Whether you've already taken the ACT or are busy preparing for it now, you've likely wondered at some point: is the ACT curved? Does a 32 on one ACT equal a 32 on another?
In this article, we’ll investigate the rumor of the ACT curve and explain what it really means. Then we'll examine the function of this curve as well as how it's changed over time, before finally explaining what the ACT curve means for test takers and how you can use it to your advantage.
Contrary to popular belief, there is no ACT curve. This means that how well other test takers do on the ACT will not affect your ACT score. Even if everyone who took the ACT on a particular test date were to receive low scores, none of these scores would be raised or redistributed to establish a more balanced ACT bell curve.
In short, your ACT score will always be the exact score you earn on the test — it will never increase nor decrease as a result of other test takers' performances.
So how does ACT scoring actually work, then? The test's creators, ACT, Inc., account for variations in difficulty across test dates through a special process called equating. This process ensures that scale ACT scores from different administrations of the test always indicate the same level of ability, regardless of when or with whom you take the ACT.
Here's how ACT, Inc., describes equating:
“Statistical processes, referred to as ‘equating,’ are used to ensure that scores from the same test (e.g., ACT math, ACT English) are comparable across administrations and students, so there is no advantage in taking a test in one administration (e.g., October 2015) over another administration* (e.g., May 2013).”
Basically, there's no such thing as an easier or harder ACT test date. ACTs are equated so that your chance of getting a certain scale score is the same for all administrations. This means that a Math score of 28 on one ACT will always equal a Math score of 28 on another ACT, even if one test contains harder math questions.
So despite what the rumors may claim, there is no "best" time to take the ACT because when and with whom you take the ACT is ultimately irrelevant. In truth, neither factor affects your chance of hitting your ACT goal score on test day!
Even if you were surrounded by Albert Einsteins, their ACT scores still wouldn't affect yours!
Before we delve into the ACT curve, let's take a moment to review the ACT scoring system. The ACT comprises four subject areas: English, Math, Reading, and Science. (There is also a fifth optional Writing section.) Each of the four major sections is assigned a scale score on a scale of 1-36. These four scale scores are then averaged together to give you a composite ACT score out of 36. (This composite score does not include the ACT Writing score.)
So how does ACT, Inc., calculate these scale scores? For each section, you’ll begin with a raw score, which is equivalent to the number of questions you answered correctly. (Note that there are no penalties for incorrect or blank answers.) So if you answered 60 out of 75 questions correctly on the English section, your raw English score would be 60. Afterward, each raw score is then converted into a scale score out of 36.
But here’s the kicker: how a raw score converts into a scale score varies with each administration of the ACT. This is because each ACT differs slightly in content and difficulty; thus, each test must use a unique equating formula to determine how its raw scores will translate into scale scores. Unfortunately, this means there's no way for us to know for sure how a raw score will convert into a scale score on an upcoming ACT.
That being said, we can estimate how raw scores may convert into scale scores using score conversion charts from official ACT practice tests. All of these practice tests are based on former ACTs that were actually administered, so the equating processes they employ are guaranteed to be most similar to those used for upcoming administrations.
Below are the scoring tables for the 2014-15 and 2016-17 ACT practice tests. These tables will show us how raw scores vary in the scale scores into which they convert.
Scale Score
Raw Scores
Scale Score
