Which sections count in your ACT composite? Check before you plan your practice hours. This article answers that for the ACT as it is scored now, shows how the composite is worked out, and explains what the percentile next to it means.
Which sections count in the ACT composite?
As of October 2026, English, math and reading count. Science does not. According to ACT, Inc.'s page on understanding your scores, "Your Composite score is the average of your English, math, and reading scores, rounded to the nearest whole number."
That is a change from the older four-section composite. ACT's Enhanced ACT FAQs for educators say the new composite calculation begins in September 2025 for all test administrations, and that online testing started it in April 2025. They also say the science test is now optional and that science scores are left out of the composite.
So if you plan your practice hours around the composite, three sections carry it. Science is something you choose to take, and it is reported separately.
How do you work out the composite yourself?
Add your English, math and reading section scores, divide by three, and round to the nearest whole number. ACT says fractions less than one-half round down and fractions of one-half or more round up. Each section score is on a scale of 1 to 36, and so is the composite.
Here are two made-up examples, not real score reports:
| English | Math | Reading | Sum | Average | Composite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 23 | 23 | 70 | 23.33 | 23 |
| 25 | 22 | 24 | 71 | 23.67 | 24 |
Because you divide by three, the fraction is always a third or two thirds, or nothing. A third rounds down and two thirds round up. One point on one section can move the composite by a point or leave it where it is, depending on where the sum lands.
What happens to Science and Writing?
If you take the optional science test, you get a science section score. According to ACT's educator FAQs, science scores and the STEM score are provided on all reports when a student takes science, and those scores go to colleges as well.
ACT's page on understanding your scores defines the two other scores this way:
- STEM score: the average of your math and science section scores. You only get one if you take science.
- ELA score: the average of your English, reading and writing section scores, with writing included if you took it.
The Writing test is scored from 2 to 12, as the sum of two domain scores. ACT says it does not affect your composite.
None of these three changes your composite. They are extra information that a college, a scholarship program or you can read alongside it. If a college you are looking at asks for a STEM score or a writing score, the college's own admissions page says so. Check there rather than guessing.
What does the percentile next to your score mean?
Your score report shows national ranks. ACT's national ranks page explains it like this: "Your national rank shows the percentage of test takers who earned your score or lower." Its example is a composite score of 23, which is a national rank of 77. That means a 23 scored higher than 77 percent of recent high school graduates who took the ACT.
Two things to keep straight:
- A percentile is a comparison with other test takers. It is not the percentage of questions you answered correctly.
- The table moves. ACT says the current ranks are based on ACT-tested high school graduates from 2024 to 2026 and are used for tests taken September 2026 through August 2027. Read the table that applies to your test date, not a number you saw in a forum post.
ACT publishes separate national rank tables for English, math, reading, science, the composite and STEM, and for ELA and writing. Look up each score in its own table.
Are older ACT scores comparable with the new composite?
ACT's Enhanced ACT FAQs for educators describe the legacy four-section composite and the updated English, math and reading composite as functionally equivalent. If you took the ACT before the change, ask a college how it reads a legacy composite next to an enhanced one, and take the answer from the college.
How should the composite shape your practice?
Use the rule to decide where practice hours go:
- Spend your timed practice on English, math and reading first. They are the three that make the composite.
- Take a full practice test with the science section at least once if you plan to sit it, so the length does not surprise you on test day.
- After each practice test, write your three section scores, work out the composite with the steps above, and note which section is lowest. That section is where one more point is easiest to find.
- Keep a short log of composite and section scores by date, so you can see whether the average is moving or only one section is.
The composite is an average of three numbers you can see, and you can act on each of them.
Exam dates, fees and rules change. Confirm the current details with the official exam body before you act on them.
Sources
- ACT, Inc.: Understanding Your ACT Scores
- ACT, Inc.: ACT Test Scores, National Ranks
- ACT, Inc.: Enhanced ACT FAQs for K-12 educators
PrepGen's ACT practice tests adapt to you and show your results by topic and difficulty.
Stop studying hard and start studying smart. Free practice tests on PrepGen, built for your exam.