Enter how many questions you got right in each section, and the calculator estimates your PreACT Composite. Since fall 2026 the Composite is the rounded average of your English, Math and Reading scale scores, from 1 to 35 on the PreACT or 1 to 30 on the PreACT 8/9; Science is scored separately. For comparison, ACT's 2025–26 national average was 17.3 for 10th graders testing in the fall (16.4 in 9th grade, 18.6 in 11th); those were four-section Composites that included Science, so treat the comparison as approximate. ACT does not publish PreACT raw-to-scale tables, so the raw-to-scale step is an estimate; the averages and readiness benchmarks below are ACT's official figures.
Instructions
Pick your test, then enter how many questions you got right in each section (count every question). If your school didn't give Science, tick the box to leave it out. Your Composite (English, Math and Reading, the fall 2026 rule) and section scores update instantly. Raw-to-scale conversions are estimates: ACT does not publish PreACT conversion tables.
English — correct answers
/48
Math — correct answers
/36
Reading — correct answers
/33
Science — correct answers (optional, not in Composite)
/36
ESTIMATED COMPOSITE
20 | 1 - 35
English, Math and Reading averaged
National average, fall of 10th grade: 17.3 (you are 2.7 above)
2025–26 averages were four-section Composites that included Science, so treat this comparison as approximate.
If you already have your official scale scores, skip the estimate. Enter them below to see your Composite, how it compares with the national average for your grade and season, and ACT's readiness level for each section: On Target, Close to Target or In Need of Intervention.
Is my PreACT score on target?
Enter the section scores from your report. You get your Composite, how it compares with the national average for your grade, and ACT's readiness level for each section.
Leave blank if your school didn't give Science.
PreACT is for grades 9–10 (PreACT 8/9 for grades 8–9); the 11th-grade option uses ACT's fall figures for schools that test 11th graders. Took the PreACT Secure (10th grade, 1–35)? Choose PreACT for an approximate check. The PreACT 9 Secure (1–32) isn't covered here, so use the readiness levels on your report.
Composite 17 (English, Math and Reading averaged). The national average for 10th graders testing in the fall is 17.3, so you are 0.3 below it. 2025–26 averages were four-section Composites that included Science, so treat comparisons with this year's English/Math/Reading Composite as approximate.
Section
Your score
Readiness Benchmark
Level
English
18
14
On Target
Math
16
19
In Need of Intervention (3 short)
Reading
18
20
Close to Target (2 short)
Start with Math: it is the furthest from its benchmark (3 points). Reaching a benchmark means about a 50% chance of meeting ACT's College Readiness Benchmark of 22 in Math by 11th or 12th grade.
Last verified against ACT's PreACT Technical Manual, PreACT 8/9 Technical Bulletin (August 2026) and 2025–26 national averages: 2026-10-19. Your report's US Rank is your exact percentile.
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PreACT scoring has two stages, just like the ACT. First, you earn a raw score on each section: one point per correct answer on the scored questions, with no penalty for wrong answers. Then ACT converts each raw score to a scale score using a form-specific conversion table (equating), which keeps scores comparable across forms. Since fall 2026, your Composite is the average of your English, Math and Reading scale scores, rounded to the nearest whole number. If your school gives Science, you also get a Science score and a STEM score (Math and Science averaged).
Always guess. The PreACT has no wrong-answer penalty. A blank answer scores zero, but a guess has a one-in-four chance of picking up the point: since fall 2026, every question on the PreACT has 4 answer choices (Math used to have five).
PreACT Format from Fall 2026
PreACT blueprint from fall 2026 (ACT, PreACT Alignment to the Enhanced ACT, checked October 20, 2026). Unscored questions are field-test items mixed in with the rest. The previous PreACT format (through 2025–26) had 45 English, 36 Math, 25 Reading and 30 Science questions in 130 minutes. ACT has not yet published the new PreACT 8/9 blueprint; the 8/9 still runs about 130 minutes.
Section
Questions (scored)
Time
In the Composite?
English
48 (36)
35 min
Yes
Math
36 (32)
45 min
Yes
Reading
33 (25)
40 min
Yes
Science (optional)
36 (30)
40 min
No; Science and STEM scores
Total
117 (93 scored) / 153 (123 scored) with Science
120 min (160 with Science)
Composite = rounded average of E, M, R
Every PreACT score report also includes predicted ACT score ranges (for each subject and the Composite) and a US Rank (percentile) for each score. For the full walkthrough of a score report, see how to read your PreACT score report.
Estimated Raw-to-Scale Conversion
ACT does not publish PreACT conversion tables, and each form's curve is slightly different. The table shows the estimated number of questions you would need right (counting every question) for common scale scores on the PreACT's 1–35 scale, using the same estimate as the calculator. Like the ACT, the top of the curve is tight: the last few questions each move you about a full scale point.
Estimated questions right needed per scale score on the fall 2026 PreACT (1-35 scale). Unofficial estimates; actual conversions vary by form.
Scale score
English (/48)
Math (/36)
Reading (/33)
Science (/36)
35
48
36
33
36
30
~42
~31
~29
~31
25
~35
~26
~24
~26
20
~28
~21
~20
~21
17
~24
~18
~17
~18
14
~20
~15
~14
~15
10
~14
~11
~10
~11
PreACT Averages by Grade
ACT publishes the national average (mean) Composite for each grade and season. These are the best official benchmark for “how did I do?”. ACT publishes no Composite-to-percentile table for the PreACT; the US Rank on your score report is your percentile.
2025–26 national mean Composite scores (ACT, PreACT Scores, checked October 20, 2026). These were four-section Composites that included Science, so treat comparisons with this year's English/Math/Reading Composite as approximate.
Test and grade
Fall average
Spring average
PreACT, 9th grade
16.4
17
PreACT, 10th grade
17.3
18
PreACT, 11th grade
18.6
Not tested
PreACT 8/9, 8th grade
15.9
16.6
PreACT 8/9, 9th grade
16.5
16.9
What Is a Good PreACT Score?
A score above the average for your grade and season beats the typical student: for a 10th grader testing in the fall, that means 18 or higher (the average is 17.3). But the PreACT is a diagnostic, so the most useful reading is forward-looking. Your section scores and readiness levels show where ACT points are hiding: a student with 24 in English and 17 in Math knows where the next Composite points will come from. For the full grade-by-grade breakdown, see what is a good PreACT score.
Remember: PreACT scores aren't used in college admissions. Students who take the PreACT or PreACT 8/9 on paper can choose to share their profile information with colleges and scholarship agencies, but that's optional. Use your estimate here, and your official report, to decide where to focus before the real ACT, then check your projection with the PreACT to ACT converter or take a free ACT practice test.
Frequently Asked Questions
Each section gets a scale score from 1 to 35 on the PreACT (1 to 30 on the PreACT 8/9). Since fall 2026, the Composite comes from English, Math and Reading only; ACT doesn't publish the exact method on its public pages, so this calculator estimates it as the rounded average of English, Math and Reading (the way the ACT Composite works). If your school or district gives Science, it gets its own score and feeds a STEM score (Math and Science). Raw scores (questions right) convert to scale scores with form-specific tables, and there is no penalty for wrong answers.
No. ACT does not publish PreACT raw-to-scale conversion tables, and each form has its own. The raw-to-scale step here is an estimate, so treat the result as a ballpark. The averages and readiness benchmarks on this page are ACT's official figures, and your official scores come only from your PreACT score report.
Compare with your grade. ACT's 2025–26 national average PreACT Composite was 16.4 in fall of 9th grade, 17.3 in fall of 10th grade and 18.6 in fall of 11th grade. On the PreACT 8/9 it was 15.9 in fall of 8th grade. Those 2025–26 averages were four-section Composites that included Science, so treat comparisons with this year's English/Math/Reading Composite as approximate. Scoring above your grade's average beats the typical student; your report's US Rank gives your percentile, and each section's readiness level shows where to focus.
Since fall 2026 the PreACT has 48 English questions (35 minutes), 36 Math (45 minutes), 33 Reading (40 minutes) and, if your school gives it, 36 Science (40 minutes). Some questions in each section are unscored field-test items: 36, 32, 25 and 30 questions count, for 117 questions (93 scored) in 120 minutes without Science or 153 (123 scored) in 160 minutes with it. ACT has not yet published the new PreACT 8/9 blueprint; the 8/9 still runs about 130 minutes.
The PreACT is for grades 9 to 10 and is scored 1–35, one point below the ACT's 1–36 scale. The PreACT 8/9 is for 8th and 9th graders and is scored 1–30. Both scales are aligned to the ACT scale, and both reports include predicted ACT score ranges and a US Rank. There are also two Secure versions, ordered by states and districts and given online: PreACT Secure (grade 10, scored 1–35) and PreACT 9 Secure (grade 9, scored 1–32).
Not since fall 2026. The Composite is English, Math and Reading. Science is optional on the PreACT at the school or district's choice (not the student's), and when it is given you get a Science score and a STEM score. The PreACT and PreACT 8/9 used all four sections through 2025–26; the Secure versions switched in spring 2026.
PreACT® and ACT® are registered trademarks of ACT, Inc., which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, Test Ninjas. Score conversions and ACT projections on this page are unofficial estimates for planning purposes only.