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If you’re taking the ACT, you know waiting for scores can be stressful. Wondering how your scores compare to those of other students is common, but how do you know what’s considered a good ACT score? More importantly, how do you decide what ACT score to shoot for in order to get accepted to your top colleges? 

We’ll tell you how to determine whether your ACT scores would be considered “good.”(Spoiler alert: it’s tricker than you think!) From there, we’ll explain how to set a target ACT score that helps you achieve your college admissions dreams. As a bonus, we’ll help you put your ACT scores in context by looking at how what qualifies as a good ACT score has changed over time. 

Let’s get started. 

Good ACT scores will get two thumbs up from admissions counselors!

What’s a Good ACT Score 2024 Overall? 

When it comes down to it, a good ACT score for you is the score that gets you admitted to every school you plan to apply to. But if you want to know if your ACT score is considered good overall, we have to compare your scores to those of students who’ve taken the ACT recently. 

In general, the higher your scores are compared to other recent test takers, the more well-regarded your score will be on college applications. So how do you compare your scores to other ACT test takers? By looking at ACT score averages and ACT score percentiles, we can gain a better idea of how your scores stack up against other applicants!

ACT Score Averages 2023

ACT score averages refer to the average score earned by all test takers who took the ACT in a given year. But how do score averages help you evaluate your own scores? 

The bottom line is that any ACT score that places you in the top half of all test takers is viewed as a good ACT score. If you score above average, your scores will be considered even better. Your scores become more and more impressive the higher you score above average!

On the other hand, scores that fall below average aren’t considered as good. The further you score below the average score, the less well-regarded those scores will be during college admissions. 

The most recent data from ACT.inc shows that the average 2023 composite ACT score is a 19.9 out of 36. ACT average scores are also broken down section by section. According to the most recent data, the average scores on each of the four sections of the ACT are: 

Based on these numbers, we can say that ACT scores of 20 or higher qualify as “good” ACT scores for 2024 too. Why? Because ACT score averages stay pretty consistent year after year (we’ll talk more about this later!). 

ACT Score Percentiles 2023

ACT score averages aren’t the only way to define good ACT scores. We can also look at ACT percentiles 2023 to determine what is a good ACT score! 

Percentiles show you what percentage of recent test takers scored the same as or lower than you on the ACT. Here’s an example of what that means. Let’s say you earned a score in the 75th percentile. That means you scored the same as or better than 75% of test takers…and well above average. 

To get a better sense of how percentiles show what’s a good ACT score, check out the table of ACT percentiles 2023 below: 

Source: ACT.org

If we use this data as a benchmark, we can say that you need to aim for a composite score of 28 to break into the top 10% of ACT test takers. In other words, you can earn a great ACT score that falls into the 90th percentile without hitting a perfect score of 36. 

If you score a 13 or lower, however, you’ll fall into the lower 10% of test takers, which we also call the 10th percentile. Unfortunately, scores that are well below average don’t enhance college applications. But let’s say you raise your score by one point, taking it from a 13 to a 14. That one point increase still puts you in the bottom quarter, or 25th percentile, of test takers. That means that, in general, any ACT score that’s in the 25th percentile or lower isn’t good. 

Sometimes, external factors can affect what counts as a good ACT score. For instance, test optional admissions policies can skew the average ACT scores for admitted students. Many students will get accepted without submitting test scores since they aren’t required for admission. That means that when schools with test optional policies release their score data, it won’t provide a full picture of the scores of the entire class of students accepted that year. 

In a "monkey see, monkey do" moment, the ACT has also decided to go digital. Here's what that means for you.

How Do New Testing Policies Affect What’s a Good ACT Score 2024?

Additional things to consider when determining what counts as a good ACT score are new testing policies. Over the past several years, many schools have adopted test optional or test blind policies, which impacts how applicants’ scores are viewed in the admissions process. 

Both test optional and test blind admissions policies remove the requirement to submit SAT or ACT scores with your college applications. Schools with test optional policies let you decide whether to submit your ACT scores. You’re still able to submit scores, but they aren’t required in order to receive an offer of admission. Test blind colleges will not consider your ACT scores in the admissions process. Even if you submit scores, they won’t be factored into your admissions decision. 

Now, here’s how test optional and test blind policies affect your ACT target score. Many schools that have made ACT scores optional will no longer release up-to-date ACT score data for their admitted students. This can make it more difficult to track down the most current ACT score percentiles and averages for some of your schools.  

But the question remains: if you’re applying to test optional schools, do you still need to take the ACT? The bottom line is that even though your test scores may not be required for admission, taking the ACT might still be the right move. Colleges use test scores for many different reasons. For instance, some individual departmental programs at your choice schools may require test scores. ACT scores may also be used for course placement decisions or as a required component of scholarship applications as well. 

If you’d like to learn more about how testing policy changes might affect you, read our article on how test optional policies affect the significance of SAT/ACT scores in college admissions. We’ll help you set score goals if you’re applying to test optional or test blind schools! 

How Will the Digital ACT Affect What’s a Good Score? 

In a surprise move, ACT Inc. announced that a pilot version of a new digital ACT would be offered in December 2023. At this time, this is the only test date that will offer the ACT in a digital format rather than paper-and-pencil. However, since it is a pilot, we can guess that there will likely be more digital ACT offerings at some point in the future. 

Right now, we don’t know exactly what the digital ACT will look like–or how it will affect what counts as a good ACT score. But for students taking the ACT in 2024 and beyond, it’s a good idea to be aware that change may be coming! 

For the pilot digital ACT, scoring will mean the same thing as it does on the paper ACT. For instance, a 36 on the digital ACT will mean the same thing as a 36 on the paper exam. Additionally, colleges will treat digital ACT scores the same way that they treat paper ACT scores. 

Going forward, it’s important to keep an eye out for new info from ACT Inc., especially about digital ACT score averages and percentiles. We’ll also update this article as new info becomes available! 

We’ve walked you through how to define good ACT scores using averages and percentiles and potential changes to SAT scoring. But we still have to cover the most important way to determine a good ACT score for you: by looking at the ACT scores of students admitted to your dream schools! 

A good score for you might not be the same score that's "good" for someone else. And that's okay—you're unique, just like this flower!

What Is a Good ACT Score 2024 for You?

If you want to get accepted to all the schools on your list, we have to look at more than ACT averages and percentiles. We also need to consider the average ACT scores of recently admitted students at each school you’re applying to.

At the end of the day, a “good” ACT score for you personally may not be the same as “good” scores for other students. Earning a score that’s good enough to get you admitted to your dream schools is what’s most important for you. 

At PrepScholar, we call this setting your goal score. It’s the process you go through to calculate a customized ACT score that you need to earn for your college admissions goals. 

To set an ACT goal score, start by finalizing your college list. Your goal score will be based on the ACT scores of other students who’ve been admitted to each school on your list. That means your goal score will be totally personalized to you!

So how do you find the average ACT scores of admitted students? To start, search each of your schools’ admissions websites or common data sets. You can track down this info by searching online for “[school name] + common data set.” 

When you find those ACT score averages, set your target score at or above the highest average score on your list of schools. Aiming to match or exceed the highest average score on your list gives you a better chance of getting accepted to all of your schools.

We'll guide you through the process of setting your ACT goal score for 2024.

How To Set an ACT Score Goal for 2024: 3 Easy Steps

Setting a goal ACT score takes some planning and sleuthing. But with our expert three-step process, you’ll have your ACT goal score set in no time. 

Step 1: Make an ACT Scoring Chart

The first step to setting an ACT goal score is making an ACT scoring chart that includes every school you’re applying to. Once you’ve done that, search for and add the 25th and 75th percentile ACT scores for each school to your ACT scoring chart (2023 scores are ideal here since they’re the most recent!). 

Start by making a chart that includes each school you’re applying to. From there, you’ll search for and fill in the 25th and 75th percentile ACT scores for each school. Remember: the 25th and 75h percentile scores tell you the average score range of students recently admitted to your schools. These numbers are crucial to setting your ACT goal score!

You can make your own chart, or do it the easy way and just use ours to fill in your school info.  Here’s our ACT scoring chart (and a link to access it): 

When you complete your chart, you don’t have to bother including your safety schools. You’re already very likely to get accepted to those! However, make sure you do list your match and reach schools. You’ll need to set your ACT target scores high enough to earn acceptance letters to your most competitive colleges! 

Here’s an example ACT scoring chart with sample schools filled in: 

Step 2: Find ACT Percentiles 2023 for Your Schools

Once you’ve listed your schools, it’s time to track down recent scoring info for the schools in your chart. Here’s what to look for.  

Start by searching for the 25th percentile and 75th percentile score range for each of your colleges. This is also called the middle 50%, which shows the average ACT scores of students who were recently accepted to a specific school. You can search your school’s official website for info on admissions data or student facts and figures to find this important info! Searching for “[School Name] average ACT scores” or “[School Name] ACT scores” can also help you track down the info you need from your schools’ websites. 

If you’re still coming up short, you can always look through a college’s Common Data Set for the score info you need. A Common Data Set is a document filled with admissions data about the most recently admitted class at a given school. To find a school’s Common Data Set, simply search for “[School Name] Common Data Set,” click on the document for the most recent year, and scroll to Section C. That section is where you’ll find the recent score data you need to fill out your ACT scoring chart (2023 ACT scores are the ones you’ll want to use to populate your chart!). 

When your search is complete, your chart will look something like this: 

Step 3: Determine Your ACT Goal Score

The final step to finding your target ACT score is simple. You’ll simply use your completed ACT scoring chart 2023 to set your target ACT score for 2024! 

So what info do you need from your ACT score chart to find out your target score? You’ll use the highest 75th percentile ACT score from all of your schools. That number is your goal score. Since the highest 75th percentile ACT score is the highest score for all the schools in your chart, that score is the one that’s most likely to get you admitted to all of your schools. 

If we use the sample ACT scoring chart 2023 as an example, the highest 75th percentile ACT score is a composite score of 35 for Rice University. That means your official goal score will be a 35, which is a great ACT score! A 35 is in the 99th percentile of all test takers. Put another way, it’s higher than 99 percent of all recent test takers. 

Aiming for the highest 75th percentile score in your chart is a great rule of thumb. But if you’re worried that hitting your target score will be tough, you can lower your goal score a little bit. Setting a goal score that’s in between the highest and second highest 75th percentile score in your chart will still put you in a competitive position during college admissions. That score will still be high enough to get you into most of the scores on your list, but may be a more manageable score to aim for when you take the ACT.  

Of course, there’s still plenty of time to prepare to hit your target score if you’re taking the ACT in 2024. If you want to boost your ACT prep, PrepScholar offers expert ACT prep courses and tutoring that can help you hit your score goals. We’ll create a personalized study regimen that’s designed to help you improve your score as much as possible! 

Example: How Padma Set Her Goal Score

We’ve covered three simple steps to setting your ACT goal score. But to make the process even clearer, let’s look at an example. Padma is applying to these five schools: 

Based on these numbers, Padma should set an ACT score target of at least a 35. Why? Because the 75th percentile of test takers at Vanderbilt earned a 35. If Padma wants to get into Vanderbilt, she’ll have to earn the same score (or higher) as the 75th percentile test takers who’ve been admitted to that school. Hitting the highest 75th percentile score in her list also ensures Padma will have an ACT score that will help her get into all the schools she applies to. 

However, let’s say Padma decides to be a little more selective with her college list and only applies to these three schools: 

In this case, Padma should aim for an ACT score of 31, since TCU has the highest 75th percentile score for recently admitted students on her list. By earning a 31 or higher, Padma increases her chances of getting into the University of Arkansas and UNL as well. 

When you’re ready to set your own ACT goal score, you’ll need to find the average ACT scores of recently admitted students at the schools on your list, then set your ACT target score based on that data. 

You don't have to travel through a wormhole to see how your ACT score compares to "good" scores from past years.

Have Good ACT Scores Changed? ACT Percentiles 2024 vs Past Years

We’ve gone over several ways to define a good ACT score. But how do the 2023 ACT scores that you’ll use to set your target score compare to ACT scores from past years? 

The good news is that average ACT scores haven’t really changed much over the years. That means that the ACT scores that qualify as “good” for 2023 are nearly the same as those from previous years! Percentiles and averages shift a bit each year, but the shift is rarely dramatic. According to percentiles and averages, what qualifies as a good ACT score usually stays pretty consistent from year to year. 

Check out the chart below to see how steady ACT scores truly are from one year to the next. The chart includes the average section and composite ACT scores over the past nine years: 

Sources: ACT Score Reports , ACT National Profile Report 2022, ACT National Profile Report, 2021-23

You can see from the chart above that ACT scores haven’t changed much in the past nine years. It’s true that scores have gone down a bit in general, but the changes in scores haven’t been significant. For instance, we see a drop of 1.4 points on both ACT English and Math, which is the biggest change of the scores listed, but isn’t a big change overall. 

It’s also important to think about how extenuating circumstances have affected ACT scores. Most recently, the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic from 2020-2022 impacted classroom learning experiences, access to exam prep and testing locations, and students’ stress levels. 

But to get a complete picture of what qualifies as a good ACT score over the years, we also have to consider ACT score percentiles. Percentiles show you what percentage of test takers scored the same as or better than you on the ACT. Below, you’ll see past and current percentiles for the ACT from 2015 to 2023: 

*Estimated score based on available percentile data

As you can see, like score averages, ACT percentiles haven’t changed significantly over the past nine years. Sure, there’s been some ebb and flow from one year to the next, but overall, scores for each percentile have stayed within a one point range from year to year. 

Based on this data, we can conclude that good ACT scores, according to percentiles, have changed very little since 2015. And that will probably be true for a while! 

Conclusion: What Is a Good ACT Score 2024? 

As we’ve discussed in this article, there are three primary ways to determine what constitutes a good ACT score. 

First, we can look at the national average. The average composite ACT score for 2023 is a 19.9. Scoring above this average will put you in the top half of test takers. If you accomplish that, your score can definitely be classified as good. 

Second, we can look at ACT score percentiles to identify good ACT scores. To recap, percentiles compare your score to the scores of other test takers by showing you what percentage of students scored the same as or higher than you. The higher your score comparatively, the better your score is overall. In general, scores in the 50th percentile (18-19) are viewed as average, whereas scores in the 75th percentile (23-24) and 90th percentile (28) are regarded as good and excellent.

Finally, the most important way to define what’s a good ACT score for you is by comparing your score to the scores of recently admitted students at your choice schools. To put it another way, what ACT target score should you aim for in order to get admitted to every school you apply to? To get the data you’ll need to determine your goal score, find ACT score info for all of your colleges. The 75th percentile score for each school is going to be your target ACT score. That’s the score that’s good for you personally as a college applicant.  

Once you’ve set your goal score, you can get started with your own ACT study plan!

What's Next? 

Now that you've set your goal score, it's time to start studying for the ACT. Start with our ultimate guide to the test! This will teach you the basics you need to know to start your studying journey. 

Many students find that ACT study books are super helpful when it comes to prepping for the test. Here's our list of the best ACT study guides, complete with expert reviews. 

If you feel like you need a little more hands-on help to meet your testing goals, why not take an online ACT class? You can learn more about PrepScholar's fully online ACT prep courses that will help you boost your score.