An ACT score holds a lot of weight. This one score can have a huge determining factor on if a student will get accepted to their preferred college or university. In recent years, it has also become more common for ACT scores to have a direct effect on the type of tuition assistance that a student will receive from a particular school. That being said, this is an IMPORTANT exam. But, it’s not scored based on an A-F letter range, so how can you tell if a score is GOOD or BAD? While the answer to this question is that a GOOD score is RELATIVE to a particular student’s situation and admissions goals, there are quite a few factors that can assist a student in determining what a good ACT score will be for their unique situation.

The ACT is a rather stressful standardized test that students are required to take if they plan to apply to many colleges and universities throughout the United States.

• The test consists of sections on English, math, reading, and science, and an optional writing section.

• The scoring is based out of a total 36 points per section (except the writing section - this is scored out of 12).

• The average of the four section scores is taken to determine a student’s composite score out of 36.

So…what does that mean? For someone who is not familiar with the ACT, this scoring system can seem incredibly obscure and make it difficult to know what is a good score and what is a bad score.

Through research and data analysis, the ACT has come up with what they deem the “College Readiness Benchmark” score for each section. This is the threshold score where the data says students are adequately prepared to perform well academically at the average college level. Here is the breakdown of their assessment:

College Readiness Benchmark Scores (per ACT)

English: 18

Math: 22

Reading: 22

Science: 23

This benchmark provides a good average for ACT score of students that go on to complete some form of secondary education. The average composite ACT score in 2018 throughout the United States was a 21, which pretty much falls right into this benchmark level as identified by the ACT.

That being said, this benchmark is not appropriate for students wishing to attend colleges and universities that are more competitive and/or that have a more rigorous academic reputation. Not all students are striving to just be “college ready.” The students who desire to receive admission from and excel in prestigious colleges and universities will likely need significantly higher scores than these benchmarks to obtain admission. So how do you determine what score a student should shoot for then?

There are a few things to consider when determining what a student’s ACT goal should be:

1. CURRENT STUDENT ACT SCORES AT DESIRED SCHOOL(S)

   The last thing college admissions officers want to do is to admit students into their programs that they do not think will be able to excel at the school academically. This means that admissions officers look closely at GPA and ACT scores to determine the academic level of each student that applies to determine if the student would be able to succeed at their school. For this reason, it is important to know what the academic expectations are for each school that a student applies to. Where does the student want to apply? Colleges and universities are required to make public the average ACT test score range of the students that are currently enrolled at their school. You can simply Google “University of Minnesota ACT scores” and you’ll find what you’re looking for - a test score window where most students at the U of M scored during high school. This will help determine where a student’s test score likely needs to be to have a high probability of being accepted to the school based just on academic ability.

2. SCHOLARSHIPS BASED ON ACT SCORES

   Does the school the student wants to go to offer tuition packages based upon things like ACT score and GPA? Schools do not always broadcast this information, but you can go one step further with your Google search to find out this important info. Upon searching for tuition support on a university’s website, you might find that there are designated scholarships that are awarded to students automatically upon acceptance into the school and that are based solely on academic performance. A lot of schools will combine student GPA criteria with ACT scores, for example, to determine a set amount of student financial scholarship to be received each year. This can be really helpful for students who are considering the financial pieces of secondary education. Secondary education in the United States is extremely expensive. Being aware of any opportunities for tuition cost-savings can make a tremendous difference in total tuition cost and possibly the amount of student loans a student or parent will take on. It is possible that by increasing ACT score, a student could open the door to thousands of dollars in additional tuition aid. Make sure you are aware of any tuition programs that are designed in this way before determining what a student’s ACT goal should be.

3. ADDITIONAL COMPETITIVE EDGE

   Does the student have other criteria to make him/her more competitive during the admissions process? At the end of the day, college admissions is all about competition and how a particular student compares to the others that have applied to a particular school. While it is true that ACT score and GPA hold significant value on a college application regarding academic competitive edge, there are other factors that admissions officers take into consideration as well. Students generally are required to include things like extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and part-time work experience on their college apps. Was the student the Student Council Class President or the captain of the varsity basketball team? Additionally, students will include letters of recommendation with their application packages. These are often written by teachers, mentors, tutors, coaches, or people in similar roles. How compelling are these letters? Then there is a critical aspect of the application package: personal statements and essays. This is the student’s opportunity to tell their own story that really makes them stand out. The essay and personal statements should make college admissions officers WANT to accept the student into their school REGARDLESS of the rest of their application package.

   If a student lacks extracurriculars and volunteer work, includes letters of recommendation that aren’t terribly compelling, and includes a boring personal statement with their application, they should probably shoot for a much higher ACT score. In contrast, a student with a strong application in all other areas may be fine with a slightly lower ACT score.

So what does all of this mean? It means that families should do some research before a student decides on his/her ACT score goal. There can be a significant amount of strategy at play with ACT scores to set the student apart academically, assure admissions officers that a student is a good academic fit for their school, and the possibility of opening the door to huge tuition savings. Do your RESEARCH and be IN THE KNOW about the entire admissions process for the specific school before pinpointing ACT score goals.

Good luck, and happy studying!

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