 1-36, just as they are for the English, Reading, Science and Math tests. Your ACT® Score Report will also tell you where your scores fall among your peers, according to national score results for students taking the test on the same day. If you’re trying to determine how your scores will help with your college acceptance rates, you can usually look up a college’s freshman profile and find out the average scores for incoming freshmen, by major, by visiting the college’s web site. The College Simply web site also has a wealth of admissions data for U.S. colleges, and is worth a visit. If you think you might need help increasing your ACT® score, call the test prep experts at Club Z! today. 800-434-2582