Using Your PreACT or PreACT 8/9 Results - What’s Inside - Understanding Your Results

Sep 22, 2026

Guide for interpreting the ACT PreACT and PreACT 8/9 Student Report, explaining how to understand composite, subject, and STEM scores. Describes what score ranges mean, how readiness benchmarks relate to meeting college readiness goals in later grades, and how to view progress toward the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate. Helps students translate results into academic next steps, strengthen weaker skill areas, compare with other students, and plan for high school and beyond, including education and career direction.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Understanding Your Results

How Am I Doing so Far?

What Are My Plans and Goals After High School?

Am I On Target for College?

What Your Scores Mean

Score Ranges

Composite Scores

STEM Score

Your Predicted ACT Score Ranges

2026 l 2027 Using Your PreACT or PreACT 8/9 Results What’s Inside z Understanding Your Results 2 z What Your Scores Mean 3 z How Do You Compare with Other Students Who Tested? 6 z Your Plans for High School and Beyond 7 z Compare Your Scores to Readiness Benchmarks 8 z Your College Readiness Action Plan 9 z Your Education and Career Journey 9 z Building Your Skills 12 To learn more about the ACT, visit The ACT Test for Students. Esta publicación también se puede ver o descargar en español. [www.act.org](www.act.org) Student Report: The PreACT® and PreACT® 8/9 Student Report includes your Composite, subject, and STEM scores; predicted ACT score ranges, the indicator of Progress Toward the ACT® National Career Readiness Certificate®(NCRC®); US Rank, Detailed Results, and Item Response Analysis. Understanding Your Results Your PreACT or PreACT 8/9 Student Report contains a lot of information about your skills, interests, plans, and goals. Use this guide, along with your report, to get a better sense of where you are, where you might want to go, and how to get there. How Am I Doing so Far? Your PreACT or PreACT 8/9 Student Report shows your relative strengths and weaknesses in four subject areas important for success in college: English, math, reading, and science. Ask your counselor how you can improve in areas where you are not as strong. What Are My Plans and Goals After High School? When you took PreACT or PreACT 8/9, you may have answered questions about the courses you are taking or plan to take in high school, your career interests, and your plans after high school. This information will help you see whether you need to change your career or educational plans to meet your goals. Am I On Target for College? Your PreACT or PreACT 8/9 Student Report shows you how well you are learning the skills you’ll need to be ready for college. Most likely, you have learned some of these skills better than others. Use your PreACT or PreACT 8/9 Student Report to help you strengthen those skills that you still need to work on. Visit [http://www.act.org/content/act/en/](http://www.act.org/content/act/en/) [students-and-parents.html](students-and-parents.html for more information on how to continue your)[ for more information on how to continue your](students-and-parents.html for more information on how to continue your) [college and career planning.](college and career planning.) © 2026 by ACT Education Corp. All rights reserved. Page 2 of 13 JA10096 .CJ23638 What Your Scores Mean For PreACT, your scores are between 1 (the lowest score you can receive) and 35 (the highest score you can receive) . PreACT takes the number of questions you got right on each test and translates it into a number between 1 and 35 (called a “scale score”) . For PreACT 8/9, your scores are between 1 (the lowest score you can receive) and 30 (the highest score you can receive) . Similarly, PreACT 8/9 takes the number of questions you got right, of the items that count toward your scores, in each test and translates it into a number between 1 and 30. Just like grades, your scores tell you how well you did on each test. Score Ranges Because no test can measure educational development with absolute precision, it’s best to think of each of your PreACT or PreACT 8/9 scores as a range rather than as a precise point. Your PreACT or PreACT 8/9 score ranges are shown on your Student Report by the colored boxes on the graph below your scores. The heavy line within the colored boxes is your scale score. The graph also includes light gray lines with a number next to it. These are the PreACT or PreACT 8/9 Readiness Benchmarks. Composite Scores Your Composite score is simply the average of the English, math, and reading test scores (rounded to a whole number) . In the same way your overall grade point average in school shows how well you are doing across all your different classes, your

FAQs

What scores are included in the PreACT or PreACT 8/9 Student Report?

The report includes composite, subject, and STEM scores, predicted ACT score ranges, and progress indicators, along with detailed results and item response information.

How should I interpret PreACT and PreACT 8/9 scores?

Scores are shown as ranges rather than a single precise point, reflecting typical variation if you retake the test in a short time.

What does it mean if my scores are at or above the readiness benchmark?

Students at or above the benchmark are on target to meet ACT College Readiness Benchmarks when they reach 11th or 12th grade.

Sep 22, 2026

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