What Is a Good ACT Score? The Definitive Guide
/Learn what ACT score you need to become a competitive college applicant
What is a good ACT score?
Introduction
Each year, around 1.9 million students take the ACT, which measures students’ college readiness by testing four different skill areas: Math, Science, Reading, and English (with an optional writing test). Students should aim for a high composite score, which averages the scores of the four individual skill area tests. The composite score on the ACT is analogous to the SAT total score.
If your child is slated to take the ACT, you’ve probably got questions on your mind like: What is a “good” ACT score? What score should you aim for on the ACT if you want to attend a highly selective college? What is a bad ACT score? And if your child is not happy with her score, how can she improve?
In this guide, we’ll break down how to understand ACT scores and discuss what score your child needs in order to attend their dream college.
(Suggested reading: What Is a Good SAT Score?)
Understanding ACT scores
Each section on the ACT is scored from 1–36, based on how many multiple-choice questions the test taker answers correctly. On the ACT score report, these section scores are further broken down into categories. For example, within the Math section, students can see how they scored in categories like Geometry and Functions. The score report tells them how many questions per category they answered correctly, as well as the percentage of correct answers per category.
The score report also provides helpful comparative data. Like the SAT, the ACT provides college readiness benchmarks. If your student scores at or above the benchmark, she has at least a 50 percent chance of earning a B or higher in an introductory college course, and at least a 75 percent chance of earning a C or higher. Current benchmarks include 22 for math and 18 for English.
The ACT score report also includes state and national rank. Rank is another way of saying percentile. If your ACT score ranks at a 75 in your state, it means you scored higher than 75 percent percent of recent high school graduates in your state who took the test. If your national score rank is 80, it means you did better than 80 percent of recent grads across the country.
This is one way to measure whether you’ve done well on the ACT. A high national rank means you’re scoring competitively in a national pool.
What is a good ACT score based on national rank?
Based on 2021 rank data from ACT, if your child earns a composite score of 20 or above, she’s in the top half of test takers nationally. If she earns a 24 or above, she’s in the top quarter of test takers. A score of 31 or above falls into the top 5 percent, and a score of 35 moves her into the top 1 percent (i.e. the 99th percentile—she’s scored better than 99 percent of test takers).
However, rank data is only meaningful when you take into account your child’s college goals. A 20 may be average and a 31 may be outstanding in the national pool, but what do these scores mean when it comes to admissions?
In other words: Is a score of 31 also outstanding in a pool of Harvard hopefuls? What’s a good ACT score for top-10 universities? And what’s a good ACT score for Ivy League schools?
Here’s the bottom line: what you consider a good ACT score depends almost entirely on your child’s college goals.
What is a good ACT score for a top-10 school?
Let’s take a look at the composite scores of the incoming classes of top-10 national universities, as ranked by U.S. News and World Report. We’ve drawn on either self-reported data from each school or score information published by the CollegeBoard.
| School | ACT composite 25th percentile | ACT composite 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|
The lowest score on this chart is a 32. Nationally, a composite score of 32 puts you in the 96th percentile. So, although in a national pool a 32 is outstanding, if your child is aiming for a top-tier university, this is the minimum they should aim for.
Top schools do sometimes admit students with lower scores. For example, the University of Chicago reported that the full composite score range of its admitted class was 20–36. Nationally, a score of 20 falls in the 53rd percentile.
In general, though, your child should aim for the middle 50 percent range of their dream school. A lower score shouldn’t strike an Ivy from their list if they also present a stellar academic record, portfolio of extracurricular activities, and strong essays and recommendations. However, they should adjust their expectations: getting into a top-10 university with a score lower than 32 will be a reach.
What about liberal arts colleges? Here are the ACT score ranges for U.S. News and World Report’s top-10 liberal arts schools.
| School | ACT composite 25th percentile | ACT composite 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|
Composite score ranges are hardly more forgiving at small, highly selective liberal arts colleges. The lowest score here—31—falls in the 95th percentile nationally.
Similarly, many of the nation’s best public universities have middle 50th percentile ranges that mirror the above tables. At the University of Virginia and the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, the range is 32–35. At the University of Florida, the range is 30–34.
The bottom line: if your child wants to attend a top-tier college—whether an Ivy League university, a Public Ivy, or a small liberal arts school—they should aim for an ACT composite score in the 95th percentile or above—a score of least 31.
What is a good ACT score for other colleges?
What if your child has no interest in Columbia or Amherst? What about great schools that land further down on the U.S. News & World Report rankings? What’s a successful score for college admissions in general?
Sarah Lawrence College is a respected small liberal arts college ranked 71st among liberal arts colleges. The middle 50 percent ACT range is 28–31. At Kalamazoo College, the range is 26–30. At Indiana University, the range is 27–32, and at Purdue it’s 26–32.
If your child is largely interested in mid-tier universities, aiming for a composite score of at least 26—which is in the 82nd percentile nationally— leaves them with many good options.
How can my child improve her ACT score?
We recommend students take the ACT beginning in junior year to leave plenty of time to retake if necessary.
Students might try taking the SAT if they’re not happy with their ACT score. While the tests are similar, there are key differences between the two. For example, the ACT gives students less time to answer each question; the SAT doesn’t have a science section. You can check out our complete guide to the differences: depending on your students’ strengths and weaknesses, one might be a better fit.
Before retaking the ACT, your student should look carefully at the category breakdown in the section score report. This will tell them not only the broad section they’re struggling with, but also the specific subsections that need improvement. They’ll also be able to see where they ran out of time.
After identifying problem areas, students can take advantage of the ACT’s free prep resources. If they’re looking for personalized standardized testing guidance, you can reach out to our counselors here.
Final thoughts
A good ACT score is the score that will help your student achieve his or her college goals. Standardized testing is one element of a larger portfolio—so if they don’t achieve the score they want, it doesn’t necessarily mean their dream school is out of the question. And, if they start early, they can always take the test again.
About the Author
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on college admissions. Over the past 15 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into top programs like Harvard, Stanford, and MIT using his exclusive approach.
