Average ACT Score

The ACT exam is a large part of the college application process. Mostly all schools will require you to submit your ACT score prior to granting admission. Since the ACT exam is such an important part of most college applications, the exam itself tends to stress out a lot of college-bound high school students.

In this article, we’ll cover the following topics:

1. What Is the ACT?

2. What is the Average ACT Score?

3. What is a Good ACT Score?

4. When Should I Take the ACT?

The ACT is a national college admissions examination that consists of the following subject areas: English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science. The ACT Plus Writing includes the four subject test areas plus a 30 minute writing test.

The ACT includes 215 multiple-choice questions and takes approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete (or 4 hours if you are taking the writing test). The highest possible score is a 36.

The ACT is administered on 6 test dates within the 50 United States and District of Columbia: September, October, December, February, April, and June.

The basic registration fee is $32 (or $47 if you take the ACT Plus Writing)*. This fee entitles you to a score report for yourself, your high school, and up to four colleges. You may add additional colleges for $9 each.

*Keep in mind that these fees are subject to change. Visit this website for the most current information: www.act.org/

Since the ACT exam is such an important component of the college admissions process, a lot of students are curious about the average ACT score.

The nationwide average ACT score in 2010 is 21. It can be broken down by category as follows:

English: 20.5

Math: 21

Reading: 21.3

Science: 20.9

Approximately 30 percent of students who take the ACT exam score between 19 and 23.

Approximately 55 percent of students who take the ACT exam score between 17 and 25.

Average ACT scores by state vary. Below is a list of states that have the highest average ACT scores:

Delaware – 23.0

Maine – 23.2

Massachusetts – 24

New York – 23.3

New Hampshire – 23.7

Washington – 23

The minimum ACT score required for admittance differs by school. Most schools will make their average ACT scores accessible to students via their website. So, if you’re interested in a particular school, your first stop should be on their particular website. If you’re having difficulty locating this information, I’d call the school’s admissions officer or talk with your school counselor.

If you score between 34 and 36, you are among the top 1% of students who take the exam. Most Ivy League schools require ACT scores in the 90^th percentile, which is generally a score of 28. Most public universities require at least an 18.

Most high school students take the exam during the spring of their junior year. By this time, you will have most likely completed all the necessary coursework in your classes to do well on the exam. Also, this will give you the opportunity to re-take the exam if you didn’t get the score that you wanted the first time around.

Good Luck!