How to get the highest possible ACT score: A complete guide

The ACT (American College Testing) is a standardized exam used for admission to colleges and universities in the United States. Achieving a high ACT score can increase your chances of getting into the school of your choice and of receiving scholarships.
This article provides a comprehensive guide on how to achieve the highest possible ACT score, including information on test structure, preparation strategies and test day tips.

What is ACT test ?

The ACT is a three-hour, 30-minute test that assesses students' skills in four areas: English, math, reading and science. The test is scored on a scale of 1 to 36, and the composite score is the average of the four section scores.

What is the highest ACT score ?

The highest possible ACT score is 36, which is difficult to achieve, but still achievable. However, the current average ACT score is 21, so you can still achieve a high score.

According to ACT, Inc. data, of the 1,386,335 students in the class of 2023 who took the ACT, only 2,542 achieved the highest possible score. That's just 0.18% of all students who took the test!If you aspire to join this exclusive group of students, read on to discover the minimum raw scores required for each section of the ACT and learn why it's possible to get a perfect score without answering all the questions correctly.

According to ACT.org every year out of millions of test-takers, hardly a few students get into the top scorer list.

scores	Number of Students	Percentage of the test-takers
36	3,741	0.195%
35	14,928	0.780%
34	21,836	1.140%
33	26,930	1.406%

What's the lowest ACT score a college will accept ? 

Universities generally have different minimum ACT score requirements. However, most institutions generally accept a minimum ACT score of 18 or 20.

ACT test structure

The ACT consists of four main sections:

1. English: 75 questions in 45 minutes
2. Mathematics: 60 questions in 60 minutes
3. Reading: 40 questions in 35 minutes
4. Science: 40 questions in 35 minutes

Each section has a maximum score of 36, and your overall ACT score (composite) is the average of these four sections. So, if your goal is a composite score of 24, it's important to aim for a score of 24 in each section as well.

ACT test format

The ACT test composes of multiple-choice questions for the four sections, which are English, Maths, Science, and Reading sections.

And the writing section includes one essay and the total time allowed is 3 hours 35 minutes.

The following table shows the breakdown of each section with the time limit and content covered in each section.

Section	Number of Questions	Total Time	Content Covered
English	75 questions	45 minutes	Grammar, sentence structure, organization & style
Maths	60 questions	60 minutes	Trigonometry, coordinate geometry & plane geometry and Algebra 1, 2 and 3
Science	40 questions	35 minutes	Problem-solving, interpretation analysis, evaluation, and reasoning.
Reading	40 questions	35 minutes	Reading and comprehension of what is implied indirectly or directly stated.
Writing (optional)	1 essay	40 minutes	Writing skills
Total	215 question and 1 essay	215 minutes

How is ACT scored ?

By understanding how the scoring mechanism works, you have the advantage of setting clear goals and focusing on them without distraction, which also enables you to achieve better results by knowing where and how to concentrate.

There are four sections, also known as domains, with each section assigned a score ranging from 1 to 36. These ACT scores are then averaged to give the composite score, also ranging from 1 to 36. The composite score is the final score that higher education institutions take into consideration.

The 36 points available in each section are scaled scores, derived from your raw scores. These raw scores represent the total number of questions you answer directly in each section of the ACT.

The scaled scores are nothing more than the raw scores for each section, converted using a standard scaling system.

These raw scores correspond to the total number of questions answered correctly in each section.

ACT (No Writing) and ACT Plus Writing: two variants of the exam

The ACT is a standardized test that assesses general verbal ability, mathematical and scientific reasoning, and text analysis. There are two variants of the exam: ACT (No Writing), the standard version, and ACT Plus Writing, which includes an essay section. Some colleges and universities require the ACT Plus Writing version, while others accept the No Writing version. You'll find this information on the school's website.

The ACT (non-writing) option includes four sections: English, math, reading and science. ACT Plus Essay includes the four basic sections, plus an essay section.

ACT Plus Writing test

English: 75 questions in 45 minutes

Mathematics: 60 questions in 60 minutes

Reading: 40 questions in 35 minutes

Science: 40 questions in 35 minutes

Writing: 1 essay in 40 minutes

You can find an example of ACT Writing test student report here.

How are the raw scores calculated?

Many standardized tests such as the ACT, SAT uses the scaled scores to make sure that their scores are consistent throughout the multiple test dates.

The following table shows the categories based on which the raw scores are calculated for each section.

Sections	Categories	Marks per category
English	Production of Writing (POW)	23
	Knowledge of Language (KLA)	12
	Conventions of Standard English (CSE)	40
Mathematics	Preparing for Higher Math (PHM)	35
	Integrating Essential Skills (IES)	25
Reading	Key Ideas & Details (KID)	25
	Craft & Structure (CS)	11
	Integration of Knowledge & Ideas (IKI)	4
Science	Interpretation of Data (IOD)	18
	Scientific Investigation(SIN)	12
	Evaluation of Models, Interferneces & Experimental Results (EMI)	10

 

Now if you are thinking about how are the scaled scores calculated from the raw scores, the following chart shows the raw scores to a scaled score conversion.

The raw scores to a scaled score conversion, source act.org.
Further information on the reporting categories can be found in the ACT technical manual (PDF).

See below for examples of score reports: 

• Sample student score report (PDF)  
• Sample high school results report (PDF) 

What is ACT Percentiles ?

The ACT percentiles are rankings used for the comparison of your ACT score with other test takers by letting you know and compare how many other students score higher than or lower than or even equal to you.

For example, if you get 65th percentile, then that means you have scored more than 65% of other test-takers. But remember that percentiles are not grades, they don’t represent your position out of 100.

The following table shows the percentile for each section along with the composite score percentile comparison

National Norms for the ACT Test Scores

English	Math	Reading	Science	Composite	Score
100	100	100	100	100	36
99	99	99	99	99	35
96	99	97	98	99	34
94	98	95	97	98	33
93	97	92	96	97	32
91	96	90	95	95	31
90	95	87	94	93	30
88	93	84	92	91	29
86	91	82	90	88	28
84	88	80	88	85	27
82	83	77	85	82	26
79	79	74	82	78	25
75	74	71	77	74	24
70	69	66	70	69	23
65	65	61	64	64	22
59	60	54	57	58	21
54	57	49	50	52	20
48	53	43	43	46	19
44	47	38	37	40	18
40	40	32	30	33	17
36	31	27	24	27	16
30	19	22	18	20	15
23	10	18	13	14	14
18	3	13	9	9	13
14	1	9	6	4	12
11	1	5	4	1	11
6	1	2	2	1	10
3	1	1	1	1	9
1	1	1	1	1	8
1	1	1	1	1	7
1	1	1	1	1	6
1	1	1	1	1	5
1	1	1	1	1	4
1	1	1	1	1	3
1	1	1	1	1	2
1	1	1	1	1	1
Mean	20.2	20.5	21.3	20.8	__

Number of Trials Allowed for the ACT

The applicants are allowed to take the test maximum up to 12 times in total, irrespective of the time and test date, the ACT test is administered about seven times a year mostly in the months of September, October, December, February, April, June, and July.

It is an option for the applicants to take the test 12 times, but it is not mandatory for you to do that unless you want to waste your time and money by attempting one exam after the other.

But it is recommended that you take the test at least two times, as the first attempt can be considered as a trial in order to get a sense of how the ACT test looks like so that you can plan and prepare yourself timewise and knowledge-wise efficiently.

How to get a high ACT score ?

When applying to college, your ACT score can help you realize your dream of going to college. It's essential to remember that what constitutes a "good" ACT score can vary considerably from person to person, depending on their aspirations and academic preferences.

Here are some strategies for achieving the highest possible ACT score:

Strategies for achieving the highest possible ACT score

• ACT Registration: the first thing to keep in mind is that register for the ACT test, based on the date which is at least 3 months away from the date of registration, and location which convenient enough for you to travel to the test center without any pressure.
• Read the instructions carefully: make sure you understand the instructions for each section.
• Use the elimination process: eliminate incorrect answers to increase your chances of guessing correctly.
• Guess strategically: if you have to guess, guess the questions you're most likely to answer correctly.
• Check your work: if time allows, check your work to avoid mistakes.

By following these tips, you can increase your chances of achieving the highest possible ACT score and reaching your college admissions goals.

How to prepare for the ACT

The best way to prepare for the ACT is to start early and study regularly. Here are some tips to help you prepare:

• Take practice tests: practice tests will help you familiarize yourself with the format and content of the ACT.
• Identify your weaknesses: analyze your practice tests to identify areas where you need improvement.
• Study the basic concepts: make sure you've mastered the basic concepts in each section of the ACT.
• Practice regularly: the more you practice, the more confident you'll be on test day.

5 Additional tips for exam success

1. Start preparing early. The ACT is a challenging exam, so it's important to start preparing early to give yourself plenty of time to study and practice.
2. Get a good night's sleep before the exam. This will help you stay alert and focused during the exam.
3. Eat a healthy breakfast on the day of the exam. This will give you the energy you need to perform your best.
4. Arrive at the testing center on time. This will help you relax and get settled in before the exam starts.
5. Trust yourself, don't stress.

ACT Score for Colleges and Universities

A good ACT score may vary depending on the colleges/universities that you’re aiming for, because a good score for college may not be considered as a good score by another college.

For example: if you’re aiming to join Arizona State University, then 28 is considered a good score, but if you’re aiming to join the Yale University 30 or 31 is considered a good ACT score.

The following are the list of most popular colleges for your ACT score with acceptance rate.

30 ACT Score

Rank	College Name	ACT 25th Percentile	ACT 75th Percentile	Acceptance Rate
1	Stanford University	31	35	5
2	University of Southern California	30	33	17
3	Harvard University	32	35	5
4	Northeastern University	31	34	29
5	University of Pennsylvania	32	35	9
6	Cornell University	31	34	29
7	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	33	35	14
8	Rice University	32	35	15
9	Columbia University	32	35	7
10	Duke University	31	34	9
11	Brown University	31	34	9
12	University of  California-Berkeley	31	34	17
13	Yale University	32	35	6
14	Boston University	30	33	31
15	Washington University in St.Louis	32	34	17

25-29 ACT Scores

Rank	College Name	ACT 25th Percentile	ACT 75th Percentile	Acceptance Rate
1	New York University	29	33	32
2	The University of California-Los Angeles	28	33	18
3	The University of Michigan- Ann Arbour	29	33	29
4	The University of Texas- Austin	26	32	40
5	Penn State	25	29	56
6	Boston University	28	32	29
7	University of Florida	27	31	46
8	The University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill	28	33	30
9	University of  Virginia	29	33	30
10	University of Georgia	26	31	54
11	Tulane University	29	32	26
12	Purdue University	25	31	56
13	University of Washington	26	32	45
14	Syracuse University	25	29	52
15	University of Miami	28	32	38

20-24 ACT Score

Rank	College Name	ACT 25th Percentile	ACT 75th Percentile	Acceptance Rate
1	Texas A&M University	24	30	67
2	James Madison University	22	27	72
3	Temple University	22	28	52
4	Michigan State University	24	29	66
5	San Diego State University	23	28	35
6	The University of California-Irvine	24	30	41
7	Arizona State University	22	29	70
8	University of Delaware	22	29	70
9	California State University- Long Beach	20	26	32
10	Indiana University- Bloomington	24	30	79
11	University of San Francisco	23	28	71
12	The University of Alabama	23	31	53
13	High Point University	21	26	79
14	University of Central Florida	24	28	50
15	Liberty University	21	28	24

16-19 ACT Score

Rank	College Name	ACT 25th Percentile	ACT 75th Percentile	Acceptance Rate
1	San Francisco State University	18	24	68
2	California State University- Fullerton	19	24	48
3	California State University-Chico	19	24	65
4	North Carolina A&T State University	18	23	48
5	California State University-Northridge	16	23	48
6	Old Dominion	18	25	85
7	California Baptist University	19	24	64
8	Florida A&M University	19	24	31
9	Stockton University	19	24	77
10	California State University- Sacramento	17	22	72
11	Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania	18	23	78
12	Western Michigan University	19	25	82
13	La Salle University	19	25	77
14	Portland State University	19	25	89
15	Clark Atlanta University	18	21	72

ACT Score below 16

Rank	College Name	ACT 25th Percentile	ACT 75th Percentile	Acceptance Rate
1	California State University- Los Angeles	15	20	64
2	Prairie View A&M University	15	19	85
3	Virginia State University	15	19	94
4	California State University- Dominguez Hills	15	19	48
5	Texas Southern University	15	19	51
6	Bowie State University	15	19	41
7	Alabam State University	15	19	46
8	Bethune-Cookman University	15	18	64
9	New Jersey City University	15	17	85
10	Dean College	15	17	85
11	Lincoln University of Pennsylvania	15	19	87
12	Coppin State University	15	18	40
13	South Carolina State University	14	17	86
14	Fort Valley State University	10	19	26
15	Central State University	15	18	42

 

Aim for the highest possible ACT score 

Don't forget that aiming for the highest possible ACT score may seem difficult, as only 0.18% of candidates achieve a perfect score of 36. However, by achieving a composite score of 34 or more, you're already in the top 1% of test-takers. This is an exceptional achievement! By applying the principles outlined in this article and striving for excellence, you can certainly achieve an ACT score in the top percentile - even for those with perfectionist tendencies.

Some tips from manuals and resources to help you prepare for the ACT

• The Official ACT Prep Guide 2020-2021, published by Wiley, contains five official practice tests. Although this book is not available free of charge, you can access older official tests online by searching for "ACT retired tests". It is generally more efficient to work on a PDF test than to use the digital interface provided by ETS, the creator of the exam.Mike Barrett's.
• Black Book for the ACT and SAT versions seems very interesting to us because of its detailed answer keys for the first four practice tests. However, it is important to note that the College Board no longer recommends the SAT Practice Test 2 included in Mike Barrett's book. As these books are quite long, opting for the online version may be a practical choice.
• The Complete Guide to ACT® English, 4th Edition.
• Prep Scholar’s blog
• How to use your ACT scores: Using your ACT 2022-2023 results (PDF)