HistoricalACT Percentiles for 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, and 2011

HistoricalACT Percentiles for 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, and 20 SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips For those currently taking the ACT or who took it in 20-2018, you might wonder:how does your percentile compare with students who got the same score in other years?In this guide, I'll explain what percentiles are, how they work for the ACT, and why they matter. I'll also give you ACT percentile charts for 20-2018 so you can see how your scores stack up against historical ones. What Is an ACTPercentile Score? Before diving in, let's define what an ACT percentile is. First off, a percentile is not the same as a percentage score you get on a test in school (i.e., when you receive 85% on your biology test, you answered 85% of questions correctly). Rather, an ACT percentile score lets you know how you did in comparison with other test takers. This in turn makes your score easier to understand since the ACT uses a pretty ambiguous scale of 1-36. For instance, a 25th percentile score means you scored higher than 25% of ACT test takers, while a 98th percentile score means you scored higher than 98% of test takers. In short, the higher your percentile is, the better you did compared with others who took the ACT. For instance, on an easy in-class test (on which most students scored 90% or above), you could get a high test score like 91% and get a relatively low percentile like 10%. However, if the test were very hard for your class(e.g., only a few students scored above 20%),you could get a low test score like 28% and a relatively high percentile score like 95%. Percentile shifts tend not to be as extreme as this example since the ACT is equated,but I’ll discuss this more in-depth later on. Nonetheless,ACT percentiles are helpful for understanding your scaled scores,aspercentiles allow youto determine where you fall in comparison with other test takers. Do ACT Percentiles Change Over Time? Generally, for a specific scaled ACT score, the percentile of that score stays the same from year to year.That said, there can be some very slight changes (typically 3% at most from year to year). If you’re unsure how scaled ACT scores are determined,learn how to calculate your score. The reason there are only minimal percentile changes for a specific scaled score from year to year is that the ACT is equated to ensure the same curve on every test date. As anexample of the slight variation in percentile for a specific score, a score of 31 was the 96th percentile in 2014 but the 97th percentile in 2013. What does it mean for percentiles for each scaled score to stay about the same from year to year? As I mentioned earlier, ACT, Inc., tries to keep the score distributions the same so that onescaled score indicates the same level of ability across different test dates. For example, ascore of 32 means you scored better than around 97-98% of test takers in 2013 and 2016 (and any other year). Ultimately, thismeans that no one test date (or test year) is advantaged over another. All test dates are equated to ensure similar (if not identical) score distribution. Why Care About ACT Percentiles- EspeciallyPercentiles From Other Years? Your ACT percentile is important because it lets colleges compare your ACT score with those of other applicants (and, more generally, students across the country).Why is this important? If colleges looked at just your scaled score without any other information, they wouldn't have a clear sense of what makes a good ACT score and what makes a bad one. For example, if you got a 33 composite score and colleges didn't know your percentile, admissions officers might judge the ACT as a school test and think you got 33 out of 36- about 92% or an A-, which is good but not great. However, with ACT percentiles, colleges can know that a 33 is actually a 99th percentile score, meaning you scored better than 99% of test takers! Essentially, percentiles allow colleges to get a sense of how test takers perform on the ACT and allow them to compare you with students in the rest of the country. You should care about ACT percentiles from other years because you are applying to college with students who might have taken the ACT in other years, too.For example, although you might have taken the ACT in 2016 as a high school junior, some of your classmates applying to the same colleges as youmight have taken it later in 2017 as seniors. Say you and your classmate both scored 33, but you took the ACT in 2015 and he took it in 2016. Your score places you in the 99th percentile but puts him in the 98th percentile. This makes your 33 just slightly more impressive than his. ComparingACT percentiles for specific scaled scores across years is useful to know how you stack up against students who took the ACT a different year but are applying to the same colleges and at the same time as you. While percentile scores are important, theACT score rangefor your target college is the more important consideration. The ACT score range for colleges is the range in which the middle 50% of admitted students’ ACT scores fall.For instance, Yale’s ACT score range is 32-35- meaning 25% of admitted students scored at or below 32, and 75% scored at or below 35. Universities rely primarily on score ranges when making admissions decisions. For this reason, you’ll want your score to be at or above the 75th percentile (for example, 35 for Yale) to give yourself the best chance of being admitted. To find ACT score ranges for your schools, search â€Å"[School Name] ACT scores PrepScholar.†For a more detailed explanation, with tips on how to calculate your target score, readour guide to what a good ACT score is. The main reasons colleges care about their particular score ranges over national ACT percentiles are as follows: A college’s ACT score range is often a consideration in college ranking lists. As a result, colleges want to admit students with higher ACT scores so that they will be ranked higher. Colleges publish their score ranges each year. Thus,the higher the score range, the more impressive it seems to the public. While ACT score percentiles are an important part of the college admissions process, your final ACT composite score is the number that is most significant. OK, maybe not this historical. Historical ACT Percentiles for 20-2018 Below, I’ve listed the ACT score percentiles for each composite scaled score from 20-2018. I used data provided by ACT, Inc.,to assemble this and the charts below (for the percentiles for individual sections). Remember, apercentile is the percentage of test takers who scored at or below a certain scaled ACT score. ACT Score 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 20 36 100 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 35 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 34 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 33 98 98 98 99 99 99 99 99 32 97 97 97 97 98 98 98 98 31 95 95 96 96 96 97 97 97 30 93 93 94 94 95 95 95 95 29 91 91 92 92 92 93 93 93 28 89 88 89 89 90 91 90 91 27 86 85 86 86 87 87 87 87 26 82 82 83 82 83 84 83 83 25 78 78 79 78 79 79 79 79 24 74 73 74 73 74 75 74 74 23 69 68 69 68 68 69 68 68 22 63 63 64 62 62 63 62 62 21 58 57 58 56 56 56 55 55 20 51 51 51 50 50 50 48 48 19 45 44 45 43 43 43 41 41 18 39 38 39 37 36 36 34 34 17 32 31 32 30 30 30 28 28 16 26 25 26 24 24 24 21 22 15 20 19 19 18 18 18 16 16 14 14 13 14 12 12 12 13 8 7 8 7 7 8 6 7 12 4 3 4 3 4 4 3 3 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 10 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ACT English Historical Percentiles 20-2018 Below, I’ve listed the ACT score percentiles for each English scaled score from 20 to 2018. ACT English Score 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 20 36 100 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 35 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 34 97 97 98 98 98 99 99 98 33 95 95 96 96 97 97 97 97 32 93 93 94 95 95 95 96 96 31 92 92 93 93 93 94 94 94 30 91 91 91 91 92 92 92 92 29 88 88 89 89 90 90 90 90 28 87 86 88 87 87 88 88 88 27 85 84 85 84 85 86 86 85 26 82 81 82 82 82 83 82 82 25 79 79 79 78 79 79 78 78 24 75 74 75 73 74 75 74 73 23 70 69 70 69 69 70 68 67 22 64 64 65 63 64 64 63 63 21 59 58 59 58 58 59 57 56 20 53 53 53 52 52 52 50 49 19 47 47 47 46 45 45 43 43 18 43 43 43 41 40 40 38 38 17 39 39 39 36 36 36 33 34 16 35 34 35 32 32 32 29 29 15 29 29 29 27 27 26 24 24 14 23 22 23 21 21 21 18 18 13 18 17 17 16 6 16 14 14 12 14 13 14 3 13 13 12 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 10 6 6 7 7 7 7 6 6 9 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 8 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 7 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ACT Math Historical Percentiles 20-2018 Below, I’ve listed the ACT score percentiles for each Math scaled score from 20 to 2018. ACT Math Score 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 20 36 100 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 35 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 34 97 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 33 95 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 32 93 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 31 92 96 96 96 96 96 96 96 30 91 95 95 95 95 95 95 94 29 88 93 94 93 93 94 93 93 28 87 91 91 91 91 92 91 91 27 85 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 26 82 83 84 83 84 84 84 84 25 79 78 79 78 78 79 78 79 24 75 73 75 73 73 73 73 73 23 70 68 69 68 67 67 66 67 22 64 63 64 62 61 61 60 60 21 59 59 59 58 57 56 54 55 20 53 55 56 54 53 52 51 51 19 47 51 52 49 49 48 46 46 18 43 46 47 43 44 42 40 41 17 39 38 40 37 37 36 34 434 16 35 29 30 27 28 27 25 26 15 29 18 18 16 15 15 14 14 14 23 8 8 7 6 6 5 5 13 18 3 4 3 2 2 2 2 12 14 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10 6 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ACT Reading Historical Percentiles 20-2018 Below, I’ve listed the ACT percentiles for each Reading scaled score from 20 to 2018. ACT Reading Score 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 20 36 100 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 35 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 34 97 97 98 98 98 99 98 99 33 95 95 96 97 97 97 97 97 32 93 93 94 94 95 95 95 95 31 90 90 91 92 92 93 93 93 30 88 88 89 89 89 90 90 90 29 85 85 86 86 86 87 87 87 28 83 82 83 83 84 84 85 85 27 80 79 81 80 81 82 82 82 26 77 77 78 77 78 79 78 79 25 74 74 74 74 74 76 75 75 24 71 70 71 71 71 72 71 71 23 66 65 66 66 66 66 66 66 22 60 60 60 60 61 62 60 61 21 54 53 56 54 56 56 55 55 20 48 48 48 48 48 49 48 48 19 43 42 43 42 42 43 42 42 18 37 37 37 36 35 37 36 36 17 31 30 31 30 31 31 29 30 16 27 26 26 25 25 26 24 25 15 22 21 22 20 20 21 20 20 14 17 16 16 15 16 16 15 15 13 12 12 12 12 10 10 12 8 7 7 7 7 8 7 7 4 5 4 3 4 4 3 3 10 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 9 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ACT ScienceHistorical Percentiles 20-2018 Below, I’ve listed the ACT score percentiles for each Science scaled score from 20 to 2018. ACT Science Score 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 20 36 100 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 35 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 34 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 33 97 97 98 98 98 99 99 99 32 96 96 97 97 97 98 98 98 31 95 95 96 95 96 97 97 97 30 94 94 94 94 95 96 96 96 29 92 92 92 93 93 94 95 95 28 91 90 89 92 92 92 93 93 27 88 88 86 89 90 90 91 90 26 86 85 83 87 86 87 87 87 25 82 82 79 82 83 84 83 83 24 77 77 74 76 77 77 77 77 23 70 70 69 69 70 70 69 70 22 64 63 64 62 63 64 62 62 21 56 55 58 55 55 57 55 56 20 49 49 51 48 48 48 47 47 19 42 41 45 40 41 40 38 38 18 36 35 39 33 32 33 31 31 17 29 28 32 27 27 26 24 24 16 23 22 26 22 21 22 19 20 15 18 16 19 16 16 17 15 15 14 14 12 14 12 13 13 12 13 10 8 8 9 9 10 8 8 12 6 5 4 6 6 7 6 6 3 3 2 3 4 4 4 4 10 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 9 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 What’s Next? Got more questions about ACT scores? Learn about what qualifies asa good ACT score for your collegeandhow to calculate your target score. Already got an ACT score goal? Then tryour 15 top tips for taking the ACTorour 20-hour prep guide. Finally, make sure you're studyingthe right way with our guide to reviewing your mistakes. Disappointed with your ACT scores? Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.