Have you taken the ACT® recently? Do you need help analyzing and understanding your scores? This article will walk you through understanding your ACT® percentiles and score rank as compared to all test takers across the country. Even if you haven’t taken the test yet, this article will be useful for understanding what score you can hope to achieve and can give you a goal to work towards.

Additionally, if you really need to improve your ACT® score, this article will reveal where the biggest percentile gains happen, how to focus your studying, and how to use percentiles to get into your dream college. Read on to find out more!

What Exactly is a Percentile?

The main thing you need to know about percentiles is that they are not a percentage, or a grade, of the answers you got wrong and the answers you got right. For example, if you are in the 85^th percentile, it doesn’t mean that you got 85% of the questions correct, it just means that you scored higher than 85% of the other test takers. If it’s easier, think of a percentile as a comparison of your score with that of other students’ scores.

What are the ACT® Percentiles?

ACT® percentiles are a great way to see how you did relative to your peers. The table below outlines the percentiles from each subject, as well as an overall, or composite, percentile score. Review the percentiles below and make a note of your percentile for each subject. This will give you a clear picture as to where you stand.

Understanding the ACT® Percentiles

The above ACT® percentiles should be pretty easy to figure out. Find the score you got on the left hand side of the table and run your finger across the chart to see your percentiles for the English, Math, Reading, Science, and Composite (total) sections. For example, if you got a score of 27 on the ACT® test, you did better than 85% of the total test takers in English, better than 88% of your peers in math, better than 81% in reading, better than 90% in science, and better than 87% of other test takers in all subjects put together.

What Should I Focus On?

When reviewing your ACT® percentiles, you may notice that at the upper and lower end of the rankings, there isn’t much difference in percentile. For example, if you scored a 36 on the ACT®, and your friend scored a 33, you would both have a composite percentile of 99%. Similarly, on the lower end, an ACT® score of 11 would give you the same composite percentile as someone with an ACT® score of 1.

However, things get really interesting in the middle of the rankings. If you scored a 17 on the ACT® the first time you took it, you would be in the 29^th percentile. But if you raised your score the next time by only 3 points for a score of 20, you would be in the 49^th percentile. This is a jump from below average to average in just 3 points. Similarly, a 4-point increase from 24 to 28 will take you from the 74^th percentile to the 90^th. This means that in 4 points, you could be in the top 10% of test takers in the country.

The middle of the rankings is really where things happen quickly. That’s why if you fall somewhere in the middle the first time you take the ACT®, it can be quite easy to drastically improve your percentile if you improve by just a few points. Remember this as you’re reviewing your scores and percentiles, and as you prepare to take the ACT® again (if you even need to).

Why Do I Need to Know About My ACT® Percentiles?

Knowing your ACT® percentiles is a pretty useful tool. A score of 32 probably means nothing to you if this is your first time taking the test. That’s why knowing your percentiles can give you a better understanding of your score. Additionally, knowing your percentile for each individual subject is helpful if you want to retake the ACT® because it shows you what your weakest subjects are. This helps you narrow down your studying and can help you prepare to get a better score the next time you take the test. After all, there’s no point in retaking the ACT® if you don’t work to improve your score. ACT® percentiles do just that — give you the guidelines to interpret and improve your scores.

Colleges also like to use ACT® percentiles to compare you to other applicants. They don’t typically use percentiles as admission criteria, but if you get a high percentile, you may have an edge over another competing applicant. However, it’s important to note that most often, colleges are just looking at your score, not your percentile. This is why percentiles are more important for you as a way to interpret and improve your score, than they are for colleges themselves.

ACT® percentiles are also a way for you to understand yourself a little bit better. It can show you your strengths and weaknesses, and may even help you narrow down a college major. If you are in the 98^th percentile in math, you might think about pursuing engineering or computer science in college. If you score in the 99^th percentile in reading or English, you might be well suited to a journalism, English, or communications degree. When you’re in high school, college can seem overwhelming. That’s why taking the ACT® test and really understanding your score is important. It isn’t just about getting into college; it’s about showing you your strengths and helping you improve your weaknesses.

Summary

Knowing your ACT® score percentiles will help you maximize your studying, give you the tools to improve your score the next time, help you get into your dream college, and narrow down your potential college majors. Knowing your overall ACT® score can be beneficial, but really understanding how you compare to your peers and seeing the differences in percentiles per subject area, can really give you the edge you need to raise your ACT® score and improve your chances of getting into high ranking colleges. Armed with ACT® percentile knowledge, you are ready to go out and meet your goals.

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