Hey everyone, I'm having a bit of trouble understanding the ACT scores percentile. Can someone explain to me how it works and how colleges evaluate it? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. I'm aiming for a top percentile so any advice on how to achieve that would also be helpful! Thanks a ton!
Sure, happy to help clarify this for you. The ACT scores percentiles indicate the percentage of test-takers who scored lower than you. For instance, if your ACT score lands you in the 90th percentile, this means you did better than 90% of the test-takers.
Colleges use ACT score percentiles to compare you with other applicants and see how you performed relative to your peers. It is important to remember though, a high percentile does not guarantee admission as colleges take into account many factors including GPA, rigor of high school curriculum, extracurricular activities, etc.
If your aim is a high percentile, keep in mind that diligence is key. A structured study plan focusing on your weak areas and plenty of practice tests could help you boost your scores. It's also advisable to take full-length practice tests to get used to the test format and answer questions under timed conditions.
Ultimately, high percentiles generally show colleges that you're academically competitive, but they're just one component of a strong application. Hope this helps clear things up, and best of luck in your ACT preparation!
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