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ACT score for submitting: what's considered good?

I just took the ACT and I'm wondering what would be considered a good score for sending to competitive colleges? Are there certain thresholds I should aim for, or does it really depend on the individual school?

a year ago

A good ACT score for submitting to competitive colleges typically falls in the 30-36 range, with most selective schools having an average between 33 and 35. However, it's essential to understand that what's considered a "good" score varies depending on the specific colleges you are targeting.

To obtain a better idea of the ACT score you should aim for, research the average ACT scores of admitted students at the colleges you're interested in. Most universities publish their average admitted student ACT scores, either as a single score or as a range (e.g., 25th to 75th percentile). By comparing your score to those averages, you can gauge how competitive your ACT score is for a particular school.

It's also important to remember that while standardized test scores are a significant part of your application, many colleges have adopted a test-optional or test-blind policy due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which means they may not require or even consider test scores in their admissions process. If However, at competitive colleges, two applicants often aren't separated by that much, so investing time and energy into earning a high test score would likely still be worth your while. If you want further guidance on how to navigate test-optional policies, you can get some useful advice from CollegeVine's blog post on the topic: https://blog.collegevine.com/does-test-optional-mean-test-optional/.

In summary, a good ACT score for competitive colleges usually falls in the 30-36 range, but the specific score you should aim for depends on the schools you're interested in - at certain institutions, it's an even narrower, higher range than that. To increase your chances of admission, research the average ACT score for admitted students at your target colleges, and strive to score at or above that mark.

Best of luck with your ACT prep, and college process as a whole!

a year ago

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CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.