The Average Scores in ACT

What Is Average ACT Score

The ACT results are considered by colleges in the USA as part of the admission criteria for admission to their courses. In order to decide which colleges you should apply to, you can use the average test scores as guidance. This article will help you to understand the meaning of average scores, and its importance.

What Is Average ACT Score?

The average test score can have different meanings. For most people, this term refers to the average score of the students who were admitted to a particular college. For example, if there were only three people who were admitted to a college and if their scores were 20, 22 and 24, respectively. The average for this college is 22.

On the other hand, some people may be referring to an individual student's average score. The test consists of questions on four subjects. These are English, Science, Mathematics and Reading. You will get a separate score for each of these. These four scores are then converted to a composite score. This is sometimes referred to as the average score.

This term can also mean the average score that is obtained by the students taking the ACT. The composite score of the test ranges from 1 to 36. The average score is 21, that is, most students who take the test, obtain a score of 21.

What Is the Importance of the ACT Scores' Average?

The importance of the the average score is that it can help you to select a target score for yourself in the test. Since the average score obtained by the people taking the test is 21, you need to score much above this if you want admission to one of the best colleges in the USA. The scores of the students admitted to these colleges in the past, reveal that the colleges want a composite score above 30. If your score is in the 30’s then you should definitely apply to the best colleges.

The scores released by the colleges are in the form of 25th and 75th percentiles. These percentiles may be given only for the composite scores, or for the scores in the individual tests as well. Some schools will consider the Writing score as well. The 25th percentile score means that 25% of all students admitted to that school, obtained that score or less than it. For example, if the 25th percentile of a school is 30, it means that 25% of the admitted students either obtained a score of 30 or that they obtained a score of less than 30 in the test. If the 75th percentile of this school is 34, it means that 75% of the admitted students scored 34 or less. In other words, 25% of the students scored above 34.

In order to decide which schools to apply to, you should consider the average score that is, a score of 21, and the percentile scores of the schools that you are interested in. If the school you want to join is one of the 'elite' schools, you will need a score much above the average score. In fact, your score should, at the very least, be around the 25th percentile score for that school.

The ACT result is not the only criteria that colleges consider for admission. Other criteria are performance in the SAT, any special skill or experience that you may have, your letter of application and any reasons that you can provide, in order to prove that you will 'fit' into their institution.