--- title: Celebrity ACT Scores (Steve Jobs, Barack Obama, Marilyn Monroe) · PrepScholar description: What did famous people like Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Natalie Portman get on the ACT? Find out here. image: https://360031.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/360031/file-2539301600.jpeg --- **[![PrepScholar](https://www.prepscholar.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/PrepScholar-Logo-Colored.png)](https://www.prepscholar.com/)** CALL NOW: [+1 (866) 811-5546](tel:18668115546) [![Start Free Trial](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/360031/interactive-171805697634.png)](https://cta-service-cms2.hubspot.com/web-interactives/public/v1/track/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLKJluK2NyG3jpAJh%2F2lClc1fhnVHyMZoQonqRxtJngB8FMX6lc78F84JqOaVAL0d36TA5%2FYuH%2FLCJw8AG3ewREi%2F7a3XDouZgjxWfYCBUge6z76KnSykOxONl3avMK0gUjJGpJdyJE2BDTx8g3bsgHwMtx4Kr9Jfh6Jr7WA2XEIgtLw1OoVvAMo4Kw%3D&webInteractiveContentId=171805697634&portalId=360031) ## Choose Your Test SAT Prep ACT Prep [PrepScholar Advice Blog](https://blog.prepscholar.com/) ☰ - Search Blogs By Category - [SAT](https://blog.prepscholar.com/topic/sat) - [ACT](https://blog.prepscholar.com/topic/act) - [College Admissions](https://blog.prepscholar.com/topic/college-admissions) - [AP and IB Exams](https://blog.prepscholar.com/topic/advanced-placement-ap) - [PSAT](https://blog.prepscholar.com/topic/psat-info-and-strategies) - [TOEFL](https://blog.prepscholar.com/topic/toefl) - [GPA and Coursework](https://blog.prepscholar.com/topic/coursework-gpa) # [Celebrity ACT Scores (Steve Jobs, Barack Obama, Marilyn Monroe)](https://blog.prepscholar.com/celebrity-act-scores) ![author image](http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/360031/file-2392391352-png/author_rebecca.png) Posted by [Rebecca Safier](https://blog.prepscholar.com/author/rebecca-safier) | Updated on August 29, 2024 [ACT](https://blog.prepscholar.com/topic/act)   ![feature\_marilynmonroe.jpg](https://360031.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/360031/hubfs/feature_marilynmonroe.jpg?width=536&name=feature_marilynmonroe.jpg "feature_marilynmonroe.jpg") Are you taking the ACT? You're in good company! **Barack Obama, Marilyn Monroe, and Steve Jobs all took the ACT, too, along with several other celebrities.** We've compiled their scores so you can see how these successful people performed back when they were in high school. We've also converted the SAT scores of famous people to the ACT scale so you get a sense of how their scores compare. Now if you ever run into Barack Obama, you'll have at least one conversation starter to fall back on... *Feature image: [1950sUnlimited](https://www.flickr.com/photos/blakta2/8080799330)/Flickr*   ## ACT Scores of Famous People We've gathered a complete, if perhaps not entirely accurate, list of celebrity ACT scores. These were often revealed in interviews or through investigative research. Some people were proud of their high scores, others proud of their low scores - and others couldn't care less. Here it is: | **Celebrity** | **ACT Score** | **College Attended** | | --- | --- | --- | | Sonia Sotomayor | 35 | Princeton | | Matt Birk | 34 | Harvard | | Waka Flocka Flame | 34 | None | | Steve Jobs | 32 | Reed College | | Barack Obama | 30 | Columbia University | | Lyndon B. Johnson | 26 | Texas State University | | Marilyn Monroe | 21 | None |   [![Disappointed with your scores? Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points?   We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must use to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/360031/interactive-151867936175.png)](https://blog.prepscholar.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLIENeZckKlkA5nvkqIepJnDZTakAbxr28XB04Od8sYipncyI%2BEd5Z5lrzK2sd88k2xULVEnAk8VBIdV1OADteVe0MR%2BI4jTtnJ4UlHJnfgYslKYhJdlzPeGdGDXbqwPghi6YWLSntwa3ZoBCZP3%2BF70%2FXNV9eZo8K1Vxkc0rJUZzu48W8qBGkYHxbZZ2g%2BnCNhAccnAZVzOH4biQ3gtp0XcTRoq3g%3D%3D&webInteractiveContentId=151867936175&portalId=360031)   All these people took the ACT. But many other celebrities took the SAT, and we converted their SAT scores to ACT scores: | **Celebrity** | **SAT Score** | **ACT Conversion** | **College Attended** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Paul Allen | 1600 | 36 | Washington State University | | Will Smith | Rumored to be perfect | 36 | None | | Ben Affleck | Almost perfect | 35-36 | Occidental College, University of Vermont | | Bill Gates | 1590 | 35 | Harvard | | Ben Bernanke | 1590 | 35 | Harvard | | Bill O'Reilly | 1585 | 35 | Marist College | | Ryan Fitzpatrick | 1580 | 35 | Harvard | | James Woods | 1579 | 35 | MIT | | Ben Stein | 1573 | 35 | Columbia | | Ke$ha | 1500 | 34 | None | | Scott McNealy | 1420 | 32 | Stanford | | Natalie Portman | 1400+ | 32-34 | Harvard | | Al Gore | 1355 | 30-31 | Harvard | | Stephen King | 1300s | 30-31 | University of Maine | | Meredith Vieira | 1300s | 30-31 | Tufts University | | George W. Bush | 1206 | 26-27 | Yale | | Derek Jeter | 1200 | 26 | University of Michigan | | John Kerry | 1190 | 26 | Yale | | Courtney Cox | 1150 | 25 | Mount Vernon College | | Amy Tan | 1100s | 24-26 | Linfield College, San José State University | | Kobe Bryant | 1080 | 23 | None | | Scarlett Johansson | 1080 | 23 | None | | Bill Clinton | 1032 | 22 | Georgetown | | Peyton Manning | 1030 | 22 | University of Tennessee | | Alex Rodriguez | 910 | 19 | None |   As you can see, these famous people's ACT scores are all over the board. You can, of course, achieve great things in life even with low ACT scores, and, vice versa, excellent ACT scores are just one step on the road to success. For most people in the world (like you and me), working hard in school, getting high grades, and going to a great college will set us up for huge opportunities. If your goal is to get into a good college, expand your mind, and open up more opportunities by working hard in school, **then your ACT scores take on greater importance.** So if a highly-ranked college is in your sights, how can you join the ranks of Sonia Sotomayor, Matt Birk, and Waka Flocka Flame (a sentence that's probably never been uttered before)?   ![body\_obama](https://360031.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/360031/file-2539301600.jpeg?width=195&name=file-2539301600.jpeg) *Obama attended Punahou School in Hawaii and scored a 30 on the ACT.*   ## How to Get Great ACT Scores **Doing well on the ACT is all about how well prepared you are.** Below are some valuable strategies and resources you can use to perform your best on the ACT and add your name to the top of the list of celebrity ACT scores.   ### #1: Get Well Acquainted With the ACT Do you have a best friend or family member who you know everything about, from her dream travel destination to her favorite ice cream flavor? Well, **it's time to make the ACT your new best friend.** [Learn everything you can about the test](https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-is-the-act-scored), including what its directions say, how many questions it asks in how much time, and what content it covers in each section. As long as you familiarize yourself with the ACT as best you can, there should be no surprises on test day. Instead, it will feel like you're sitting down with an old acquaintance - maybe one that's caused you some stress over the months, but one that you know like the back of your hand.   ### #2: Prep With a Plan The ACT covers a lot of ground. Without a specific approach, you could easily get overwhelmed by the breadth of material. **Setting small, manageable goals will help you divide and conquer the content.** Rather than focusing on the [entire English section](https://blog.prepscholar.com/whats-actually-tested-on-act-english), for example, figure out the subskills and question types being asked within the section. Focus on just one or two of these question types at a time, and make sure you understand it fully before moving on. For **more strategies on how to approach your test prep**, check out our [free E-Book: 5 Tips to Get You 4 Points or More](https://www.prepscholar.com/act/l/tour_sat_guide).   ### #3: To Thine Own Self Be True Everyone has different experiences, learning styles, and abilities. Maybe you excel in math, but analyzing a work of fiction leaves you feeling lost. To prep for the ACT effectively, **you need to reflect on your strengths and weaknesses and where you need to focus your energies the most.** One way to root out your weaknesses is by answering ACT Questions of the Day. Check out [this complete guide on how answering ACT QOTD](https://blog.prepscholar.com/act-question-of-the-day-complete-guide) can help you design your own customized study plan.   ### #4: Stock Up On Resources To truly conquer the content on the ACT, you need some extra resources to help you along the way. [How long is the ACT](https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-long-is-the-act), for example? [How exactly is it scored?](https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-is-the-act-scored) What [tips can a full 36 scorer give you on how to achieve a perfect score?](https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-a-perfect-act-score-by-a-36-full-scorer) We have all these answers, plus lots of helpful advice, available to you, so be sure to fully pack your mental suitcase with all the provisions you'll need to sustain yourself on test day.   ## What's Next? Before you start prepping, you probably want to define your goals: **what exactly are your target scores**? To help you figure out what you are aiming for, we explain [what's a good ACT score, what's a bad score, and what's an excellent score](https://blog.prepscholar.com/what-is-a-good-act-score-a-bad-act-score-an-excellent-act-score) - and what this means for your test prep. **When do you plan to take the ACT?** How many times are you taking it? **We present [the pros and cons of test dates](https://blog.prepscholar.com/when-should-you-take-the-sat-or-act-best-test-dates)** and explain how smart scheduling can help you on test day. **Want to score a perfect ACT score or near it?** Be like Bill Gates: read [how to get a perfect ACT score, by our perfect scorer](https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-a-perfect-act-score-by-a-36-full-scorer).   [![Disappointed with your scores? Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points?   We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must use to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/360031/interactive-151867936175.png)](https://blog.prepscholar.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLIENeZckKlkA5nvkqIepJnDZTakAbxr28XB04Od8sYipncyI%2BEd5Z5lrzK2sd88k2xULVEnAk8VBIdV1OADteVe0MR%2BI4jTtnJ4UlHJnfgYslKYhJdlzPeGdGDXbqwPghi6YWLSntwa3ZoBCZP3%2BF70%2FXNV9eZo8K1Vxkc0rJUZzu48W8qBGkYHxbZZ2g%2BnCNhAccnAZVzOH4biQ3gtp0XcTRoq3g%3D%3D&webInteractiveContentId=151867936175&portalId=360031)   ### Trending Now [How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League](https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-into-harvard-and-the-ivy-league-by-a-harvard-alum) [How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA](https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-a-4-0-gpa-and-get-better-grades-by-a-harvard-alum) [How to Write an Amazing College Essay](https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-write-a-college-essay) [Should You Take the SAT or ACT?](https://quiz.prepscholar.com/sat-vs-act) [What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?](https://blog.prepscholar.com/what-do-colleges-look-for) [ACT vs. SAT: 10 Key Differences](https://blog.prepscholar.com/act-vs-sat) [Calculate Your College Chances](https://mycollegechances.prepscholar.com/) Get Your Free **[![PrepScholar](https://www.prepscholar.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/PrepScholar-Logo-Colored.png)](https://www.prepscholar.com/)** eBook [5 Tips to Raise Your SAT Score 160+ Points](https://www.prepscholar.com/rp/sat-5-tips-ebook/) [5 Tips to Raise Your ACT Score 4+ Points](https://www.prepscholar.com/rp/act-5-tips-ebook/) ### SAT Prep [Find Your Target SAT Score](https://blog.prepscholar.com/what-is-a-good-sat-score-a-bad-sat-score-an-excellent-sat-score) [Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests](https://blog.prepscholar.com/complete-official-sat-practice-tests-free-links) ### **[How to Get a Perfect SAT Score, by an Expert Full Scorer](https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-a-perfect-sat-score-by-a-2400-sat-scorer)** [Score 800 on SAT Math](https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-800-on-sat-math-by-a-perfect-scorer) [Score 800 on SAT Reading and Writing](https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-800-on-sat-reading-and-writing) [Raise Your SAT Score by 160+ Points GUARANTEED. 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She has years of teaching and college counseling experience and is passionate about helping students achieve their goals and improve their well-being. She graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University and scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT. ## Ask a Question Below Have any questions about this article or other topics? 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The Graduate Management Admissions Council® does not endorse, nor is it affiliated in any way with, the owner or any content of this website. ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Rebecca Safier", "url" : "https://blog.prepscholar.com/author/rebecca-safier" }, "dateModified" : "2024-08-29T19:41:30+00:00", "datePublished" : "2017-11-22T18:00:00+00:00", "description" : "What did famous people like Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Natalie Portman get on the ACT? Find out here.", "headline" : "Celebrity ACT Scores (Steve Jobs, Barack Obama, Marilyn Monroe)", "image" : "http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/360031/file-2539301600-jpeg/body_obama.jpeg", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.prepscholar.com/celebrity-act-scores", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.prepscholar.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/PrepScholar-Logo-Colored.png" }, "name" : "PrepScholar" } } ```