I recently scored a 31 on a practice ACT. I read that this is a pretty good score, but I don’t know exactly what percentile it puts me in or how competitive it is for colleges. Can anyone help clarify this?
A score of 31 on the ACT is indeed a strong score. In terms of percentile, it typically falls within the 95th percentile, meaning that you performed better than about 95% of test takers. That being said, these percentiles can vary slightly from year to year depending on the performance of the particular cohort taking the exam, but a score of 31 generally lands around the 95th percentile.
When it comes to college admissions, the competitiveness of your ACT score really depends on the colleges you are applying to. Remember, every college has its own unique range of test scores for admitted students. To illuminate this point, I'll provide some examples:
For institutions like Purdue and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC Chapel Hill), a 31 ACT score is within the middle 50% range. However, for many of the Ivies and similar select institutions, like Dartmouth, Harvard, Yale and Princeton, a 31 often falls below their middle 50% score ranges.
This doesn't mean that a 31 disqualifies you from these colleges, but it provides context for how different colleges view that score. It’s important to keep in mind that while test scores are part of the admissions process, they are just one piece of your overall academic profile. Other factors like GPA, curriculum rigor, essays, extracurriculars, and recommendations play pivotal roles as well.
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