What is an ACT superscore?
A superscore is the selection of your best scores. For example, let's say you took the ACT three times and received the following scores:
- English 27, Math 28, Reading 29, Science 25 = Composite 27
- English 28, Math 31, Reading 28, Science 26 = Composite 28
- English 27, Math 30, Reading 28, Science 30 = Composite 30
The colleges listed above would cherry pick your best scores for their super-score:
- English 28, Math 31, Reading 29, Science 30 = Composite 30
As you can see, the super-score is better than any one of the tests. The sum of the parts are greater than the whole! And, more good news, obtaining your super-score is easier than ever. Previously, you needed to self-calculate your super-score, then send score reports from each testing date to colleges super-scoring the ACT. Now, ACT provides its own super-score report. Curious what it looks like? Here’s a sneak peek:
You’ll notice that the recalculated composite super-score appears along with the individual section scores and dates from which it was generated. Included in your super-score report are all scores from the single test with the highest composite score, and the composite and section scores from the tests used to obtain your super-score. You’ll access your super-score report in the same way you’d find the results from any ACT by logging into your myactstudent.org account and accessing your scores. Remember that you’ll only see a superscore after you’ve taken the ACT two or more times.
While there are many schools out there that superscore the SAT, the list of schools that superscore the ACT is much smaller. To aid you in search for information, we have compiled a list (with the help of fellow consultants at IECA) of many of the schools that super-score the ACT. While the list does not cover every single college in the US, it is fairly comprehensive.
Want to learn about the Superscoring the SAT? Check out our blog post on Colleges That Do NOT Superscore the SAT
Topics: ACT, Test-Prep, Concordance, superscore
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