Your ACT score percentile tells you exactly how you compare to every other student who took the test. A composite score of 24 places you in the 78th percentile — ahead of nearly four out of five test-takers — while a 30 puts you in the top 6% nationally. Below you will find the complete ACT score percentile chart for 2025, section-by-section breakdowns, and practical guidance on using percentiles for college planning.
One of the most common misconceptions about ACT score percentiles is confusing them with the percentage of questions you answered correctly. These are two completely different numbers, and understanding the distinction is the first step toward using your score report effectively.
Your ACT percentile rank tells you how your score compares to other test-takers nationally. If you are in the 85th percentile, it means you scored equal to or higher than 85% of all students who took the ACT. It says nothing about how many questions you got right — that is your raw score, a separate metric entirely.
This matters because the ACT score scale (1-36) is not a simple percentage conversion. A composite of 24 does not mean you answered 67% of questions correctly (24 divided by 36). Instead, it means you outperformed 78% of all test-takers. ACT percentile rankings are based on the distribution of actual scores from approximately 1.375 million students who tested in recent graduating classes.
Your ACT score report shows percentile ranks for both your composite score and each individual section (English, Math, Reading, and Science). The report uses a norming sample based on recent graduating classes — not just students from your particular test date. This means your percentile reflects how you compare to a broad, nationally representative group.
Look for the "National Ranks" column on your report. The composite percentile is the most commonly referenced number, but section-level percentiles are just as valuable for pinpointing your strengths and areas for improvement.
Worked Example
Maria scored a 26 composite on the ACT and sees "85th percentile" on her score report. Her friend tells her she only got 72% of the questions right. Who is correct?
The composite score is the number colleges care about most. It is the average of your four section scores (English, Math, Reading, and Science), rounded to the nearest whole number. Here is the complete ACT composite score percentile mapping for 2025.
| Composite Score | Percentile Rank |
|---|---|
| 36 | 99+ |
| 35 | 99 |
| 34 | 99 |
| 33 | 98 |
| 32 | 97 |
| 31 | 95 |
| 30 | 94 |
| 29 | 92 |
| 28 | 90 |
| 27 | 88 |
| 26 | 85 |
| 25 | 82 |
| 24 | 78 |
| 23 | 74 |
| 22 | 68 |
| 21 | 64 |
| 20 | 59 |
| 19 | 53 |
| 18 | 47 |
| 17 | 41 |
| 16 | 34 |
| 15 | 28 |
| 14 | 20 |
| 13 | 12 |
| 12 | 6 |
Select your ACT composite score to instantly see your percentile ranking and what it means for college admissions.
A few composite scores serve as important reference points. The national average for the class of 2024 was 19.4 — the lowest since 1990 — which sits at approximately the 53rd percentile. A score of 20 puts you in the 59th percentile, meaning you have already surpassed more than half of all test-takers.
What surprises many students is how dramatically percentiles can shift with just a small score increase. A 4-point jump from 24 to 28 takes you from the 78th to the 90th percentile — a 12 percentile point gain. In the middle of the distribution, a single point can move your percentile by up to 5 points. This is why even modest test preparation often produces outsized percentile results.
Your composite percentile tells one story, but ACT section percentiles can reveal a very different picture. The same numeric score often maps to different percentile rankings depending on the section, because each subject has a unique distribution of student performance.
| Score | English | Math | Reading | Science |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 99+ | 99+ | 99+ | 99+ |
| 33 | 97 | 97 | 95 | 98 |
| 30 | 91 | 93 | 89 | 95 |
| 27 | 85 | 88 | 81 | 90 |
| 24 | 73 | 80 | 69 | 79 |
| 21 | 57 | 65 | 55 | 60 |
| 18 | 43 | 44 | 38 | 37 |
| 15 | 24 | 18 | 18 | 14 |
A score of 27 in Math puts you at the 88th percentile, but the same 27 in Reading is only the 81st percentile — a 7-point gap. This happens because the difficulty curve and student performance patterns differ across sections. Math tends to have a more compressed distribution at higher scores, so fewer students reach the upper range, and those who do earn a higher percentile.
Use section percentiles to find where you have the most room for improvement. If your English score of 24 (73rd percentile) is notably lower than your Math score of 24 (80th percentile), you know that English is dragging your composite down more than the raw numbers suggest.
Understanding the mechanics behind ACT national ranks can help you trust the numbers and know why your percentile stays consistent even if you test on different dates throughout the year.
ACT calculates percentile ranks using a three-year rolling average of graduating classes as the norming sample. This means the percentile tables are not based solely on students who tested on your specific date — they reflect the performance of all ACT-tested students from recent graduating years. This broad sample smooths out any anomalies from a single test administration.
Because ACT uses an equating process, a score of 28 earned in September carries the same percentile meaning as a 28 earned in April. Equating statistically adjusts for minor differences in difficulty between test forms so that scores remain comparable. Composite percentiles typically shift only 1-2 points per year, though section percentiles may vary by 3-4 points due to smaller sample effects.
ACT score rankings have remained broadly stable over time, but recent years introduced some notable shifts — and a major structural change is coming in 2025.
COVID-19 disruptions caused significant percentile movement between 2021 and 2024. Some scores shifted by up to 10 percentile points as the testing population changed. For example, a composite score of 23 went from approximately the 70th percentile in 2021 to the 75th percentile in 2024. These shifts occurred partly because fewer students tested voluntarily during the pandemic, altering the overall distribution.
As testing participation returns to pre-pandemic levels — approximately 1.375 million students took the ACT in the class of 2024 — percentile distributions are expected to continue stabilizing. Year-over-year shifts have narrowed back toward the historical norm of 1-2 percentile points for composite scores.
Starting in 2025, the enhanced ACT introduces a significant change: the composite score will be calculated from only three sections — English, Math, and Reading. Science becomes an optional section and will no longer factor into the composite. This is the biggest structural shift in ACT scoring in decades.
New percentile tables will be established for the three-section composite, but ACT has stated it will use its equating methodology to keep scores comparable to previous years. For current students, this means your percentile ranking should remain meaningful regardless of whether you test under the old or new format.
National percentiles provide context, but college-specific score ranges matter far more when evaluating your competitiveness. Here is how to translate your percentile into an admissions strategy.
| College Tier | Typical ACT Range | Percentile Range |
|---|---|---|
| Ivy League / Most Selective | 33–36 | 98th–99th+ |
| Highly Selective | 30–34 | 94th–99th |
| Selective | 26–31 | 85th–95th |
| Moderately Selective | 22–27 | 68th–88th |
| Less Selective / Open Admission | 16–23 | 34th–74th |
The most useful metric is a school's middle 50% ACT range — the score range between the 25th and 75th percentiles of admitted students. If your score falls at or above the 75th percentile mark for a school, your ACT is a strong part of your application. Below the 25th percentile mark, other parts of your application will need to compensate.
Classify your target schools into reach, match, and safety categories based on where your score falls within each school's middle 50% range. A match school is one where your score lands inside the range. A reach is one where you fall below, and a safety is where you exceed it.
Worked Example
James wants to apply to a university where the middle 50% ACT range for admitted students is 27-32. He currently has a 25 composite. Should he retake the ACT?
Enter your current and target ACT scores to see how much your percentile ranking would change.
See if you can apply what you have learned about ACT score percentiles.
A composite score of 30 on the ACT places you in approximately the 94th percentile, meaning you scored higher than about 94% of all test-takers. This puts you in the top 6% nationally and makes you competitive for highly selective colleges.
Not quite. The 50th percentile on the ACT composite is approximately a score of 19. Dividing the 36-point scale in half does not give you the 50th percentile because percentiles are based on the actual distribution of test-taker scores, not a linear split.
ACT percentiles remain relatively stable, typically shifting only 1-2 percentile points per year for composite scores. ACT uses an equating process and a three-year rolling average norming sample to keep scores comparable. Post-COVID disruptions caused some temporary larger shifts.
Most Ivy League schools have a middle 50% ACT range of 33-36, which corresponds to the 98th-99th percentile. However, admissions is holistic, so a score at the 95th percentile or above (31+) can still be competitive with strong extracurriculars and essays.
Starting in 2025, the ACT composite score is calculated from three sections — English, Math, and Reading — with Science becoming optional. ACT uses equating to keep scores comparable to previous years, so your percentile ranking should remain meaningful.
No. The same numeric score produces different percentiles across sections because each section has a unique score distribution. A score of 27 is about the 85th percentile in English but approximately the 88th percentile in Math.