Calculating Your Best Possible ACT Composite Score
The ACT Superscore Calculator determines your optimal composite by picking the highest score from each section across two test attempts, then averaging those four section bests. This is the score that an increasing number of colleges use to evaluate your application — allowing you to demonstrate peak performance in every subject area regardless of which test date it occurred on. For two test attempts with scores of 24/22/26/23 and 26/25/24/27, the superscore is 26.0, compared to a best-single-sitting of 25.5, reflecting a +0.5-point benefit from the superscore method.
Unpacking the ACT Superscore Methodology
The ACT Superscore Calculator identifies the highest score achieved in each section across both test administrations, then averages those four best scores.
Best English = max(Test 1 English, Test 2 English)
Best Math = max(Test 1 Math, Test 2 Math)
Best Reading = max(Test 1 Reading, Test 2 Reading)
Best Science = max(Test 1 Science, Test 2 Science)
ACT Superscore = (Best English + Best Math + Best Reading + Best Science) / 4
Best Single Sitting = max(
(Test 1 English + Test 1 Math + Test 1 Reading + Test 1 Science) / 4,
(Test 2 English + Test 2 Math + Test 2 Reading + Test 2 Science) / 4
)
Superscore Gain = ACT Superscore − Best Single Sitting
Section Gain = Best Section Score − lower of the two scores for that section
Determining the Best ACT Composite for College Applications
A student took the ACT twice with these section scores:
| Section | Test 1 | Test 2 | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 24 | 26 | 26 |
| Math | 22 | 25 | 25 |
| Reading | 26 | 24 | 26 |
| Science | 23 | 27 | 27 |
- Best English: max(24, 26) = 26 — Solid (+2 pts gain from Test 1).
- Best Math: max(22, 25) = 25 — Solid (+3 pts gain from Test 1).
- Best Reading: max(26, 24) = 26 — Solid (+2 pts gain from Test 2 baseline).
- Best Science: max(23, 27) = 27 — Strong (+4 pts gain from Test 1).
- ACT Superscore: (26 + 25 + 26 + 27) / 4 = 104 / 4 = 26.0 — Good.
- Best Single Sitting: Test 1 = (24+22+26+23)/4 = 23.75; Test 2 = (26+25+24+27)/4 = 25.5 → max = 25.5
- Superscore Gain: 26.0 − 25.5 = +0.5 pts from the superscore method.
Full results: Superscore: 26.0 | Best Sitting: 25.5 (+0.5 pts) | English: 26 Solid +2 pts | Math: 25 Solid +3 pts | Reading: 26 Solid +2 pts | Science: 27 Strong +4 pts.
Score Interpretation Context
An ACT Superscore of 26 places a student above the national average composite score, which typically hovers around 20–21. For many public universities, a score in the mid-to-high 20s (e.g., 25–29) often places an applicant within the middle 50% range of admitted students. For more selective institutions, an ACT Superscore often needs to be in the low to mid-30s (e.g., 32–34) to align with their admitted student profiles. Understanding this context helps students gauge their competitiveness and identify target schools where their Superscore aligns well with typical admissions benchmarks.
Regulations and Standards That Reference ACT Superscore
The concept of an ACT Superscore is primarily driven by college admissions policies rather than specific federal or state regulations. Many universities, particularly highly selective ones, adopt superscoring as a standard practice to attract a broader pool of qualified applicants, recognizing that students may perform better on different sections across multiple sittings. As of September 2020, ACT, Inc. began officially calculating and reporting Superscores directly to colleges. Students applying to institutions that superscore should submit all their ACT scores, allowing the college's admissions system to apply its superscoring policy automatically.