{"id":6523,"date":"2016-04-29T08:55:47","date_gmt":"2016-04-29T15:55:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/act\/?p=6523"},"modified":"2017-06-08T10:21:16","modified_gmt":"2017-06-08T17:21:16","slug":"get-30-score-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/act\/get-30-score-act\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get a 30+ Score on the ACT"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you’re hoping to reach the 95% percentile on the ACT, it can seem pretty intimidating at first glance. After all, scoring above 30 on the ACT means that you’d have the highest score in a group of 20 test takers. Yet earning a 30+ score on the ACT has become a goal for many students hoping to attend selective colleges, and you shouldn’t let the statistics discourage you!<\/strong> In this post, we’ll cover how to get a 30+ score on the ACT<\/strong>. You’ll see that it’s not only possible, it’s also achievable!<\/p>\n

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No, it doesn’t have to be!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

So if you’re one of those students who wants to see a 30+ on your ACT score reports, know that it’ll take some work—sky-high scores don’t happen overnight! And if you\u2019re ready to put in the effort, let\u2019s begin.<\/p>\n

Why 30+?<\/h2>\n

If you’re applying to top-tier U.S. universities, a score of above 30 on the ACT will really help your application. Looking at the table below, you can see that, at the top-ranked 19 universities, 75% of students scored above a 30 on the ACT. If that doesn’t light a fire under you, I don’t know what will!<\/p>\n

College ACT Score Range for the Top 100 Universities<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
College Ranking<\/th>\nCollege Name<\/th>\n25th Percentile Scores<\/th>\n75th Percentile Scores<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
1<\/td>\nPrinceton University<\/a><\/td>\n34<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\nMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)\n<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n36<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/td>\nHarvard University<\/a><\/td>\n34<\/td>\n36<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/td>\nStanford University <\/a><\/td>\n34<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/td>\nYale University <\/a><\/td>\n33<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6 (tie)<\/td>\nCalifornia Institute of Technology (Caltech)<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n36<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6 (tie)<\/td>\nDuke University<\/a><\/td>\n34<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6 (tie)<\/td>\nJohns Hopkins University <\/a><\/td>\n34<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6 (tie)<\/td>\nNorthwestern University<\/a><\/td>\n33<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10<\/td>\n University of Pennsylvania <\/a><\/td>\n34<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
11 (tie)<\/td>\nCornell University <\/a> <\/td>\n33<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
11 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of Chicago<\/a><\/td>\n34<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
13 (tie)<\/td>\nBrown University<\/a><\/td>\n34<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
13 (tie)<\/td>\nColumbia University <\/a><\/td>\n34<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
15 (tie)<\/td>\nDartmouth College <\/a><\/td>\n33<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
15 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) <\/a><\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17<\/td>\nUniversity of California–Berkeley<\/a><\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18 (tie)<\/td>\nRice University <\/a><\/td>\n34<\/td>\n36<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18 (tie)<\/td>\n University of Notre Dame <\/a><\/td>\n33<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18 (tie)<\/td>\nVanderbilt University <\/a><\/td>\n34<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
21 (tie)<\/td>\nCarnegie Mellon University<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
21 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of Michigan at Ann Arbor<\/a><\/td>\n31<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
21 (tie)<\/td>\nWashington University in St. Louis<\/td>\n33<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
24 (tie)<\/td>\nEmory University<\/a><\/td>\n32<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
24 (tie)<\/td>\nGeorgetown <\/a><\/td>\n32<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
24 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of Virginia <\/a><\/td>\n32<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
27 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC Chapel Hill)<\/a><\/td>\n30<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
27 (tie)<\/td>\n University of Southern California (USC)<\/a><\/td>\n32<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
29<\/td>\nUniversity of California–San Diego<\/a><\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
30 (tie)<\/td>\nNew York University (NYU)<\/a><\/td>\n33<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
30 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of Florida<\/a><\/td>\n28<\/td>\n33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
30 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of Texas, Austin (UT Austin)<\/a> <\/td>\n29<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
33 (tie)<\/td>\nGeorgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) <\/a><\/td>\n28<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
33 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of California, Davis (UC Davis)<\/a><\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
33 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of California, Irvine (UCI) <\/a><\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
33 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign<\/a><\/td>\n30<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
37 (tie)<\/td>\nBoston College<\/a><\/td>\n33<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
37 (tie)<\/td>\nTufts University<\/a><\/td>\n33<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
39 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB)<\/a><\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
39 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of Wisconsin Madison<\/a><\/td>\n28<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
41 (tie)<\/td>\nBoston University <\/a><\/td>\n32<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
41 (tie)<\/td>\nOhio State University<\/td>\n29<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
41 (tie)<\/td>\nRutgers University<\/td>\n28<\/td>\n33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
44 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of Maryland–College Park<\/a><\/td>\n32<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
44 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of Rochester<\/a><\/td>\n31<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
46 (tie)<\/td>\nLehigh University<\/td>\n31<\/td>\n33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
46 (tie)<\/td>\nPurdue Univesity-West Lafayette<\/a><\/td>\n27<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
46 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of Georgia<\/td>\n27<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
46 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of Washington<\/a><\/td>\n30<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
46 (tie)<\/td>\nWake Forest University<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
51 (tie)<\/td>\nCase Western Reserve University<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
51 (tie)<\/td>\nTexas A&M University–College Station<\/a><\/td>\n25<\/td>\n31<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
51 (tie)<\/td>\nVirginia Institute of Technology (Virginia Tech) <\/a><\/td>\n27<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
54 (tie)<\/td>\nFlorida State University<\/td>\n27<\/td>\n31<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
54 (tie)<\/td>\nNortheastern University<\/a><\/td>\n33<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
54 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of Minnesota–Twin Cities<\/a><\/td>\n27<\/td>\n31<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
54 (tie)<\/td>\nCollege of William and Mary<\/a><\/td>\n32<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
58 (tie)<\/td>\nNorth Carolina State University–Raleigh<\/td>\n28<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
58 (tie)<\/td>\nStony Brook University (SUNY)<\/a><\/td>\n28<\/td>\n33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
58 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of California–Merced<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
58 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of Massachussetts-Amherst (UMass Amherst)<\/a><\/td>\n29<\/td>\n33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
58 (tie)<\/td>\nVillanova University<\/a><\/td>\n32<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
63 (tie)<\/td>\nBrandeis University<\/td>\n31<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
63 (tie)<\/td>\nGeorge Washington University<\/a><\/td>\n31<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
63 (tie)<\/td>\nMichigan State University<\/td>\n26<\/td>\n31<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
63 (tie)<\/td>\nPennsylvania State–University Park<\/a><\/td>\n27<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
63 (tie)<\/td>\nSanta Clara University<\/td>\n30<\/td>\n33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
63 (tie)<\/td>\nTulane University<\/a><\/td>\n31<\/td>\n33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
63 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of Miami <\/a><\/td>\n30<\/td>\n33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
70 (tie)<\/td>\nRennselaer Polytechnic Institute<\/a><\/td>\n31<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
70 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of Connecticut<\/a><\/td>\n29<\/td>\n33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
70 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of Pittsburgh–Pittsburgh Campus<\/td>\n29<\/td>\n33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
73 (tie)<\/td>\nBinghamton University<\/a><\/td>\n29<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
73 (tie)<\/td>\nIndiana University–Bloomington<\/td>\n27<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
73 (tie)<\/td>\nSyracuse University<\/a><\/td>\n28<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
76 (tie)<\/td>\nColorado School of Mines<\/td>\n29<\/td>\n33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
76 (tie)<\/td>\nStevens Institute of Technology<\/td>\n31<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
76 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity at Buffalo<\/a><\/td>\n27<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
76 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of California–Riverside<\/a><\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
80 (tie)<\/td>\nClemson <\/a><\/td>\n28<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
80 (tie)<\/td>\nPepperdine University<\/a><\/td>\n26<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
80 (tie)<\/td>\nRutgers University–Newark<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
80 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of Illinois–Chicago<\/td>\n24<\/td>\n31<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
84 (tie)<\/td>\nNew Jersey Institute of Technology<\/td>\n25<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
84 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of California, Santa Cruz<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
86 (tie)<\/td>\nDrexel University<\/td>\n27<\/td>\n33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
86 (tie)<\/td>\nHoward University<\/td>\n22<\/td>\n28<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
86 (tie)<\/td>\nMarquette University<\/a><\/td>\n26<\/td>\n31<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
86 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of Delaware<\/td>\n27<\/td>\n31<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
86 (tie)<\/td>\nWorcester Polytechnic Institute<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
91 (tie)<\/td>\nAmerican University<\/td>\n29<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
91 (tie)<\/td>\nBaylor University<\/a><\/td>\n27<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
91 (tie)<\/td>\nFordham University<\/a><\/td>\n30<\/td>\n33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
91 (tie)<\/td>\nLoyola Marymount<\/td>\n29<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
91 (tie)<\/td>\nRochester Institute of Technology<\/td>\n29<\/td>\n33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
91 (tie)<\/td>\nSouthern Methodist University<\/td>\n30<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
91 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of South Florida<\/td>\n24<\/td>\n29<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
98 (tie)<\/td>\nFlorida International University<\/td>\n20<\/td>\n26<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
98 (tie)<\/td>\nGonzaga University<\/td>\n26<\/td>\n31<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
98 (tie)<\/td>\nRutgers University–Camden<\/td>\n18<\/td>\n26<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
98 (tie)<\/td>\nTemple University<\/td>\n23<\/td>\n30<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
98 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of Colorado Boulder<\/td>\n27<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
98 (tie)<\/td>\nUniversity of Iowa<\/td>\n22<\/td>\n28<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
98 (tie)<\/td>\nYeshiva University<\/td>\n28<\/td>\n33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

But don’t despair! With some work, a 30+ score may just be in reach.<\/p>\n

Your Starting Line<\/h2>\n

We’re all coming from different places when we approach the ACT for the first time. Our home lives, our educational backgrounds, even our parents’ educations all have some correlation to our ACT scores<\/a>. But no matter where you’re starting from, remember this: your ACT score wasn\u2019t carved in stone on the day you were born.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So if you’re discouraged by early practice test results, keep in mind that your determination and grit are the most valuable assets you have, and with some practice you can<\/strong> learn how to get a 30+ score on the ACT.<\/p>\n

Discovering Weak Spots<\/h2>\n

The first thing to do, as you might have guessed, is to take a timed practice test. Once you do this, look over your results. Let\u2019s say, for example, you got the following scores:<\/p>\n