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Historical ACT Percentiles From 2021 to 2024

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Whether you're currently studying to take the ACT or took it in 2021-2024, you might be curious about how your ACT percentile compares to students who took the ACT in past years.

In this article, we'll go over what percentiles are, how percentiles work on the ACT, and why ACT percentiles matter. We also lay out ACT percentile charts for 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 so you can see how your score compares to historical ACT scores.

Note: if you're looking for ACT percentiles from earlier years, check out our articles compiling ACT percentiles from 2016-2020, 2011-2015 and 2008-2010.

 

What Are ACT Percentiles?

Your percentile on the ACT tells you what percentage of students scored as well as or less well than you. This is true for both your averaged composite score and each section score (English, Math, Reading, and Science). For example, if your ACT score is in the 30th percentile, 30% of students did as well as or worse than you (and 70% of students did better than you).

Unlike your percentages on tests you might take in school, ACT percentile scores do not tell you how many questions you got right on a particular section or test. An 85% on a school math test tells you that you got 85% of the questions on that test correct, but doesn't tell you anything about how well other students in the class did. On the other hand, a 85th percentile ACT score doesn't tell you how many questions you got right or wrong, but does indicate how well you did compared to other students.

The higher your ACT percentile, the better you did on the ACT compared to other students who took the ACT. Percentiles make it easier for students to understand how they stand in comparison to other test takers because they are much more concretely defined than the 1-36 ACT scaled scores.

For example, if you got a 23 on ACT Science, you know that you did as well as or better than all students who also got a 23 or below, but what does that mean? It's not intuitively clear how the 23 scaled score is calculated from your raw ACT score. On the other hand, if your ACT Science score is an 72nd percentile score, then you for sure know that you did as well or better than 72% of test-takers—a much clearer comparison.

 

Do ACT Percentiles Change Over Time?

For the most part, there's not a lot of change over time in what percentile a particular scaled score is. A 25 composite score is probably going to be around the 81st percentile, whether you took the ACT in 2021 or 2024.

The reason ACT percentiles do not change much over time is because of what ACT, Inc. calls equating, or the process of making sure scores on different tests taken at different times can be compared to each other. ACT, Inc. wants to make sure that, for example, a 32 on the ACT in October 2021 or April 2024 means you scored better than 97-98% of other test-takers.

We explain ACT equating a little more in this article on the ACT curve, but ultimately what it means is it doesn't matter what date (or what year) you take the ACT; all scoring is equated to nearly or exactly match the same distribution of students at each score level.

However, since about 2022-2023, there has been more variation than normal between percentiles from year to year. You can see this if you compare the data below to our older articles, linked at the beginning of this article. Percentiles used to change only about 1-2 points from year to year, but recently we've seen some significant changes, with percentiles changing 10 or more points in a span of two years. We expect this is due to the disruption COVID-19 and school closures caused to schooling and standardized tests. It's likely percentiles will settle back to their pattern of little variation, but it'll take a few more years of data to know for sure.

 

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Why Do ACT Percentiles (Even From Past Years) Matter?

ACT percentiles matter because they allow colleges to more clearly understand how your scores compare to those of other applicants and test-takers. If colleges just looked at your scaled score out of 36, without knowing anything about what percentiles went along with each score, it wouldn't be clear what is a good or bad ACT score.

For instance, if you got a 26 composite score (out of 36) and that was all the information colleges got, admissions officers might treat it like a school test and assume you got 26/36 (about 72%, or a C-), or assume that you scored about halfway between a 16 and a 36.

With knowledge of ACT percentiles, however, colleges understand that a 26 composite ACT score is an 83rd percentile score, which means you actually scored better than 83% of all other ACT test-takers—far closer to the 100% of students who score a 36 or below than to the 30% of students who score a 16 or below.

By looking at ACT percentiles, colleges can get a better idea of how all test-takers perform on the ACT in general and how your score specifically stacks up against other applicants'.

The comparison between your scores and other applicants' is why ACT percentiles from past years matter: when you're applying to college, you'll be competing with at least some students who took the ACT in other years. For instance, if you took the ACT as a junior in 2024, you'll be in the same pool as some students who took the ACT as seniors in 2023 (or as sophomores in 2022).

In most cases, the differences will be minuscule, but when you're applying to schools with <10% admission rates, even the slightest edge can help. For example, let's say that you got a 33 on the ACT in 2022 and your classmate got a 32 on the ACT in 2020. Your score puts you in the 98th percentile, while your classmate only scored in the 97th percentile. Both scores are impressive, but yours is slightly better.

Keep in mind, however, that while ACT percentiles matter, what is most important to your chances of admission is how your ACT score compares to the scores of students admitted at the schools you're applying to. You can find more information about how to learn each school's ACT score range (and how to choose your own ACT target score) here.

 

body_historicalcobblestonesHistoric cobblestones: maybe a little more historical than the following ACT percentiles.

 

Historical ACT Percentiles for 2021-2024

Below, we've listed the ACT score percentiles for each composite score for 2021-2024. All data in this and the following section percentiles charts are from ACT, Inc.

Remember: an ACT percentile is the percentage of students who scored at or below that score for a particular test.

ACT Score 2024 2023 2022 2021
36 100 100 100 100
35 99 99 99 99
34 99 99 99 99
33 98 98 98 98
32 97 97 97 96
31 96 95 96 95
30 94 94 94 93
29 93 92 93 90
28 91 90 90 88
27 88 87 88 85
26 86 85 85 82
25 83 81 81 78
24 79 78 77 74
23 75 74 72 70
22 71 69 68 64
21 66 64 63 59
20 61 59 57 53
19 55 53 51 47
18 49 47 45 41
17 43 41 37 35
16 37 35 29 28
15 30 28 21 22
14 23 22 13 16
13 16 14 7 10
12 8 8 3 5
11 3 3 1 2
10 1 1 1 1
9 1 1 1 1
8 1 1 1 1
7 1 1 1 1
6 1 1 1 1
5 1 1 1 1
4 1 1 1 1
3 1 1 1 1
2 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1

 

 

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ACT English Historical Percentiles 2021-2024

Below, we've listed ACT score percentiles for the English section for 2021-2024.

ACT English Score 2024 2023 2022 2021
36 100 100 100 100
35 99 99 99 99
34 97 97 96 96
33 96 96 94 94
32 95 95 93 92
31 93 94 91 91
30 92 92 90 89
29 91 91 89 88
28 90 90 87 86
27 88 88 85 84
26 86 86 83 82
25 84 84 81 79
24 81 80 77 75
23 77 77 73 71
22 73 73 68 65
21 69 68 64 60
20 63 63 58 55
19 57 57 52 49
18 53 53 48 45
17 49 49 44 41
16 45 45 40 37
15 40 40 35 32
14 33 33 29 25
13 27 27 23 19
12 22 22 19 15
11 17 17 14 11
10 11 11 9 7
9 6 6 4 3
8 3 3 2 2
7 2 2 1 1
6 1 1 1 1
5 1 1 1 1
4 1 1 1 1
3 1 1 1 1
2 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1

 

 

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ACT Math Historical Percentiles 2021-2024

Below, we've listed ACT score percentiles for the Math section for 2021-2024.

ACT Math Score 2024 2023 2022 2021
36 100 100 100 100
35 99 99 99 99
34 99 99 99 99
33 98 98 98 98
32 97 98 97 97
31 97 97 96 96
30 96 96 95 94
29 95 95 93 93
28 93 93 91 91
27 91 91 89 88
26 88 88 85 84
25 85 84 81 79
24 81 81 77 74
23 77 77 73 70
22 74 73 68 65
21 71 70 65 61
20 68 67 62 58
19 64 63 58 54
18 60 59 53 59
17 53 53 47 42
16 45 44 38 33
15 32 31 25 21
14 20 19 14 11
13 10 9 6 4
12 5 4 2 1
11 2 2 1 1
10 1 1 1 1
9 1 1 1 1
8 1 1 1 1
7 1 1 1 1
6 1 1 1 1
5 1 1 1 1
4 1 1 1 1
3 1 1 1 1
2 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1

 

 

body_actreadingpercentiles1519

 

ACT Reading Historical Percentiles 2021-2024

Below, we've listed ACT score percentiles for the Reading section for 2021-2024.

ACT Reading Score 2024 2023 2022 2021
36 100 100 100 100
35 98 99 99 98
34 97 97 99 96
33 95 95 98 94
32 93 93 97 91
31 91 91 96 89
30 89 89 95 86
29 87 87 93 84
28 85 85 91 82
27 83 83 89 80
26 80 80 85 77
25 78 78 81 74
24 75 75 77 71
23 71 71 73 66
22 66 66 68 61
21 60 60 65 55
20 55 55 62 50
19 50 50 58 44
18 46 45 53 39
17 41 40 47 34
16 36 36 38 29
15 32 31 25 24
14 27 27 14 19
13 21 21 6 14
12 16 15 2 10
11 9 8 1 5
10 4 4 1 3
9 2 2 1 1
8 1 1 1 1
7 1 1 1 1
6 1 1 1 1
5 1 1 1 1
4 1 1 1 1
3 1 1 1 1
2 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1

 

 

body_actsciencepercentiles1519

 

ACT Science Historical Percentiles 2021-2024

Below, we've listed ACT score percentiles for the Science section for 2021-2024.

ACT Science Score 2024 2023 2022 2021
36 100 100 100 100
35 99 99 99 99
34 99 99 98 98
33 98 98 97 97
32 97 97 96 96
31 96 96 95 95
30 95 95 93 93
29 93 93 92 92
28 92 92 90 90
27 91 90 88 88
26 89 89 86 85
25 86 86 83 82
24 82 82 78 77
23 76 76 72 71
22 70 69 65 64
21 65 64 60 58
20 59 58 54 51
19 53 53 48 45
18 47 46 41 39
17 40 39 34 32
16 33 33 28 26
15 27 26 22 19
14 19 20 17 14
13 14 14 12 10
12 10 10 8 7
11 6 6 5 4
10 3 3 3 3
9 2 2 1 1
8 1 1 1 1
7 1 1 1 1
6 1 1 1 1
5 1 1 1 1
4 1 1 1 1
3 1 1 1 1
2 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1

 

 

What's Next?

Have more questions about your ACT score? Find out what a good ACT score for college is and how to choose your personal target ACT score.

Wondering if you should take the digital ACT or paper ACT? Learn the differences between the two exams and which you'll score higher on.

Looking for resources to help you study for the ACT? We've listed all free and official ACT practice tests here, along with our ultimate free ACT study guide.

 

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:



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About the Author
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Christine Sarikas

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.



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