Confused about ACT scores for colleges

I'm a bit stressed about this whole ACT score thing. Is there really a 'minimum score' colleges look for? If so, how do I find out what that is for different schools I'm interested in? Any guidance is much appreciated.

Sure, happy to help unravel the ACT score confusion!

Firstly, it's important to note that colleges don't often set a hard 'minimum score' for ACT in the strictest sense. That being said, they do have a general range of scores that admitted students tend to fall within.

The best way to get a gauge of where you need to be is to look at the ACT score distribution for admitted students of your targeted colleges. Often, you'll hear this referred to as the "middle 50% score range." This range essentially gives you the 25th to 75th percentile of ACT scores for admitted students. It's a way of saying that 50% of admitted students scored within this range.

For example, if a university's middle 50% range for the ACT is 27-31, it means that about 50% of all admitted students had a score within that range. You'll also see that 25% of students scored below a 27 and another 25% scored above a 31.

This information is generally available on a university's admission website, often in the first-year class profile or other similar sections. It can give you a ballpark figure of where your score should ideally be.

Also don't forget that while test scores are an important part of your application, they are not the only factor that colleges consider during the admissions process. Other factors like your GPA, extracurricular activities, essays, and letters of recommendation also play a significant role. So don't stress too much about a single score!

As per the current norms, many schools including the UCs, Cal State schools, and some others, have gone test-blind, meaning they do not consider SAT or ACT scores at all.

Hope this helps, and best of luck as you navigate the admissions process!