Good ACT scores are the key to getting into the college of your dreams!
But what is a good score? For most students, scoring above average, 21 or higher, is a good score. For those applying to elite colleges, scores in the 93rd percentile (30+) or even the 98th percentile (33+) are good scores. But that’s the short answer… there is more to it than that of course. In this post, we’ll cover everything you need to know about ACT scores.
Table of Contents
How are ACT Scores Calculated?
What is the Highest ACT Score?
What is a Good ACT Score?
ACT Scores for the Top 100 U.S. Universities
What is an Average ACT Score?
What Is a Good ACT Score for Scholarships?
Should I Cancel My ACT Score if I Get a Bad Score?
How to Improve Your ACT Test Scores
How are ACT Scores Calculated?
The ACT test score range is between 1 and 36. There are two types of scores that fall in this range: your section scores and your composite score.
What are ACT Section Scores?
The ACT exam comprises four sections:
The score on each section is calculated by converting the raw score—the number of questions you answered correctly in a given section—to a scaled score in that 1-36 range. (There are no penalties for questions with an incorrect answer).
If you’re thinking “aw man, do I need to know a formula to figure out my practice ACT results??” — never fear! We actually have this handy dandy score calculator where you can plug in your raw scores to figure out your section scores. You can also check out our ACT Raw Score Conversation Chart for a sense of how many questions you need to answer correctly to get a certain scaled score.
What are ACT Composite Scores?
To make your composite, or overall, score, the test maker then averages your four scores on all sections. This is also scored using the 1-36 ACT scale.
So what is a good ACT composite score? Many factors will help you determine what a good ACT composite score is for you. But before we get into that, know that the composite score is not the only score that matters! The ACT score report will provide you even more information about your test-taking experience in the form of subscores.
What are ACT Subscores?
We’re so glad you asked! The Reading, Writing, and Math sections also have categories with their own score ranges, as noted in the table below:
Section | Overall Score Range | Sub-Score Breakdown |
---|---|---|
English | 1-36 | Usage/Mechanics (1-18) Rhetorical Skills (1-18) Essay (2-12) |
Math | 1-36 | Pre-Algebra/Elementary Algebra (1-18) Algebra/Coordinate Geometry (1-18) Plane Geometry/Trigonometry (1-18) |
Reading | 1-36 | Social Sciences/Sciences (1-18) Arts/Literature (1-18) |
Science | 1-36 | No sub-scores on the Science test! |
What are ACT Percentiles?
Finally, last but definitely not least, you’ll see your percentile. Or, rather, percentiles.
Your ACT percentiles compare your scores to the scores of other test-takers. In your score report, you’ll be able to see where you stand both in terms of your composite score and your section scores.
If you scored in the 90th percentile, for example, you scored better than 90% (or 90 out of every 100) test-takers. If you scored in the 50th percentile, you scored better than half of your peers.
What is the Highest ACT Score?
Seeing as the ACT score range is between 1 and 36, naturally, the highest score that one can receive on the ACT is a 36. Here are some facts to know about the max ACT score:
- In 2018, only 3,741 students (out of nearly 2 million test takers) scored a perfect 36 on the ACT.
- You can miss up to five questions on the ACT and still earn a 36 (depending on what sections you miss them in!)
- The 99th percentile of test takers includes those who earn a 35 or 34 on the ACT.
Getting the highest ACT score, while an amazing feat, is nothing worth breaking your back over. Sure, a perfect score does make your application all the more appealing—colleges love to brag about the percentage of perfect-scoring applicants they’ve admitted each year. And a 36 will definitely get your application moved to the top of the pile at less competitive institutions.
Still, a 36 was worth a lot more ten or fifteen years ago. Not only have many colleges and scholarships adopted more well-rounded admissions approaches to giving out letters of acceptance and/or monetary awards, but the number of students getting a perfect score on the ACT is also growing every year—truly an indication of just how competitive the college admissions process is becoming.
My advice? If you end up scoring in the 34 or above range on the ACT, it might be best if you’re trying to wow admissions committees through other aspects of your application. This advice is particularly relevant to admissions at Ivy Leagues and other competitive schools; some of these schools have a whopping quarter of their entering class scoring perfectly on the ACT or SAT.
But if you feel like getting the highest ACT score can help you shine at less competitive colleges, make sure to check out our post on perfect ACT score stories to know how it’s done!
What is a Good ACT Score?
The ACT, like its cousin the SAT, is a standardized test meant to measure both knowledge gained in high school and potential to succeed in a college setting. The higher the score, the more likely you will get into the colleges of your choice.
That being said, there’s no straight answer on what is a good or bad score; it depends entirely on you, your goals, your grades, your extracurriculars, the schools you want to apply to, and a variety of other factors. A passing score on the ACT for someone else might not be a passing score for you and vice versa.
Furthermore, while most schools care about the composite score, some will look specifically for your subject area scores. So even a number isn’t just a single number.
Don’t worry, though. I’m not copping out on an answer, I promise!
Objectively speaking, a score of 32 or higher would put you in a competitive position for any school that you choose apply to. If that’s your goal, check out this video by Magoosh expert Kristin on how to get the highest ACT score:
But unless you want to go to super-elite schools, you might find it more useful to focus on your GPA and extracurriculars than aiming for the max score. That’s where it becomes useful to look at school rank when deciding what’s a good score on the ACT.
Good ACT Scores by Grade Level and School Rank
We’ve crunched some numbers and come up with what could be considered good scores, based on your ultimate school goals as well as your grade level. After all, a good score for a sophomore (who’s maybe taking the PreACT instead) won’t be the same as a good score for a senior. If you have time to improve your score by the time you’re applying to colleges, no need to pressure yourself to get the right score right away!
Please note that the numbers on the following ACT scoring chart are loose projections—as I mentioned earlier, a lot of factors affect how high of a score you need to achieve. ACT students with lower scores may still get into their dream schools and students with top scores may not. Still, this is a good place to start as you plan your ACT preparations.
Also, if you don’t know the rankings of the schools that you’re interested in, you can skip to the section on ACT scores for the top 100 U.S. Universities to see the competitive score ranges for a given school. After figuring out the rankings range of a few schools you’re interested in, you may choose to come back to this table to get a more solid idea of the score that you should aim for.
Only Ivy League for me! | I'm going for schools ranked between 25-50 | I'm going for schools ranked 50-75 | I'm going for schools ranked 75-100 | I'm going for schools ranked below 100 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sophomore | 24+ | 21+ | 17+ | 16+ | 13+ |
Junior | 28+ | 25+ | 21+ | 20+ | 17+ |
Senior | 32+ | 29+ | 25+ | 24+ | 21+ |
If you’re a sophomore or junior, a rise of four points a year is within your grasp if you study hard! If you let everything drop until the last minute, though, you may not see an appreciable rise at all. (However, taking advanced coursework should help give your scores a bump.)
On the other hand, if you’ve scored a 36 and you’re a sophomore, that’s awesome. Don’t take the test again. Also, what are you still doing reading this post?!
ACT Scores for the Top 100 U.S. Universities
Though not the only piece in the college applications puzzle, your ACT score is the first thing most admissions counselors see. If you don’t score in the same range as most of the current students, it is going to be VERY HARD to convince them that you would be the perfect fit. That’s why we provided for you, in the table below, the 25th-75th percentile scores (also known as the “middle 50%” scores) for the top 100 U.S. universities.
What do all those numbers mean? In short, the middle-scoring 50% of incoming students scored within this range. 25% of incoming students scored below the lower number, while 25% of incoming students scored above the higher number. Everybody else (the middle 50%) scored between the two.
Here’s an approximation of what the distribution of score percentiles could look like:
With all that said, take a look at the score ranges in 2019 below. You can search by school–if your schools of interest rank in the top 100, you’ll find it on this table. If the school’s middle 50% aren’t reported, take a look at the scores at similarly-ranked schools.
ACT Score Range for the Top 100 U.S. Universities
College Ranking | College Name | 25th Percentile Scores | 75th Percentile Scores |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Princeton University | 33 | 35 |
2 | Harvard University | 33 | 35 |
3 (tie) | Columbia University | 33 | 35 |
3 (tie) | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | 34 | 36 |
3 (tie) | Yale University | 33 | 35 |
6 (tie) | Stanford University | 32 | 35 |
6 (tie) | University of Chicago | 33 | 35 |
8 | University of Pennsylvania | 33 | 35 |
9 (tie) | California Institute of Technology (Caltech) | 35 | 36 |
9 (tie) | Northwestern University | 33 | 35 |
9 (tie) | Johns Hopkins University | 33 | 35 |
12 | Duke University | 33 | 35 |
13 | Dartmouth College | 32 | 35 |
14 (tie) | Brown University | 33 | 35 |
14 (tie) | Vanderbilt University | 33 | 35 |
16 (tie) | Rice University | 33 | 35 |
16 (tie) | Washington University in St. Louis | 33 | 35 |
18 | Cornell University | 32 | 35 |
19 | University of Notre Dame | 32 | 35 |
20 | University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | 27 | 34 |
21 | Emory University | 31 | 34 |
22 | University of California--Berkeley | 28 | 34 |
23 | Georgetown | 31 | 35 |
24 (tie) | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor | 31 | 34 |
24 (tie) | University of Southern California (USC) | 31 | 34 |
26 (tie) | Carnegie Mellon University | 33 | 35 |
26 (tie) | University of Virgina | 30 | 34 |
28 (tie) | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC Chapel Hill) | 27 | 33 |
28 (tie) | Wake Forest University | 30 | 33 |
30 (tie) | New York University (NYU) | 30 | 34 |
30 (tie) | Tufts University | 32 | 34 |
30 (tie) | University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) | 25 | 33 |
30 (tie) | University of Florida | 28 | 33 |
34 | University of Rochester | 30 | 34 |
35 (tie) | Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) | 31 | 34 |
35 (tie) | Boston College | 31 | 34 |
35 (tie) | University of California, Irvine (UCI) | NA | NA |
35 (tie) | University of California--San Diego | 24 | 33 |
39 (tie) | University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | 25 | 31 |
39 (tie) | College of William and Mary | 30 | 34 |
41 | Tulane University | 31 | 33 |
42 (tie) | Boston University | 30 | 34 |
42 (tie) | Brandeis University | 30 | 33 |
42 (tie) | Case Western Reserve University | 30 | 34 |
42 (tie) | University of Texas, Austin (UT Austin) | 27 | 33 |
42 (tie) | University of Wisconsin Madison | 27 | 32 |
47 (tie) | University of Georgia | 27 | 32 |
47 (tie) | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign | 27 | 33 |
49 (tie) | Lehigh University | 29 | 33 |
49 (tie) | Northeastern University | 32 | 35 |
49 (tie) | Pepperdine University | 27 | 32 |
49 (tie) | University of Miami | 29 | 32 |
53 (tie) | Ohio State University | 28 | 32 |
53 (tie) | Purdue Univesity-West Lafayette | 25 | 32 |
53 (tie) | Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute | 28 | 34 |
53 (tie) | Santa Clara University | 28 | 32 |
53 (tie) | Villanova University | 31 | 34 |
58 (tie) | Florida State University | 26 | 30 |
58 (tie) | Syracuse University | 26 | 30 |
58 (tie) | University of Maryland--College Park | 29 | 33 |
58 (tie) | University of Washington | 27 | 33 |
63 (tie) | Pennsylvania State--University Park | 25 | 30 |
63 (tie) | Rutgers University | 25 | 32 |
63 (tie) | University of Connecticut | 26 | 32 |
66 (tie) | Fordham University | 28 | 32 |
66 (tie) | George Washington University | 29 | 33 |
66 (tie) | Loyola Marymount University | 27 | 31 |
66 (tie) | Southern Methodist University | 29 | 33 |
66 (tie) | Texas A&M University--College Station | 26 | 31 |
66 (tie) | University of Massachussetts-Amherst (UMass Amherst) | 26 | 32 |
66 (tie) | University of Minnesota--Twin Cities | 26 | 31 |
66 (tie) | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 29 | 33 |
74 (tie) | Clemson | 27 | 32 |
74 (tie) | Virginia Institute of Technology (Virginia Tech) | 25 | 31 |
76 (tie) | American University | 27 | 31 |
76 (tie) | Baylor University | 26 | 32 |
76 (tie) | Indiana University--Bloomington | 24 | 31 |
76 (tie) | Yeshiva University | 24 | 30 |
80 (tie) | Brigham Young University--Provo | 26 | 31 |
80 (tie) | Gonzaga University | 25 | 30 |
80 (tie) | Howard University | 22 | 27 |
80 (tie) | Michigan State University | 23 | 29 |
80 (tie) | North Carolina State University--Raleigh | 27 | 32 |
80 (tie) | Stevens Institute of Technology | 31 | 34 |
80 (tie) | Texas Christian University | 25 | 31 |
80 (tie) | University of Denver | 26 | 31 |
88 (tie) | Binghamton University | 29 | 32 |
88 (tie) | Colorado School of Mines | 27 | 33 |
88 (tie) | Elon University | 25 | 30 |
88 (tie) | Marquette University | 24 | 29 |
88 (tie) | Stony Brook University (SUNY) | 26 | 32 |
88 (tie) | University at Buffalo | 24 | 29 |
88 (tie) | University of California--Riverside | 24 | 30 |
88 (tie) | University of Iowa | 22 | 29 |
88 (tie) | University of San Diego | 26 | 31 |
97 (tie) | Auburn University | 25 | 31 |
97 (tie) | University of Arizona | 21 | 29 |
97 (tie) | University of California--Merced | 17 | 22 |
97 (tie) | University of California--Santa Cruz | 24 | 30 |
97 (tie) | University of Delaware | 24 | 30 |
97 (tie) | University of Utah | 22 | 29 |
What are the Score Ranges for the Ivy League?
Ah, the $200,000 (and rising) question! No faffing about. Although the Ivy League score ranges were featured in the above chart, here they are again for your convenience:
College Ranking | College Name | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Princeton University | 33 | 35 |
2 | Harvard University | 33 | 35 |
3 | Columbia University | 33 | 35 |
4 (tie) | Yale University | 33 | 35 |
8 | University of Pennsylvania | 33 | 35 |
13 | Dartmouth College | 32 | 35 |
14 (tie) | Brown University | 33 | 35 |
18 | Cornell University | 32 | 35 |
If you’re wondering about the relative “value” of the SAT vs. ACT in Ivy League admissions, our ACT expert, Kristin, does a great job of explaining that in this video:
Final word? Remember that when applying to the Ivies, it’s important for your whole application to, well, sparkle.
If you’re scoring slightly below the middle 50% for your dream Ivy (or any of your dream schools, really), it’s worth putting in the time to pull it up. Maximize those chances!
What is an Average ACT Score?
So by now you know that the ACT score range is 1-36, and that 36 is the perfect score. You also have some idea of where you’ll need to score to get into your dream school. You might already have an idea on how you would score on the ACT if you took the test today, either because you have taken real or practice ACT tests or you can convert your SAT score to a predicted ACT score.
But where do you stand compared to the average test-taker?
The ACT average score was 20.7 (composite) in 2019. Basically, if you scored above 21 overall, you’re ahead of the curve.
To see how far ahead of the curve you are, or the points you’d need to score to reach 21, looking at ACT percentiles is a good place to start.
If you’re feeling super competitive, you can also check out how your score compares locally in Average Scores by State.
Average Section Scores on the ACT
The average ACT composite score of 20.7 reflects the average overall score on the ACT tests. Let’s take a look at how this breaks down for each of the four tests and the essay (which isn’t factored into your overall score) on the following score chart.
Test | Score Range | Average Score |
---|---|---|
English | 1-36 | 20.1 |
Math | 1-36 | 20.7 |
Reading | 1-36 | 21.2 |
Science | 1-36 | 20.6 |
Essay (subsection of English Test) | 2-12 | 6.5 |
A Word About ACT Writing Scores
If you’re craving more detail on scoring the essay and the English section, find out what we say when students ask “What is a Good ACT Writing Score?” and “What is a Good ACT English Score?” (We get a lot of questions around here!)
What Is a Good ACT Score for Scholarships?
Imagine this: It’s test day, and you’ve finally finished taking the ACT. The proctor calls “pencils down!” You turn in your test, walking out of the room with a sense of accomplishment, pride…and potential fistfuls of dollars.
Yup, a strong score can put you in the running for scholarships. But just what is that strong score for scholarships?
As in the case of college admissions, there’s no one magic number. On the other hand, there are a few guidelines we can look at.
If you’re scoring in the 30s, that’s a great place to start. After all, if you score above 30, you’re in the top tenth percentile of all ACT test-takers.
On the other hand, you can still get a scholarship even if you’re scoring in the mid-20s.
The main variables here? Which scholarships you’re applying for, and which schools you hope to attend.
How Much Money Will I Get?
In almost every case, the higher your score, the bigger the payout. However, please note that for the 2020-2021 admissions cycle, many schools are weighting the importance of test scores differently, so some of these examples may change.
In previous years, Baylor University has given scholarships of up to $21,000 a year to students getting at least a 31. But knock that down a few points to a 28 ACT score (and keep everything else, such as GPA or class rank, the same), and suddenly that scholarship’s $18,000 a year.
Arizona State University gives in-state students scoring 21 on the ACT (and a 4.0 GPA) up to $10,000 a year. Four points more, though, and students with a 25 ACT score are eligible for up to $12,000 annually.
Some scholarships will also have additional requirements, such as a minimum GPA or an application to fill out, so be sure to thoroughly check eligibility requirements before assuming that money’s in the bank.
Should I Cancel My ACT Score if I Get a Bad Score?
If you get your ACT scores and find that you’ve scored significantly below your target score, you might be tempted to cancel your ACT scores, worrying that colleges would penalize you for having low scores on your record. But there are a few reasons why you should definitely not cancel your ACT scores.
First and foremost, if you take the ACT more than once, most colleges only care about the highest ACT score you earn. And that’s true even if you do a little worse on the second try, so it’s just best to keep all the options on the table by not canceling scores.
Other colleges superscore ACT results, meaning that if your highest subscores for each section are spread out across different test dates, colleges will only focus on those highest scores. It’s like making a standardized test version of Frankenstein, but using only the best parts!
So let’s say you take the ACT and score really well on Math and Science but not so great on Reading and Writing. If you cancel your scores, you’d risk those great Math and Science scores that could potentially be superscored with better future results in Reading and Writing.
Another reason not to cancel your ACT scores is that you’d be giving up a clear-cut set of results that explains your strengths and weaknesses when your scores come out. Even “bad” results are an invaluable tool for getting great ACT scores next time.
To learn more about how to make the most of a potential ACT retake, read on to the next section!
How to Improve Your ACT Test Scores
Whether you have a few years or a few days before you take the official ACT, here is our complete guide on improving your ACT scores to help you be the best ACT student you can be. (The Magoosh ACT Blog is generally a good place to get free advice on ACT study plans, the best ACT resources out there, and everything else ACT-related).
Finally, if you take the ACT in December, April, or June, you have the option of signing up for the Test Information Release service, which will provide you with a copy of the test questions, your answers, and the answer key when you get your score report. You can sign up for this service through your ACT login page between registering for the ACT and up to five days after the test (if you order by mail, you have six months after your test date).
Although you have to pay, the Test Information Release gives an incredible amount of information to help you get closer to your ACT passing score. Keep in mind that because the ACT score release dates are typically 3 to 8 weeks after the test, you’d want to make sure there are ample test dates available for a retake before you’d need to send your scores to colleges.
A Final Word on ACT Test Scores
Whew! That’s everything you need to know about ACT test scores (and probably more)! If you’re wondering how your scores stack up to SAT scores (or still wondering which test to take), check out the ACT to SAT conversion.
Good job, guys. As a reward for sticking this post out and filling your head with all kinds of useful ACT information, check out how your scores compare to those of famous people and get the definitive answer to those eternal questions: Are you more of a Barack Obama or a Marilyn Monroe? Peyton Manning or Sonia Sotomayor? Now you’ll know!
More from Magoosh
About Rachel Kapelke-Dale
Rachel is one of Magoosh’s Content Creators. She writes and updates content on our High School and GRE Blogs to ensure students are equipped with the best information during their test prep journey. Rachel has helped students around the world prepare for various standardized tests, including the SAT, ACT, TOEFL, GRE, and GMAT, and she is one of the authors of our Magoosh ACT Prep Book. Rachel has a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature from Brown University, an MA in Cinematography from the Université de Paris VII, and a Ph.D. in Film Studies from University College London. For over a decade, Rachel has honed her craft as a fiction and memoir writer and public speaker. Her work has appeared in over a dozen online and print publications, including Vanity Fair Hollywood. When she isn't strategically stringing words together at Magoosh, you can find Rachel riding horses or with her nose in a book. LinkedIn
18 Responses to “ACT Scores: Everything You Need to Know”
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my son is in 7th grade and took the ACT in April
he scored 14 reading, 18 math, 15 science,
18 english
would you consider that is good for his grade.
From my understanding the reading score was
a little low.
Because your son is still two years away from high school, these are reasonably good scores for early ACT practice. Still, you are right that it may be a good idea for your son to work on his ACT Reading skills as he gets older and heads into high school.
It’s also worth noticing that his ACT Science score was just one point higher than Reading. Science is also heavy on Reading Comprehension, with an emphasis on “visual literacy,” the reading of charts and tables. So your son may want to practice that kind of reading as well. (Right here on the blog, we have a tutorial for reading these kinds of ACT Science graphs and tables.)
Hi, I’m a junior in high school. I just recently took the ACT and I am wondering if my score was good or not considering my grade and future college applications. I got a 23 composite. 21 on math. 22 on science. 30 in English. 20 in reading. and 8 in writing. I would appreciate your insight.
Hi Daymi,
It is hard to determine whether a score is good or not because it depends on all kinds of factors, including your goals, desired schools, field of study, etc. You should look into some universities’ entry requirements and see how you stack up to places you might want to go. This will give you the best idea of how you’re doing! Of course, it is always helpful to strive for higher, because this could help you get scholarships, early admission, etc. If you have it in you to study for a retake, it won’t hurt. 🙂
Hi, I just finished my junior year and I got a 34 composite with 32 Englis 33 reading 35 math and 36 science. My dream school is MIT. Is it better to retake the test it leave it as is and focus on other things?
Hi Bob,
That’s a hard question! If you could get your composite score higher (by inching your English/Reading scores to 34+) you definitely add emphasis to your test abilities, but only you can really determine whether the rest of your applicant profile outweighs this or not. I would personally aim to both improve my ACT score and work on other aspects of my application. MIT is highly competitive, and any small adjustment you can make to your candidacy will play into the holistic impression they get of you as a hopeful! Good luck. 🙂
As a Freshman, I took the ACT and scored a 27 composite. 25s in English and Math, 27 in Science and a 32 in Reading. Are these scores good enough to pique the interest of a
Top 25 or Ivy League school? And should I consider taking the writing portion of the ACT as I haven’t before?
Hi Peyton,
If you are aiming for a Top 25/Ivy school, you will need to have a higher score than that as well as an impressive array of other factors (extracurriculars, leadership, etc.) to guarantee they consider you seriously. Whether you should take the writing portion depends on whether it is asked for AND whether you think you can do well on it. I would research your top schools’ admissions pages and see what specific guidance they have. 🙂
Hi I’m in 7th grade just wondering what a good ACT score would be for me
Hi Jonathan,
Interesting question! The answer really depends on why you are taking the ACT. Many 7th graders take the ACT in order to participate in talent searches and enroll in programs for academically gifted students. If that is the case for you, then a “good” ACT scores is the one that qualifies you for these programs! Our website mainly focuses on taking the ACT for college, but this website has some good information about average ACT scores for these sorts of academic programs.
If you want to take the ACT just to get a feel for the test and understand your personal strengths and weaknesses, then this ACT report might be helpful for you! It’s got some pretty complex statistics, but the most important thing to note here is that students who scored a 12 in 7th grade got the average ACT score (21) in their senior year. The students who scored 20 or higher in 7th grade earned a 30 or higher as seniors, and those who scored 28 or higher in 7th grade scored a 35 or higher as seniors. So, if you have an idea of what score you want as a senior, you can estimate your target score as a 7th grader! Keep in mind that nothing is set in stone, however; with practice and study, you can improve your ACT score beyond what this study says!
You should keep your expectations realistic as a 7th grader; you probably haven’t learned everything that is on the ACT yet, so it’s unlikely that you will get a top score. However, if you take the time to learn about the test and learn from your mistakes, this can be a valuable learning opportunity for you!
Hi,
Hi, I just finished my junior year and I got a 33 composite with
33 Englis 36 reading 25 math and 30 science.
but my Weighted gpa is 3.6 . I am planning to major CS . How does my low GPA affect my admissions .
Hi Sahil,
First, congrats on an excellent ACT score! The answer to this question really depends on the schools that you choose to apply to! We have a lot of information on our blog about the average test scores and gpa needed to get into top schools. As you decide where to apply, try to choose schools that fit your interests and study goals, and check out their rankings. Keep in mind that there is no perfect formula to get in to these schools. These numbers are averages, and there are plenty of people above and below them! Colleges take into account your tests scores, gpa, essays, letters of recommendation and other factors when determining whether or not to accept you. You should take your time to craft a strong application. Here are some tips on how to overcome potential weaknesses in your application: https://magoosh.com/hs/guest-post/2017/overcome-weaknesses-college-application/
Hello!
I was just wondering if it’s possible to pair an ACT composite from one test date (ie, July) with an ACT writing score from a different test date (ie, December). I got a 33 composite on the July ACT (7/14) and a 12 on writing from the December ACT. I wanted to pair these together for college applications. Is this possible? Thanks in advance for the help!
Hi Smita,
Some universities do accept ACT scores in the way you’re describing. This option, when it’s available, is called “superscoring.” If you want more info n this option, you can read Rachel’s article on ACT superscoring.
I was trying to choose my score recipients before my test date of the ACT,
but I was allowed to choose only 6 score recipients.
I am applying to more than 6 universities, so how will i be able to
send my scores to the other universities before their regular decision
deadline?
Hi Joan,
The ACT allows you to send additional score reports to additional schools. You can request score reports to be sent via online account or paper form. Here is the website with that information. It currently costs $13 for each score report you would like to send. I hope that helps! 🙂
My daughter took the ACT this spring and got 25. She took it again this fall and got a 26 but every store increased by 3 points except her highest score (reading) which only increased one point from 32 to 33. How does that make sense?
Hi There,
The overall score should be the average of all four sections. May I ask, what were her scores in each section on both test dates?
Also, keep in mind that many schools and schools will accept a “Superscore” taken from your daughter’s best score in each of the four sections. For more on superscoring, please see this article. I hope that helps!