How to Score High on the ACT: First Understand the New ACT, Then Calculate Exactly How Many Questions You Can Miss in Each Section

2026-09-26 · Guides

Following the 2025 ACT redesign, the composite score only includes English, Math, and Reading, with Science becoming optional. According to the official practice test conversion table, missing 1 question in Reading yields a 35, while missing 3 yields a 32. This article uses official ACT data to clarify what the new test covers, where the high-score thresholds are, and how to practice for each section.

If your ACT prep materials are a few years old, hold off on drilling just yet—the ACT was updated in 2025: the test is shorter, Science is now optional, the Composite score only includes English, Math, and Reading, and Math multiple-choice questions have been reduced from five options to four. International students will receive the new Composite score starting in September 2025, with further changes taking effect in February 2026. This article first explains what the new ACT covers and what constitutes a high score among all test-takers, then calculates how many questions you can afford to miss in each subject at the high-score level, and finally breaks down how to practice for each section. The information is sourced from the official ACT website and documents, with references listed at the end.

What's on the New ACT

Subject	Questions	Time	Included in Composite
English	50	35 min	Yes
Math	45	50 min	Yes
Reading	36	40 min	Yes
Science	40	40 min	Optional, No
Writing	1 essay	40 min	Optional, No

According to the official guidelines, if you skip Science, you can get a Composite score to submit to colleges in just 125 minutes, compared to up to 195 minutes on the old test; the total number of questions is 44 fewer than the previous version, giving you more time per question on average.

The Composite score is the average of the English, Math, and Reading section scores, with a maximum of 36. If the average includes a decimal, it is rounded to the nearest whole number: less than 0.5 rounds down, and 0.5 or above rounds up. If you take the optional Science section, you will also receive a Science score and a STEM score; if you take the optional Writing section, you will receive a Writing score and an ELA score.

For international students, there are a few more things to know:

Outside the U.S., the ACT is only offered as computer-based testing at test centers; there is no paper-and-pencil option.
There are 7 test dates in the 2026–2027 academic year: September, October, December, February, April, June, and July. Registration deadlines are typically about 6 weeks before the test date.
Initial scores are released approximately one week after the test.
Not every country or region has test centers, and not every center offers the test on every date. Before registering, check the official registration system for available centers by country and date.

What Counts as a High Score

The ACT officially releases the "U.S. Rank" annually, indicating the percentage of test-takers who scored at or below your score. The current version is based on high school graduates from the classes of 2023–2025 who took the ACT:

Score	English	Math	Reading	Composite
35	99	99	98	99
34	97	99	97	99
33	96	98	95	98
32	95	98	93	97
30	93	96	89	94

A Composite score of 30 already puts you in the top 6%, 33 is in the top 2%, and 34 or 35 places you in the top 1%.

There is another detail in this table: scoring a 33 in Math puts you at the 98th percentile, while a 33 in Reading is only at the 95th; similarly, a 30 in Math is at the 96th percentile, whereas a 30 in Reading is at the 89th. High scores in Math are much more common than high scores in Reading. For Chinese students, this usually means Math is the section to secure, while Reading and English require the real effort.

How Many Questions Can You Miss in the High-Score Range

The ACT converts your raw score (number of correct answers) into a scaled score, with no penalty for wrong answers. However, each section includes a number of pretest questions, which the ACT states make up between 9% and 25% of the test. These do not count toward your score, and you won't be able to identify them during the exam.

Let's look at a specific example. Below is the scoring conversion table from an official new online ACT practice test, showing only the high-score range (conversion tables vary by test form, so this is for reference only):

Score	English (40 scored questions)	Math (41 scored questions)	Reading (27 scored questions)
36	All correct	0–1 wrong	All correct
35	1–2 wrong	2 wrong	1 wrong
34	—	3–4 wrong	2 wrong
33	3 wrong	5 wrong	—
32	—	6 wrong	3 wrong
31	4 wrong	7 wrong	—

(The "—" indicates that no raw score on this specific test form corresponds exactly to that scaled score; for example, in English, missing 2 questions yields a 35, while missing 3 drops you directly to a 33.)

This table illustrates the reality better than any "high-score hack":

Reading is extremely steep at the high end. With only 27 scored questions on this test form, missing 1 question gives you a 35, but missing 3 drops you to a 32.
English is just as unforgiving. Missing 4 questions leaves you with a 31.
Math is relatively forgiving; you can miss 5 questions and still score a 33.

Therefore, aiming for a 34 or above in English and Reading doesn't just require knowing most of the material—it demands near-perfect accuracy.

Since the Composite score is the average of the three sections, let's look at a few combinations: English 35, Math 35, Reading 32 averages to 34, resulting in a Composite of 34; English 33, Math 35, Reading 32 averages to 33.33, resulting in a Composite of 33.

English: Aim for Zero Mistakes on Rule-Based Questions

The English section has 50 questions in 35 minutes, averaging 42 seconds per question. The ACT categorizes the questions into three types: Conventions of Standard English (punctuation, grammar, sentence structure), Production of Writing (organization, main idea, transitions), and Knowledge of Language (precise and concise word choice, consistent tone).

Punctuation and grammar are rule-based. The usage of commas, semicolons, colons, dashes, and apostrophes, as well as subject-verb agreement, pronoun reference, verb tense, and modifier placement—write each rule on a single page and categorize every mistake you make under the corresponding rule. With enough practice, you should be able to consistently get these all correct.
For writing production questions, refer back to the passage. Questions like "Should this sentence be deleted?" or "Where is the best place to add this sentence?" depend on the context of the paragraph, not just how well the sentence itself is written. Make sure you understand what the paragraph is about before choosing an answer.
Watch out for wordiness. If two options mean the same thing, the more concise one without repetition is usually better. However, ensure the meaning remains exactly the same—a shorter option that deletes essential information is incorrect.

Math: Broad Coverage, but the Goal is to Minimize Mistakes

The Math section has 45 questions in 50 minutes, with four answer choices per question. A calculator is permitted. The content covers a broad range of topics, from basic algebra, functions, and geometry all the way to statistics and probability, including modeling questions that apply multiple concepts to real-world scenarios.

For most Chinese students, the challenge isn't the math concepts themselves, but rather:

Reading the questions. In word problems with long English prompts, it's easy to misinterpret what the question is actually asking. After calculating, go back to the last sentence of the prompt to confirm that your answer is exactly what it's asking for.
Unfamiliar terminology. Terms like median, mode, range, reciprocal, integer, and probability should be systematically reviewed during your regular prep.
Time management. You have about 67 seconds per question on average. The earlier questions are generally faster, so save the extra time for the harder questions at the end. The official advice is the same: do the questions you know first, skip the ones you're stuck on, and come back to them later.

Reading: The Section That Separates a 32 from a 35

The Reading section has 36 questions in 40 minutes, testing three areas: comprehension of main ideas and details, understanding of the author's craft and text structure, and integration and comparison of different pieces of information.

As the conversion table above shows, Reading has almost zero margin for error at the high end. The common mistakes aren't about "not understanding the text," but rather:

Choosing options that "make sense but aren't stated in the text." After selecting an answer for each question, you should be able to point to the exact sentence in the passage that supports it. If you can't, you're relying on common sense rather than the text.
Being misled by exact wording in the options. An option that uses the exact same words as the passage doesn't necessarily convey the same meaning.
Running out of time on the last passage. During practice, strictly time yourself, track how long you spend on each passage on average, and work on stabilizing your pacing.

As for practice, after completing each passage, categorize the reasons for your mistakes into three types: "couldn't locate the information," "located it but misunderstood," and "ran out of time." After two or three weeks, you'll know exactly which area needs improvement.

Science: Should You Take It?

Science is now optional and does not count toward the Composite score. If you take it, your score report will include a Science score and a STEM score.

Whether to take it depends on two things: whether the colleges or majors you are applying to require or recommend it, and whether you can score as well on Science as you do on the other sections. If you plan to apply for STEM majors and interpreting graphs and analyzing data in Science is your strength, taking it gives you an additional score to showcase; if you're unsure, check the requirements on your target colleges' official websites first.

Test Strategies and Study Schedule

Answer every question.There is no penalty for wrong answers. The official advice is: when you're running out of time, write down your best guess and move on.
Don't panic if you encounter a really weird question.It might be an unscored pretest question, and it's not worth spending too much time on it.
Practice with the new version materials.For materials before 2025, the number of questions and time limits for English, Math, and Reading are different from the current test; Math still has five answer choices, and Science is included in the composite score. Old questions can be used to practice concepts, but do not use them to practice pacing, and do not use their conversion tables to estimate your score.
Start with an official full-length practice test for the new format.The ACT website offers free online practice questions and full-length practice tests, and the official guidebook "The Official ACT Prep Guide 2026–2027" includes 4 complete real tests.
Leave time to take the test twice.The ACT calculates a "Superscore," which is the average of the highest section scores across multiple test dates; the new version also only calculates English, Math, and Reading. However, whether each university accepts the Superscore depends on the school's policy.

Final Thoughts

Scoring high on the ACT ultimately comes down to making fewer mistakes: stay steady in Math, achieve zero errors on grammar rules in English, and ensure every Reading question is backed by evidence in the text. The new test is shorter, which makes each question carry more weight—in Reading, a single question could make a one-point difference.

If you're not sure where you currently stand in relation to your target score, you can start with a diagnostic test. Our teachers will analyze your performance section by section based on the new ACT question types and scoring conversion.

Verification Note: The test structure, composite score calculation, national rankings, pretest question ratio, international test dates, and practice test score conversions in this article were verified against the following official ACT pages and documents on September 26, 2026. The practice test conversion table is just an example for one set of questions; the conversion will differ for each test. Test dates, test centers, and policies are subject to change; please refer to the official website for the most up-to-date information before registering.

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