N
Common Ground News

What are the ACT college readiness benchmarks?

Author

Penelope Carter

Updated on February 25, 2026

What are the ACT college readiness benchmarks?

The ACT College Readiness Benchmarks are the minimum ACT test scores required for students to have a reasonable chance of success in first-year credit-bearing college courses at the typical college.

Beside this, what is the ACT college readiness benchmark?

The ACT College Readiness Benchmarks are the minimum ACT test scores required for students to have a reasonable chance of success in first-year credit-bearing college courses at the typical college.

One may also ask, what are the benchmarks for the act in Kentucky? 2018 Kentucky graduates meeting the ACT STEM College Readiness Benchmark had an average science score of 28.6. This compares to 28.4 in 2014. Compared to a 2018 Kentucky graduating class average ACT STEM score of 20.1, graduates in 2017 and 2014 had STEM averages of 20.0 and 19.9, respectively.

Just so, what is the science benchmark for ACT?

The ACT Benchmark for Reading is a scale score of 22, which is 61st percentile. ACT Science is associated with introductory Biology courses. The ACT Benchmark for Science is a scale score of 23, which is 70th percentile.

What is an acceptable ACT score for most colleges?

For most students, scoring above average, 21 or higher, is a good score. For those applying to elite colleges, scores in the 93rd percentile (30+) or even the 98th percentile (33+) are good scores. But that's the short answer… there is more to it than that of course.

Is 30 a good ACT score?

Yes, a score of 30 is excellent. It places you in the top 93rd percentile nationally out of the 2 million test takers of the ACT entrance exam. The score indicates you've done a significantly above above average job answering the questions on the English, Math, Reading and Science sections of the test.

Is 29 a good ACT score?

Is a Score of 29 Good? A score of 29 places you in the top 10 percent of all high school students nationwide. Since the purpose of taking the ACT is to give you a wide variety of college options to choose from, a score of 29 accomplishes that goal.

Is 28 a good ACT score?

A 28 means you've scored better than 88% of students, and a 30 means you've scored better than 93% of them! Anything 35 or above is in the 99th percentile—a truly phenomenal score.

What is a good stem ACT score?

Multiple-Choice, STEM, and Composite Test

This means 64 percent of recent high school graduates who took the ACT achieved a Composite score of 22 or below. Similarly, the national rank for a STEM score of 26 is 84. Thus, 84 percent of recent high school graduates taking the ACT achieved a STEM score of 26 or below.

Is 23 good on the act?

The highest possible score on the ACT is 36. A score of 23 on the ACT is above the current national average and will make you a strong applicant at many universities, but it may fall below the average score for accepted students at more selective colleges.

What is a college readiness score?

College Readiness (30%)

The College Readiness Index, or CRI, is measured by the proportion of a school's 12th graders that took and passed AP or IB exams. Many schools without any AP or IB exam test takers scored a zero on this ranking indicator.

What does a 17 on ACT mean?

A score of 17 is pretty low. It places you in the bottom 31st percentile nationally out of the 2 million test takers of the ACT entrance exam. The score indicates you've done a well below average job answering the questions on the English, Math, Reading and Science sections of the test.

Is GPA more important than SAT?

As you'll see in a moment when we dive into the importance of SAT scores, there's some obvious favoring in college admission for SAT scores, but GPA still provides value on your applications. Your GPA showcases the work you've actually accomplished over four hard years of study.

Why do colleges use ACT scores?

The ACT score report provides information about a student's educational needs, extracurricular achievements, and educational plans. This information, along with high school grades and test scores, helps the agencies evaluate applications for scholarships, loans, and other financial assistance.

How do they calculate ACT scores?

Your composite score, or overall ACT score, is the average of your scores on each test. Add up your English, Math, Reading, and Science scores and divide by 4. (Round to the nearest whole number).

What is a good SAT score?

If you get a composite SAT score of 1083 or more, you are above average. The 75th percentile composite SAT test score is 1215, the 90th percentile is 1340 and the 95th percentile is 1410.

How does your SAT score compare?

Section Score (Out of 800)Math Percentile RankReading/Writing Percentile Rank
200<1<1

How long does it take to get residual ACT scores back?

eight weeks

What is track 24 on the ACT?

ACT College Readiness—The "On Track 24" projection is the highest benchmark. It is based on a more stringent ACT cut score of 24, instead of 22.

What does Benchmark mean?

(Entry 1 of 2) 1a : something that serves as a standard by which others may be measured or judged a stock whose performance is a benchmark against which other stocks can be measured. b : a point of reference from which measurements may be made.

Is a ACT score of 19 good?

Is a 19 a good ACT score? A score of 19 is a little worse than average. It places you in the bottom 44th percentile nationally out of the 2 million test takers of the ACT entrance exam. If a 19 isn't strong enough to get into your dream school, consider taking a test prep course to see if you can raise your score.

Is a 20 on ACT good?

Is a 20 a good ACT score? A score of 20 is about average. It places you in the top 51st percentile nationally out of the 2 million test takers of the ACT entrance exam.

What is the average ACT score for Kentucky?

The national average composite ACT score is a 21.0 out of a possible 36. Kentucky students average a composite score of 20. In total, Kentucky students are below national average in every ACT category as compared to national peers. The national average for the English section is 20.3 versus Kentucky's average of 19.6.

What is the minimum college readiness standard on Act?

ACT defines its readiness benchmark as a score indicating a student has at least a 50 percent chance of getting a B or higher in a corresponding first-year college course. For English, the ACT benchmark is 18 out of a maximum 36. For math, it is 22.

What is a benchmark score?

A benchmark is simply a test that helps you compare similar products. Each of our benchmarks produces a score. The higher the score, the better the performance. So instead of trying to compare devices by looking at their specifications, you can just compare the benchmark scores. It's that easy.

What is the lowest ACT score to get into college?

What's the Lowest ACT Score You Can Have for College?
Low ScoreMiddle 50%High Score
2526-3032
2728-3234
2930-3436
3132-3536

Is a 36 on the ACT good?

Percentage of All Test Takers

Unsurprisingly, a full 36 is the rarest score of all—just 0.334% of all test takers earned a perfect ACT score. Roughly three times more students earned the next-highest score of 35; however, this is still a very rare score that just 0.961% of test takers earned.

Is 25 on the ACT good?

Yes, a score of 25 is quite good. It places you in the top 78th percentile nationally out of the 2 million test takers of the ACT entrance exam.

Is 15 a good ACT score?

Is a 15 a good ACT score? A score of 15 isn't very competitive. It places you in the bottom 19th percentile nationally out of the 2 million test takers of the ACT entrance exam. The score indicates you've done a very poor job answering the questions on the English, Math, Reading and Science sections of the test.

Can u get into college with a 17 ACT score?

17 ACT Score Standings

You can apply to 58 colleges and have a good shot at getting admitted.

What ACT score is needed for Harvard?

Currently, the average composite ACT score for students accepted to Harvard is 34! The 25th percentile for Harvard ACT scores is 33 and the 75th percentile is 35. So again, this means if you score less than 33, you'll be below average compared to other applicants. If you score a 35 or higher, you'll be above average.

What is an average ACT score 2020?

What Is a Good ACT Score for 2020 Overall?
PercentileEnglishMath
99th (Best)35-3634-36
90th (Excellent)3028*
75th (Good)2424*
50th (Average)19*18-19

What is a bad ACT score?

In other words, to be above average nationally, you need at least a 21 ACT composite score. Any composite 16 or lower is in the bottom 25%. If you score below 16 or lower on the ACT, your score is definitely in the very low range nationwide.

Can you get into college with a 15 ACT score?

In addition, almost all colleges listed for which ACT data is available (around 1,337 at the time of publication) have student bodies where 75% or more of the entering class scored 15 or above on the ACT. Basically, if you're looking to submit your ACT scores to colleges, 15 is a good baseline to start from.

Related Documentation

How do I connect to someone else's computer?

Why you should invest in your health?

What is the lunch time of Icici Bank?

What are the ACT college readiness benchmarks?