What Is an ACT Superscore? How It Works Under the Enhanced ACT

What Is an ACT Superscore?

An ACT superscore is the average of your best English, Math, and Reading section scores across all of your ACT attempts: ACT adds the three best scores, divides by 3, and rounds to the nearest whole number. You do not request it or pay for it - the superscore appears automatically in your MyACT account as soon as your second test is scored, and every attempt from September 2016 onward counts toward it.

The formula changed with the enhanced ACT. Through early 2025 the superscore averaged four sections, including science; now science is optional and sits outside the calculation entirely, feeding a separate STEM score instead. ACT also explicitly lets you mix best sections from legacy and enhanced sittings. The sections below walk through the exact math with a worked example, the science change, verified college policies, and what sending a superscore report costs.

• •Formula: best English + best Math + best Reading, divided by 3, rounded to the nearest whole number.
• •Science is optional and excluded from the superscore; if taken, it pairs with Math to form a separate STEM score.
• •Automatic: the superscore appears in MyACT once your second test is scored - no request needed.
• •Eligibility: any attempts from September 2016 onward, with no limit on the number of tests.

How Is the ACT Superscore Calculated?

Per ACT's published calculation guide, the math takes three inputs: your best English score, your best Math score, and your best Reading score from any sitting. Add them, divide by 3, and round to the nearest whole number - that is your Superscore Composite. Science does not enter the calculation even if you took it, and writing never has. ACT also hosts a free superscore calculator on act.org if you want the arithmetic done for you and a running view as new scores arrive.

The worked example below shows why this matters. Across three sittings, no single test date produced a Composite above 28. But the best English and Reading scores came from April and the best Math score came from July, and averaging those three best sections gives 29.3, which rounds to a 29 superscore. That is a full point above every single-day result this student ever posted, without a single better test day - purely from combining strengths across dates.

Rounding matters at the margin. An average of 28.7 rounds up to 29 while 28.3 rounds down to 28, so one extra point in one section can move your reported superscore. That is why targeted retakes are efficient: you do not need a great day across the board, just one section personal best per sitting. What number you should chase depends on your college list - the good-ACT-score guide breaks down competitive ranges by school tier.

Two details trip students up. First, best sections can come from any mix of dates, including sittings where your overall Composite was mediocre, so an early rough day still contributes if one section went well. Second, the superscore is what ACT reports - whether an admissions office uses it, your highest single sitting, or every score you submit is the school's call, which is covered in the college-policy section below.

How Did the Enhanced ACT Change the Superscore?

The enhanced ACT arrived in waves, per ACT's guidance for higher education: online national testing switched in April 2025, national paper testing followed in September 2025 - when the three-section Composite began applying to all test takers, including international - the enhanced format reached international testing in February 2026, and state and district school-day testing completed the transition in spring 2026. The redesign shortened the test, made science optional, and - most important here - redefined the Composite as the average of English, Math, and Reading only.

The superscore changed with it. The legacy method added your best English, Math, Reading, and Science scores and divided by 4; the current method drops science, adds your best three remaining sections, and divides by 3. If an older report of yours shows a four-section superscore, treat that number as historical - the Superscore Composite ACT now reports and sends is the three-section version, calculated the same way for everyone.

Mixing versions is officially supported. ACT states that when generating the superscore report it will use "a student's best performance from each section, regardless of which version of the test that section score came from," and says it is "confident that combining scores from both the legacy and enhanced versions of the ACT will result in valid and predictive ACT Superscores." Its comparison research found performance "comparable, with no statistically significant differences" across sections at the aggregate level.

Practically, a senior holding legacy sittings from early 2025 loses nothing: a strong legacy Math score can pair with an enhanced-ACT English score inside one superscore. The full redesign - timing, question counts, and the online format - is covered in the enhanced ACT guide, and if you are still choosing between tests, the SAT vs ACT comparison weighs both exams under their new formats.

Does the ACT Superscore Include Science?

No - the superscore no longer includes science. Under the enhanced ACT, science is an optional add-on section rather than a required part of the test, and ACT removed it from both the single-day Composite and the Superscore Composite. That does not mean science disappeared: it is still scored, it still appears on your reports when you take it, and some colleges still want to see it. The change simply moved science out of the headline math that colleges compare applicants on.

Science now feeds a separate STEM score, calculated as the average of your Math and Science scores. Per ACT's enhancement guidance, the superscore report "will still display the highest science and STEM scores if the student has taken the science section," and shows -/- in that slot if you never have. A student who skips science entirely takes no penalty to the superscore itself - the three-section average is unaffected either way.

Do not drop science reflexively, though. Some programs recommend or review it - UNC-Chapel Hill, for example, does not require science but will review the score if you report it - and applicants aiming at STEM-leaning programs may want the STEM score on record. At $5 on the current fee schedule, the science add-on is the cheapest line item on the test, so let your college list drive the decision rather than the price.

A simple decision rule: scan your list for any school that recommends science or reviews STEM readiness, and take the section at least once if any school qualifies. Your highest science score persists on reports, so one solid science sitting can cover the need while later retakes skip it and focus on the three superscored sections. For section-by-section difficulty under the new format, see the how-hard-is-the-ACT guide.

Does ACT Superscore Automatically?

Yes. ACT calculates the superscore for you and posts it in your MyACT account as soon as your second test is scored - there is no form to file, nothing to request, and no fee to generate it. Automatic superscore reporting launched in 2021, per ACT's announcement at the time, and it has been the default ever since: test twice and the number simply appears alongside your other scores.

Eligibility is broad. Any student who has taken the ACT more than once from September 2016 onward has a superscore, and there is no limit on how many attempts can feed it. ACT recalculates as each new score posts, so a retake can only maintain or raise the number - a weaker sitting never lowers the best sections already banked. That asymmetry is the core of every superscore strategy in this guide.

If you have tested only once, there is nothing to superscore yet - the calculation needs at least two scored tests. Registering for a second sitting is the unlock: the ACT registration guide covers dates, deadlines, and the science and writing add-on choices, and the attempts guide covers how many sittings students typically need before their sections plateau. Schedule that second date early enough that its scores post before your first application deadline, since a pending sitting contributes nothing.

One caution on old numbers: eligibility reaches back only to September 2016, so anything earlier does not feed the calculation. And while the superscore updates itself, sending it is still a manual, paid step - no college receives it automatically. If your scores predate that cutoff, plan on fresh sittings rather than appeals, since ACT does not make exceptions to the eligibility window. The sending section below covers reports, score choice, and fees.

Do Colleges Accept ACT Superscores?

College policies fall into three buckets: schools that superscore, schools that use your highest single sitting, and schools that want all scores submitted and reviewed in context. ACT itself is direct about the spread: "Not every college superscores the ACT, but the number that do is growing. Always check the test score policy on each school's admissions website." No reliable current count of superscoring colleges exists, so treat any specific percentage you read elsewhere with suspicion.

The verified superscore-friendly examples are concrete. MIT's admissions FAQ states: "If you take the same test multiple times, we will consider the highest score achieved in each section," and asks applicants to self-report scores from all exams taken. UNC-Chapel Hill already reflects the enhanced format - its admissions FAQ says "Your composite score is calculated using the English, Math, and Reading sections" and confirms it superscores across test dates when students self-report multiple results.

UGA's admissions blog says the university "will take your highest subscores in multiple ACT exams and use these highest scores both individually and in calculating the highest composite," with review attention on the English and Math subscores. Note the pattern across all three schools: superscore-friendly review rewards submitting more sittings, not fewer, because every additional date is another chance for a section to count.

Build a one-page grid of your list: each school's policy bucket, whether it wants all scores, and whether science is reviewed. Policies shift year to year, so pull them from each school's current testing page rather than a prep-site roundup. If you also hold SAT sittings, that test superscores differently - see the SAT superscore guide - and where your ACT superscore lands against each school's admitted range is covered in the good-ACT-score benchmarks.

How Do You Send Your Superscore to Colleges?

You control what colleges see. From MyACT you can send scores from any individual test event from September 2011 to the current date, or send a superscore report. Score choice works at the test-date level: all section scores from a chosen sitting travel together, so the only way to present best-sections-across-dates as one number is the superscore report itself. At schools that superscore from self-reported results, simply listing all your sittings achieves the same effect.

The superscore report is requested from the scores dashboard in your MyACT account and paid by credit card. ACT says colleges receive "enough information to evaluate your scores according to their admissions policy" - it does not publish the exact report contents beyond that, so do not assume a college sees only the headline composite, and do not pay for a report a school's policy makes redundant.

Costs are modest but add up across a long list, per ACT's current fee schedule. Registration includes score reports to your first 4 colleges; the 5th and 6th choices run $20 each, and additional score reports - a past test event or the superscore - are about $20 apiece, plus a $30 archive fee if the test date is more than three years old; confirm the exact amount at checkout in MyACT. Fees typically reset each summer, so check the fees page on act.org before you budget a full application cycle.

Timing matters too: a superscore report can only reflect sittings that have already been scored, so leave buffer between your final test date and each application deadline, and confirm current score release windows on act.org rather than assuming a fast turnaround. For broader logistics support across registration, sending, and deadlines, the ACT exam help guide collects the details.

Is Retaking the ACT for a Superscore Worth It?

Usually, yes - and a full retake is the only route. ACT's advice page states: "Currently, students cannot retake specific sections of the ACT, but they can earn a superscore." Section retesting was announced several years ago but never launched, so improving one section means sitting the whole test again, though you can skip the optional science and writing add-ons to shorten the day and cut the cost of each additional attempt.

The payoff data comes from ACT itself: students who initially score between 13 and 29 raise their Composite by an average of 1 point when they retest. Superscoring makes the bet asymmetric - because only best sections count, a weaker retake cannot drag your superscore down, and every sitting is another chance at one or two section personal bests. The realistic worst case of a retake is a wasted Saturday and a test fee, not a lower number in front of colleges.

ACT's own research also supports leaning on the number. Its 2018 multi-institution study found superscores were just as predictive - actually slightly more predictive - of first-year college grades than the most recent, average, or highest single-sitting score, and ACT reports the result holds across gender, race/ethnicity, income, and parental education. That is ACT's research rather than independent consensus, but it is the basis on which ACT formally endorsed superscoring to colleges.

Plan each retake around one target section: pour your prep hours into your weakest of English, Math, and Reading, and aim to hold the other two steady. Two or three focused sittings almost always beat five unfocused ones, both on results and on budget. The attempts guide covers spacing between sittings and diminishing returns, and if nerves cost you points on test day, the test anxiety guide has fixes that compound across every future sitting.

How Can You Hit Your Target ACT Score?

Work backward from your college list. Pull each school's admitted-student middle range, note its policy bucket, and set section targets rather than a single composite goal. Superscoring means each personal best only has to happen once: a student sitting at 27 and aiming for 29 needs roughly one improved section per retake, not a perfect day where everything peaks at the same time. The published numbers tell you exactly which sections need to move and by how much, so there is no guesswork in the target.

Then plan sittings deliberately. Two or three attempts spaced across junior and senior year is the common pattern: register early to hold your preferred date and format, decide the science add-on based on your list rather than habit, and give each retake a single-section focus. ACT's no-limit attempt policy and per-date score choice mean extra sittings carry little downside at superscore-friendly schools - the system is built to reward persistence. Confirm each cycle's test dates, registration deadlines, and current fees on act.org before you lock the plan, since all three change from year to year.

If the gap between your current sections and your targets is real and the calendar is short, Exam Assist supports ACT candidates on pay-after-pass terms. Message us with your college list, your current section scores, and your registered test date, and we will map your options confidentially. Exam Assist is independent and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, ACT, Inc.