your act percentile ranking tells you how you did compared to everyone else on the act test. act percentiles are, in some ways, even more important than your actual act score. why? because they provide an easy way to compare your performance on the act to other test-takers overall, providing you with important information for your act prep.

read on for everything you need to know about act score percentiles.

how are act score percentiles calculated?

act percentiles are calculated by comparing one act score to the distribution of scores of all the students who took the act at a given time. on your act score report, the lowest percentile possible is the 1st percentile and the top percentile is the 99th percentile (it’s impossible to score at the 100th percentile because that would mean that your act score is higher than your score, which makes no sense!).

as a standardized test, the act is intentionally designed to get most students scoring at the 50th percentile mark. the following infographic might help you visualize the act score distribution:

act scores and their corresponding percentiles tend to stay the same year to year. so, for example, scoring a 32+ typically means you did better than 97% of test-takers and scoring a 26 typically means that you did better than 82% of test-takers. (note that these scores don’t mean that you scored a 97% or a 82%, respectively, on the test.)
 

how to find your act score percentile

on your act score report, you’ll see your act score breakdown represented by several percentile scores—you’ll not only be able to see your composite percentile, percentiles for each subject area subscore, and percentiles for stem and ela subscores, but you’ll also see these percentiles in terms of your u.s. rank and your state rank.

here’s a snippet from a model act score report:
 

if you haven’t taken the act yet and you’re wondering where your practice test scores fall in the act distribution, you would first need to make sure that your raw score is converted to your scaled score for each subject area (except for the act writing test) as well as the composite score.

then, you can use the below act percentile chart to match all five scores to their corresponding percentiles, based on the most recently-released data. (to score your essay and determine your act writing score percentile, check out this post about what makes a good act writing score.)

act percentiles for composite score and subscores

this act percentiles information is provided by act.org.

*this chart represents the cumulative percentages rather than percentile scores. if any of your scores correspond with 100, you would be at the 99th percentile.

what is a good act percentile?

while it may be useful to know your act percentile as determined by the national or statewide distribution of scores, it’s not necessarily the best tool to determine what a good act percentile might be for you.

you may think that scoring at the 90th percentile nationally at least means that you have a competitive score for any school in the country (and to be fair, that would be the case for the vast majority of colleges and universities).

but for elite schools (where the average act score is around 33), scoring even at the 95th percentile might not be enough, especially if the rest of your application has some flaws. on the flip side, scoring below the 90th percentile mark could still allow you to be a great candidate at top state universities around the country.

this is because for pretty much any school in the u.s., a good act score percentile is anywhere in the middle 50% (25th percentile-75th percentile) of the score distribution of accepted students specifically at the schools you’re interested in —and that differs notably from school to school.

for example, at the prestigious university of chicago, their 25th percentile score of accepted students is 21 while their 75th percentile is 36. meanwhile, at the university of texas-austin, a phenomenal school in its own right, their middle 50% scores range from 27 to 33 (act test scores were not a required component for application to the class of 2025).

while schools don’t release their own act score percentile charts, they do release the score range of their middle 50% of students. you can check out more score ranges of the top 100 u.s. universities in our post about act scores. use this data to help you figure out the middle 50% ranges of your target schools—or better yet, the scores you need to go beyond the 75th percentile in order to maximize your chances of getting in.

how do colleges use act percentiles?

for college admissions offices, your act percentile is probably not as important as your act score. this is because the school’s act score range (as determined by the middle 50% at their school) is the information that admissions officers have handy; so, they don’t actually need to calculate your act percentile to see how your score falls into the middle 50% score range.

that being said, your national act percentile can provide an easy way of determining how you stack up to other students applying. because applicants send in scores from the act and sat, college admissions teams need some way to compare these scores. so for admissions officers who don’t have the act to sat score conversion memorized (a.k.a. most of them!), they are likely to take notice of your percentile rank as well.

how to use act score percentiles to improve your score

if you have plans to retake the act, the act percentiles provide valuable perspective to help you be strategic with your test prep: how much you might need to study and which subject areas take higher priority.

let’s take a look at our model score report once more:
 

with just a cursory look at the scores, you can see that this student is stronger at the stem subjects than the ela subjects. but the percentiles better show the magnitude of difference between these two areas and provide more of a sense of urgency to focus on ela.

although it is certainly fine to be stronger in one subject than another, you don’t want any one subject to drag down your score or percentile too much. colleges would use this information to note that you are weak in certain areas.

looking at this student’s scores alone can also make it seem like they might have to spend roughly the same amount of time studying for reading and english. or that the student might need to spend more time bringing up their math score to be more on par with their science score. when looking at the percentiles, however, you can see how the difference between the student’s performance on english and reading is significant and that they should prioritize studying for reading before other tests.

the state rank also provides some important perspective when it comes to prioritizing what to study for the act retake. if you’re only applying to public schools in your state, for example, your state percentile rank might give you a better sense of your competition than the national rank.

if your state rank is better than your national rank, you may be able to somewhat reduce the pressure to do well on a retake; conversely, if your state rank is worse than your national rank, you’d have to prepare yourself to hit the books.

in either case, you’d still want to dedicate as much time as possible to studying because the higher the act score, the more competitive of an applicant you’ll be.

key takeaway

hopefully, after reading this post, you’ll have a better understanding of act percentiles and the scores you should aim for (if you haven’t taken the act yet). if you have, then hopefully you have a better sense of whether you’re on track with your current act percentile or if you need to aim higher.

if it’s the latter, we have plenty of resources to help you to improve your act score! our blog is full of free resources, such as how to improve your act score by 10 points or how to structure your act study schedule.

for even more structured support and practice, you can check out our magoosh act app, which is guaranteed to increase your score by 4 points.

wherever you may be on your act journey, we at magoosh wish you all the best!

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act test dates 2024-2025

curious about act 2024-2025 test dates? here’s the act schedule for 2024-2025 so you can find the next act test date that fits your planner! unfortunately, none of the 2024-2025 tests will be available as act at-home tests. it’s not clear whether act still plans to roll out this option, which was announced in 2020.

* act national test dates exclude new york and international locations.

act registration and fees

you’ll register for the act on act’s website. the act costs $69 without writing and $94 with writing. late registration (after the official act sign up dates) is $38. standby testing is $69 (but can be refunded under certain circumstances). to change the date or center, it’s $44. score reports to more than four colleges cost $19 for the fifth and sixth, then $19 each. to get your test information released (a copy of your questions and answers), you’ll need to pay $32 if the order is placed before the test begins, and $40 after.

faqs about act test dates and locations

now that you’ve read our guide, you may still have some questions. here are our answers to some of the most frequently asked questions!

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even if you’re lucky enough to be receiving financial support from your family, they probably aren’t going to foot the whole bill for college. so you’re probably wondering, what’s a good sat score for scholarships, and how can i find them?

the short answer is that you should aim for an sat score between 1200 and 1600 if you want to secure some scholarships based on merit–and the higher within that range you score the more money you’re looking at.

however, different schools have different scholarship requirements (some even have guaranteed scholarship awards for students scoring above certain cutoffs) so you’ll want to research the specific schools on your list.

now for the long answer…

what’s a good sat score for scholarships?

in this post we’ll examine the different types of scholarships you can apply for, where to find them, and what some of the standard scholarship amounts offered by different schools based on sats look like. we’ll also coach you through how to set your own specific goal score, and how to structure your sat prep around that goal!

there are many ways to earn scholarship $$$ (sports, extracurriculars, overcoming adversity, the list goes on), but this post is going to focus on how to secure scholarships through your standardized test scores – especially the sats.

now let’s take a look at how to turn your good sat scores into some scholarship dollars.

types of scholarships

first of all, many colleges around the country have what are called guaranteed scholarships. these scholarships are automatically awarded to accepted students who have earned a certain sat score. the cool thing about them is that you don’t even have to fill out a separate application. when you’re researching colleges, keep your eyes open for what guaranteed scholarships are out there.

a larger number of colleges also have general merit scholarships. these scholarships have the same sat requirements, but you are in competition with other accepted students for a limited number of awards. these scholarships may require a separate application, along with a personal or themed essay. in short, read those directions closely!

available scholarships by school

many colleges and universities have specific scholarships available for their current and incoming students, so if you have a list of schools you’re interested in, a simple google search for your top college choices along with the search term “merit scholarships” is all you need. because every scholarship’s requirements are different, you have some work to do: get out there and find some scholarships!

scholarships based on academic merit often have minimum sat scores provided in their descriptions. take note of any sat score requirements you find during your research, then average all those scores. the result is your minimum sat score goal.

not sure which colleges you want to apply to yet? here’s a list to get you started:

the amount of scholarship money available varies widely between schools, but if you’re looking at regular public and private colleges and universities, you’re likely to see these kinds of numbers.

[related: average college tuition in america infographic]

private scholarships

there are also scholarships out there that aren’t affiliated any specific academic institute (the burger king james w. mclamore whopper scholarship for example), so once you’ve exhausted your college list, try casting a wider net. here are just some of the scholarships with super simple applications that i discovered after a few minutes of online research:

1. dosomething.org easy scholarships

on dosomething.org you can enter to win college scholarships by participating in community service campaigns–some are even as simple as sending a tweet!

2. $2,000 no essay scholarship
niche gives away a $2,000 scholarship every month. all you have to do is register for a free account and you are entered to win this scholarship.

3. $10,000 unigo scholarship
answer unigo’s prompt in 250 words or less. one of their recent topics was “surprise! you just got elected president. what’s your first tweet?”

4. no essay smart owl scholarship
scholarshipowl is an online platform designed to match you with the award opportunities that fit your background, grades, lifestyle, and more–and you will be entered to win the “$7,000 no essay smart owl scholarship” just by making a free account on their website.

searching for scholarships can be exhausting, so consider going to see your high school or college counselor to give you a leg up on the hunt.

how to set your sat goal score

having a specific score in mind will help you focus your sat prep, but don’t forget that this score is a minimum – ideally you want to be scoring a bit higher than this number on your practice tests (and the real thing, of course!).

once you’ve got a strong sat score under your belt, you can shift your focus to the scholarship applications themselves, and any essays and/or personal statements that may be lurking within.

final thoughts about a good sat score for scholarships

there are a lot of scholarships out there, and surprisingly enough, many of them have nothing to do with sat scores. like i mentioned at this beginning of this post, plenty of scholarships are based around other attributes such as overcoming adversity, your background, your summer job, or simply how well you write an essay. you probably have a lot more than just your sat scores going for you, so you shouldn’t sell yourself short by only looking into merit scholarships – they’re just a good place to start!

well, magooshers, that’s all for now. before you go any further, make sure to check out our article on the 3 best places to look for college scholarships. happy scholarship hunting!

need more help?

with magoosh sat, you can choose between a live cohorted class with an instructor (which includes all our lessons and practice questions) or access to the self-study option by itself.

all magoosh sat prep plans are digital sat ready! start studying today.

the post what’s a good sat score for scholarships? appeared first on magoosh blog | high school.

why would you care what the average act score by state is? a lot of colleges and universities have admissions officers who focus on a particular region. believe me, they’re more than familiar with what the average score looks like in your area! also, if you’re applying to college in a particular state with a lot of in-state applicants, it’s good to know approximately where you stand in terms of the admissions pool by comparing yourself to local test takers.

so if your score is slightly lower than average for the college—but far above average in your state—it might not hurt your chances as much as you think it might. in fact, it may even help you!

state act score averages

here are the average act scores by state, plus information about the percentage of students who meet national performance benchmarks for the united states. these are composite act scores or scores for the overall act test.

this chart contains data on the percent of high school graduates who took the act, average composite scores, and the average scores by subject. the data is organized by u.s. state.


 
data from act average scores by state (pdf), provided by the act.

that’s a lot of information, so let’s break it down. the table gives us the average composite score for each state, as well as the percentage of students from each state meeting college-readiness benchmarks in english, reading, science, and math.

what’s a readiness benchmark?

if you take a look at the 2023 national act profile report (pdf), the most recent report released by act, you can see that they take another measure into consideration for college readiness.

act has done a lot of research (and i invite you to read it), but for those of you on a tight schedule, this is how the act evaluates college readiness:

• act scores (or other standardized test scores) are a valuable predictor of college success for high school students, taken in consideration with high school grades and other factors.
• the “benchmark” scores for each section show the threshold above which high school graduates can expect to be reasonably prepared for college courses in this subject area. more specifically, the act explains, these indicators show the percentage of students who “have a 50% chance of obtaining a b or higher or about a 75% chance of obtaining a c or higher in corresponding credit-bearing first-year college courses.”
• in each state, a different percentage of test-takers meets or exceeds the benchmarks every year.

average act scores by the numbers

what do those scores mean in a national context? in 2023, the national average act score was 19.5 (source: 2023 national act profile report). the breakdown looks like this:

however, keep in mind that these numbers come from an incredibly large pool of students (over 2 million, according to the national center for education statistics!) each of whom is taking the act for different reasons.

so the overall averages are really not all that helpful in contextualizing your score. instead, let’s look at how to contextualize average sat scores by state and how you can use them to your advantage.

what average act scores by state mean for everyone

benchmarks are one way of determining college readiness and what constitutes a “good” act score, and they’re more reliable than comparing your score to the 19.5 average. but as we’ve seen, test scores in one state are not perfectly comparable to scores from another state—the 100% test rate in some states shows us that, in places, all students, not just those who are determined to go to college, take this exam. this most likely lowers that state’s act composite score.

a better way to put your score in context

in other words, to get a better idea of how your scores stack up, it can be helpful to look at data from a smaller pool of students—preferably some who have had a similar education.

1. first of all, you can look at average act scores for your state.although you will find that scores don’t vary drastically between states, you may live in a slightly less or more competitive one.
2. next, you can look at average act scores for your high school.many students can access this data on their high school’s “profile” sheet. this might be posted on your school’s website, or you can ask your college counseling department for it. in fact, this is a really crucial piece of paper. did you know that this is the info colleges use to understand how your high school compares to other high schools, as well as how you compare with to fellow students? information is valuable, people!
3. compare them to the average act scores at the colleges or universities you are targeting.if you don’t have a college list yet (or even if you do), i highly recommend doing some exploratory research by reading our comprehensive post on act scores, which has a great table you can use to find the average test scores at the top 100 u.s. universities.

   as you might expect, more selective schools have high average scores (even up to the highest possible score of 36!), while less selective schools have lower average scores. but keep in mind that these are usually ranges–you don’t need to get the maximum score of 36 to get into a highly selective school (though it won’t hurt!).

the magoosh answer

your act score can be a very important factor in determining college admissions. so make sure to arm yourself with all of the above facts and figures before you set your act goals. but, it’s also important to keep in mind that your act scores are only one part of who you are as an applicant, and you have lots of other talents to offer a college or university!

and, don’t forget the most important person to be comparing yourself to is…you.

so, if you studied hard and increased your act score from a 16 to a 20, that is a huge win! you are now way better prepared than “average you” was before. and that—rather than the average act scores by state—is what really counts at the end of the day.

the post average act scores by state (2022-2023 update) appeared first on magoosh blog | high school.

the ranges of “good scores” vary a lot depending on both your goals and your age. the more competitive your dream schools are, the higher your target score should be. on the other hand, you can expect your scores to increase as you go through high school. for that reason, if you’re a sophomore, 1300 is a good score, while a freshman should be very pleased with scores of 1200 or higher.

want to find out exactly what a good score would be for you and your goals? read on for more information about sat scores—from average sat scores to sat score charts, we have all the data you need.

 

table of contents

• what is a good sat score range for colleges?
• sat score scale: the basics
• what are sat percentiles?
• what is a good score for scholarships?
• how does the adversity index impact my score?
• how can i improve my scores?

what is a good sat score range for colleges?

let’s face it: at the end of the day, there is no “sat passing score.” what is considered a good score depends almost entirely on the colleges that you’re applied to.

keeping in mind the general sat score range to aim for, let’s take a closer look at good scores for your dream school. just to make things a little easier on you, we’ve put together this table of score ranges for the top universities in the united states. the numbers are from the middle 50% score range (meaning 25% of admitted students had lower scores and 25% had higher scores).

type the name of your chosen school in the search box to find its middle 50% sat score range!

sat score scale: the basics

before you send your score report to admissions officers, make sure you understand the sat scoring scale. what is the sat out of? what’s the top sat score? knowing these things can help you figure out what a good score is for you and what your goals should be.

basically, sat test scores are given both by section and overall. here’s a quick breakdown of the sectional sat score scale and how it contributes to the composite score. note that this “new” sat scoring applies to tests from 2016 onwards—scores were different on previous versions of the sat, with a top sat score of 2400!

• you’ll receive two sectional scores, one math and one verbal (combined from the reading and writing sections).
  • math score range: 200-800 points
  • evidence-based reading & writing score range: 200-800 points
  • the average sat score on each section is 500 points, give or take 30 points (in 2020, the average ebrw score was 528 and the average math score was 529).
     
• your math and reading/writing sectional scores add up to a composite (combined) score. the highest composite score you can earn on the sat is 1600 points.
  • composite score range: 400-1600 points
  • the average composite score is about 1000 points (the average overall composite score in 2020 was 1051).
     

what are sat percentiles?

another way of evaluating your scores is to look at percentiles. your sat percentile measures the percentage of test-takers who got a lower score than you did. this means that percentile numbers, much like score numbers, indicate better test performance when they’re higher.

here’s how to find your score percentiles on your online score report.
 

basically, sat percentiles compare your scores to average scores. because the sat is a standardized test, it means that these scores are easily comparable. this information falls along a bell curve:

if you’re in the 91st percentile, for example, it means that only 9% of all other scores are higher than yours. in contrast, in the 30th percentile, 30% of all other test takers would have lower scores than you… and roughly 70% of the scores were higher than yours. this would place you in the bottom half of the year’s test-takers, in terms of performance.

sat percentiles are calculated annually. click the arrows below to see the college board’s most recently released sat user percentiles (meaning only juniors and seniors).

what is a good score for scholarships?

many colleges around the country have what are called guaranteed scholarships. these scholarships are automatically awarded to accepted students who have earned a certain sat score.

a larger number of colleges also have general merit scholarships. these scholarships have the same sat requirements, but you are in competition with other accepted students for a limited number of awards. these scholarships may require a separate application, along with a personal or themed essay.

scholarships based on academic merit often have minimum scores provided in their descriptions. take note of any score requirements you find during your research, then average all those scores. the result is your minimum score goal for scholarships. to see the types of scholarships out there, check out our article what’s a good sat score for scholarships?


 

how does the adversity index impact my score?

if you’ve been paying attention to sat news lately, you may have heard about college board’s new adversity index. this is a measurement that they will give to colleges to contextualize your scores in terms of relative advantage/disadvantage.

by creating this new measure, the college board hopes to show how students from low-income and minority populations perform compared to other students from similar backgrounds. while this has been controversial, the adversity index will not affect scores themselves.

instead, what it will give schools is an understanding of your percentiles based on both your “environmental context” and your “high school context.” again, this won’t change your score at all, but instead give universities one more measure with which to interpret your scores.


 

how can i improve my scores?

check out this video for tips to boost your score, and read on for resources to help you before and during test day! you can also use these tips if you’re planning on retaking the sat.

• make use of a sat study schedule—knowing how to study for the sat is a huge factor in improving your score!
• take a free, full-length sat practice test to establish a baseline score.
• review our tips for pacing yourself during an exam.
• find ways to remain calm when a question flusters you.
• learn how to avoid careless mistakes in the future. (magoosh’s sat study guide has great tips to help with this!)

a final note

“how do my sat scores stack up?” it’s a question that almost every test taker has asked at some point! by taking a look at the score ranges for the colleges you’re applying to, comparing your scores to the national average scores with percentile rankings, and working your test prep to keep improving your score when necessary, you’ll have everything you need to understand how your score will impact your college admissions!

still unsure whether you want to take the sat or act? wondering how your scores stack up to potential act scores? check out magoosh’s sat to act conversion!

all magoosh sat prep plans are digital sat ready! start studying today.

the post sat scores: everything you need to know appeared first on magoosh blog | high school.

click the links below to go straight to that section, or keep reading to get everything you need to know act scores!

• how are act scores calculated?
• what is the highest act score?
• what is a good act score?
• act scores for the top 100 u.s. universities
• how act scores can help you win scholarships
• should i cancel my act score if i get a bad score?

how are act scores calculated?

the act test score range is between 1 and 36. there are two types of scores that fall in this range: your section scores and your composite score.

section scores

the act exam comprises four sections:

• english (with an optional essay)
• math
• reading
• science

the score on each section is calculated by converting the raw score—the number of questions you answered correctly in a given section—to a scaled score in that 1-36 range. (there are no penalties for questions with an incorrect answer).

if you’re thinking “aw man, do i need to know a formula to figure out my practice act results??” — never fear! we actually have this handy dandy score calculator where you can plug in your raw scores to figure out your section scores. you can also check out our act raw score conversation chart for a sense of how many questions you need to answer correctly to get a certain scaled score.

composite scores

to make your composite, or overall, score, the test maker then averages your four scores on all sections. this is also scored using the 1-36 act scale.

so what is a good act composite score? many factors will help you determine what a good act composite score is for you. but before we get into that, know that the composite score is not the only score that matters! the act score report will provide you even more information about your test-taking experience in the form of subscores.

subscores

the reading, writing, and math sections also have categories with their own score ranges, as noted in the table below:

percentiles

finally, last but definitely not least, you’ll see your percentile. or, rather, percentiles.

your act percentiles compare your scores to the scores of other test-takers. in your score report, you’ll be able to see where you stand both in terms of your composite score and your section scores.

if you scored in the 90th percentile, for example, you scored better than 90% (or 90 out of every 100) test-takers. if you scored in the 50th percentile, you scored better than half of your peers.

what is the highest act score?

seeing as the act score range is between 1 and 36, naturally, the highest score that one can receive on the act is a 36. here are some facts to know about the max act score:

• in 2020, only 5,579 students (out of 1.67 million test takers) scored a perfect 36 on the act (source: act.org).
• you can miss up to five questions on the act and still earn a 36 (depending on what sections you miss them in!)
• the 99^th percentile of test takers includes those who earn a 35 or 34 on the act.

getting the highest act score, while an amazing feat, is nothing worth breaking your back over. sure, a perfect score does make your application all the more appealing—colleges love to brag about the percentage of perfect-scoring applicants they’ve admitted each year. and a 36 will definitely get your application moved to the top of the pile at less competitive institutions.

still, a 36 was worth a lot more ten or fifteen years ago. not only have many colleges and scholarships adopted more well-rounded admissions approaches to giving out letters of acceptance and/or monetary awards, but the number of students getting a perfect score on the act is also growing every year—truly an indication of just how competitive the college admissions process is becoming.

my advice? if you end up scoring in the 34 or above range on the act, it might be best if you’re trying to wow admissions committees through other aspects of your application. this advice is particularly relevant to admissions at ivy leagues and other competitive schools; some of these schools have a whopping quarter of their entering class scoring perfectly on the act or sat.

but if you feel like getting the highest act score can help you shine at less competitive colleges, make sure to check out our post on perfect act score stories to know how it’s done!

what is a good act score?

the act, like its cousin the sat, is a standardized test meant to measure both knowledge gained in high school and potential to succeed in a college setting. the higher the score, the more likely you will get into the colleges of your choice.

that being said, there’s no straight answer on what is a good or bad score; it depends entirely on you, your goals, your grades, your extracurriculars, the schools you want to apply to, and a variety of other factors. a passing score on the act for someone else might not be a passing score for you and vice versa.

furthermore, while most schools care about the composite score, some will look specifically for your subject area scores. so even a number isn’t just a single number.

objectively speaking, a score of 32 or higher would put you in a competitive position for any school that you choose apply to. if that’s your goal, check out this video by magoosh expert kristin on how to get the highest act score:

but unless you want to go to super-elite schools, you might find it more useful to focus on your gpa and extracurriculars than aiming for the max score. that’s where it becomes useful to look at school rank when deciding what’s a good score on the act.

good scores by grade level and school rank

we’ve crunched some numbers and come up with what could be considered good scores, based on your ultimate school goals as well as your grade level. after all, a good score for a sophomore (who’s maybe taking the preact instead) won’t be the same as a good score for a senior.

please note that the numbers on the act scoring chart are loose projections— a lot of factors affect how high of a score you need to achieve. act students with lower scores may still get into their dream schools and students with top scores may not (you can skip to the section on act scores for the top 100 u.s. universities to see the competitive score ranges for a given school). still, this is a good place to start as you plan your act test prep. you can choose between a live cohorted class with an instructor (which includes all our lessons and practice questions) or access to the self-study option by itself.

good scores by section

so those are good composite scores. but what does a good sectional score look like on the act? as we describe in our post on good act english scores, most people would consider any score above the average (around 20 per section, though this varies slightly by year) to be “good.”

however, if you’re applying to very competitive schools, aim for the 90th percentile or higher. this translates to the following scores:

• english: 20.1
• math: 20.4
• reading: 21.2
• science: 20.6

meanwhile, act writing is scored slightly differently. so what makes a good act writing score? here, a 9+ puts you in the range for the most competitive colleges.

the general guidelines for a “good score” by section also apply to preact scoring (though you won’t find an essay on that exam!). however, this is not the case for act aspire, which uses entirely different scoring scales.

average scores

so by now, you know the basic facts and may already have an idea on how you’d score on the act, either because you have taken real or practice act tests or you can convert your sat to act score.

but where do you stand compared to the average test-taker?

the average exam score was 19.9 (composite) in the 2023-2024 school year (source: act.org). basically, if you scored above 21 overall, you’re ahead of the curve.

to see how far ahead of the curve you are, or the points you’d need to score to reach 21, looking at act percentiles is a good place to start.

if you’re feeling super competitive, you can also check out how your score compares locally in average act scores by state.

act scores for the top 100 u.s. universities

though not the only piece in the college applications puzzle, your act score is the first thing most admissions counselors see. if you don’t score in the same range as most of the current students, it is going to be very hard to convince them that you would be the perfect fit. that’s why we provided for you, in the table below, the 25th-75th percentile scores (also known as the “middle 50%” scores) for the top 100 u.s. universities.

what do all those numbers mean? in short, the middle-scoring 50% of incoming students scored within this range. 25% of incoming students scored below the lower number, while 25% of incoming students scored above the higher number. everybody else (the middle 50%) scored between the two.

here’s an approximation of what the distribution of score percentiles could look like:

with all that said, take a look at the score ranges in 2019 below. you can search by school–if your schools of interest rank in the top 100, you’ll find it on this table. if the school’s middle 50% aren’t reported, take a look at the scores at similarly-ranked schools.

act score range for the top 100 u.s. universities

data from the u.s. news & world report: national universities ranking.

what are the score ranges for the ivy league?

ah, the $200,000 (and rising) question! no faffing about. although the ivy league score ranges were featured in the above chart, here they are again for your convenience:

if you’re wondering about the relative “value” of the sat vs. act in ivy league admissions, our act expert, kristin, does a great job of explaining that in this video:

final word? remember that when applying to the ivies, it’s important for your whole application to, well, sparkle.

if you’re scoring slightly below the middle 50% for your dream ivy (or any of your dream schools, really), it’s worth putting in the time to pull it up. maximize those chances!

how act scores can help you win scholarships

yup, a strong score can put you in the running for merit-based scholarships. but just what is that strong score for scholarships? as in the case of college admissions, there’s no one magic number.

if you’re scoring in the 30s (top tenth percentile), that’s a great place to start. on the other hand, you can still get a scholarship even if you’re scoring in the mid-20s. learn more in our post on good act score for scholarships.

should i cancel my act score if i get a bad score?

if you get your scores and find that you’ve scored significantly below your target score, you might be tempted to cancel your scores, worrying that colleges would penalize you for having low scores on your record. but there are a few reasons why you should definitely not cancel your scores.

• first and foremost, if you take the act more than once, most colleges only care about the highest act score you earn. and that’s true even if you do a little worse on the second try, so it’s just best to keep all the options on the table by not canceling scores.
• other colleges superscore act results, meaning that if your highest subscores for each section are spread out across different test dates, colleges will only focus on those highest scores. it’s like making a standardized test version of frankenstein, but using only the best parts!
  • for example, maybe you score really well on math and science but not so great on reading and writing. if you cancel your scores, you’d risk those great math and science scores that could potentially be superscored with better future results in reading and writing.
• another reason not to cancel your scores is that you’d be giving up a clear-cut set of results that explains your strengths and weaknesses when your scores come out. even “bad” results are an invaluable tool for getting great scores next time.

a final word

whew! that’s everything you need to know about act test scores (and probably more)! if you’re curious about how to boost your score to hit your ideal range, check out how to improve your act score by 10 points.

as a reward for sticking this post out and filling your head with all kinds of useful act information, check out how your scores compare to those of famous people. now you’ll know!

the post act scores: everything you need to know appeared first on magoosh blog | high school.

start improving your act writing score (and everything else) today with magoosh!

act writing: essay percentiles

the act essay is scored from 1-6 in four categories by two graders. this gives you four scores from 2-12. you then receive a final act essay score from 2-12 that is the average of these four scores. this is the score you will be reporting to colleges. for more detail on how the essay is scored, make sure you check out rachel’s article on act essay scores.

here’s the breakdown for act essay scores and percentiles for the 2023-2024 reporting period:

as you can see from this table, the mean, or average, score on the act writing section is 6. it’s a good idea to aim for at least the 75th percentile, so in this case a good act writing score would be an 8 or above. a 9 or above would put you in the 97th percentile, which is great!

of course, a lot depends on the schools to which you apply (this thorough rundown on act scores has more info). generally, the more selective the school, the higher your score should be to be competitive.

universities that require the act writing will almost always have an average score range on their admissions website, so make sure you do your research. if you aspire to ivy league or other highly-selective schools, a 9 is the threshold you should try your best to reach to be safe.

however, most schools do not provide a cut-off score, so theoretically a below-average score will not eliminate you from being considered for admission. then again, it won’t help you either.

if you are ever concerned that your essay score is inaccurate, however, you can ask for your essay to be re-scored. the $58 fee for the re-score will be refunded if you do get a higher score.

takeaways

so what’s the takeaway from all of this? really, a few key points:

• research the schools you plan to apply to, and see which of them require the act writing test.
• at the least, shoot for an 8+ overall score for a “good” act writing score.
• a score of 9+ is an ideal score for applications to selective schools.
• if you believe your essay has been mis-scored, you may request a re-score for a fee.
• don’t panic!

act essay grader

if you’re coming to this post after taking your first 2022世界杯入门名单, you might be wondering how the heck you’re supposed to even grade your essay. you’re thinking, “what even is my act essay score?”

to start, let your essay sit for a day or two before grading it (it’s helpful to get some distance). then, follow the official scoring rubric from act, and ask a trusted friend/teacher/parent to do the same. be as objective as possible as you grade—you won’t do yourself any favors by inflating your score!

then, use our handy act essay grading tool to find your score:

act writing test scorer

click the button below to get started:
 
start quiz!

1. what score did you give your essay? 

6

• essays at this level will respond to all three perspectives offered.
• the thesis is nuanced and precise.
• the argument puts the issue in context insightfully, examining implications, complexities, tensions, values, and assumptions.
• ideas and analysis are well developed and qualified.
• organization is skillful and unified around a main idea; the essay progresses logically and uses transitions.
• word choice, sentence structures, style and register are all skillfully and precisely used.
• some errors that do not impede meaning may be present.

 

5

• essays at this level will respond to all three perspectives offered.
• the thesis is precise, though could be more nuanced.
• the argument puts the issue in context thoughtfully, examining implications, complexities, tensions, values, and assumptions.
• ideas and analysis are mostly developed.
• organization is productive and mostly unified around a main idea; the essay progresses logically and uses transitions.
• language use is serviceable, if not skillful.
• some errors that do not impede meaning may be present.

 

4

• essays at this level will respond to at least two of the perspectives offered.
• the thesis is clear.
• the argument puts the issue in context, recognizing implications, complexities, tensions, values, and assumptions.
• ideas and analysis are clear.
• organization is clear and related to the main idea; the essay progresses logically and uses transitions.
• word choice, sentence structures, style and register are all adequate.
• some errors that impede meaning may be present.

3

• essays at this level will respond to at least two of the perspectives offered.
• the thesis is somewhat clear.
• the issue’s context is limited or tangential.
• ideas and analysis are relevant, but too general or specific.
• organization is basic and mostly coherent.
• language use is basic and unvaried.
• distracting errors that impede meaning may be present.

2

• essays at this level only weakly respond to multiple perspectives.
• the thesis may not be evident and analysis is incomplete, irrelevant, or repetitive.
• development and illustration are weak, inadequate, or illogical, and the argument is unclear.
• some attempt at organization is visible.
• language use is inconsistent and distracting errors that impede meaning are present.

1

• the essay does not respond to the task.
• analysis is unclear, while ideas are undeveloped and unsupported.
• little to no organization is evident, while errors in language usage may be common and often impede understanding.

question 1 of 2

2. what score did you give your designated grader give your essay?

6

• essays at this level will respond to all three perspectives offered.
• the thesis is nuanced and precise.
• the argument puts the issue in context insightfully, examining implications, complexities, tensions, values, and assumptions.
• ideas and analysis are well developed and qualified.
• organization is skillful and unified around a main idea; the essay progresses logically and uses transitions.
• word choice, sentence structures, style and register are all skillfully and precisely used.
• some errors that do not impede meaning may be present.

5

• essays at this level will respond to all three perspectives offered.
• the thesis is precise, though could be more nuanced.
• the argument puts the issue in context thoughtfully, examining implications, complexities, tensions, values, and assumptions.
• ideas and analysis are mostly developed.
• organization is productive and mostly unified around a main idea; the essay progresses logically and uses transitions.
• language use is serviceable, if not skillful.
• some errors that do not impede meaning may be present.

4

• essays at this level will respond to at least two of the perspectives offered.
• the thesis is clear.
• the argument puts the issue in context, recognizing implications, complexities, tensions, values, and assumptions.
• ideas and analysis are clear.
• organization is clear and related to the main idea; the essay progresses logically and uses transitions.
• word choice, sentence structures, style and register are all adequate.
• some errors that impede meaning may be present.

3

• essays at this level will respond to at least two of the perspectives offered.
• the thesis is somewhat clear.
• the issue’s context is limited or tangential.
• ideas and analysis are relevant, but too general or specific.
• organization is basic and mostly coherent.
• language use is basic and unvaried.
• distracting errors that impede meaning may be present.

2

• essays at this level only weakly respond to multiple perspectives.
• the thesis may not be evident and analysis is incomplete, irrelevant, or repetitive.
• development and illustration are weak, inadequate, or illogical, and the argument is unclear.
• some attempt at organization is visible.
• language use is inconsistent and distracting errors that impede meaning are present.

1

• the essay does not respond to the task.
• analysis is unclear, while ideas are undeveloped and unsupported.
• little to no organization is evident, while errors in language usage may be common and often impede understanding.

question 2 of 2

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after you take the act, you might feel like a big weight’s been lifted from your shoulders. but, as the days pass and you still don’t have your test score, the tension starts setting in again. if you’re refreshing your act account page and wondering, when do act scores come out?—don’t worry! your act scores are coming! in this post, we’ll take a look at act score release dates, so you can rest easy.

table of contents

• when will act scores be available?
• what time do act scores come out?
• how do i check my act scores?
• i have my act scores: what now?
• act score release faq
• a final word

when will act scores be available?

generally, the act score release date happens two weeks after you take the exam. but it’s important to note that the act releases scores in batches. not every score comes out on exactly the same day. here’s what this looks like this year!

act score release dates 2024-2025

sometimes, you may have to wait up to eight weeks to get your multiple-choice scores. it’s rare, but it does happen. by planning your act test date in advance, you can help ensure that this won’t have an impact on your college applications (particularly important if you’re applying for early decision or early action).

for example, if you take the october act, your scores will be posted between three and eight weeks after the test. this happens because the act uses an “equating” procedure on this exam to ensure that scores from different versions of the tests mean the same thing.

if you took the act writing test, you’ll be waiting an extra two weeks to receive your complete score. think of it as training. after all, this is good practice for all the anticipation you’ll feel waiting for either fat or thin envelopes from the colleges you applied to.
 


 

what time do act scores come out?

okay, great, you may be thinking. so that’s when i’ll get my act scores. but what time will act scores be available?

the act releases scores at 12am central time on a given test’s score release date, which is usually two fridays after you take the exam. if you have trouble remembering, just think of cinderella (although that’s 1am eastern and 10pm pacific time, so that won’t hold true for all of you).

if it’s after midnight and your scores haven’t appeared yet, go to bed! your results may not appear for one, two, three, or even seven days after the official release day. so don’t fret too much if your scores aren’t there the first day.
 

how do i check my act scores?

scores will appear in your act account (the same place where you registered for the act). this is the only way to get your official scores—calling, emailing, or chatting with act customer care won’t get you your act score report. however, if it’s been more than eight weeks, it’s time to get in contact with them to see what’s holding them up!

once you have your scores, you can find out more about how the act calculated your score and how you did compared to others in your state. then, it’s time to make some decisions.

i have my act scores: what now?

your scores are in! it can be an exciting moment or a disappointing one. no matter what, you now have two options: send your scores to colleges or retake the test.

send your act scores

love your act results? send them to colleges!

if you selected schools to receive your scores on your act registration, act will send the scores directly to up to four colleges for free. after that, you can use your act account to send the scores to schools for $19 per report/per school.

if you didn’t select four schools during registration, you’ll still have to pay the fee—you don’t get these reports for free retroactively. this can be a bit of a challenge and involve some cost-benefit analysis on your part during registration.

should you take advantage of the free score reports and have act send the scores before you even see them? or wait to ensure that you want to send these scores but pay more after the fact? kristin has some thoughts that can help you decide how to send your act scores

in all cases, keep in mind that the act doesn’t send scores to colleges until your writing scores are in—about four weeks after your test date. this is also important to keep in mind if you’re planning to…

retake the test

if you get your act scores and you’re not happy with them (whether that’s your composite score or sectional score), you have options. and your best option is to retake the test.

in fact, you don’t have to wait to get your scores to plan for an act retake. if you really think you did poorly on the act, my best advice would be to continue your act prep even before you see the results.

if you’re going to retake the act, you don’t want to fall out of the habit of studying. you could also put in a mail order for the report on how you did on every question plus the answer key, which would really help with prep for a retake (click here for more information on this service, plus more on act scores).

even if you’re relatively confident in your test performance, you may still want to go ahead and sign up to retake the test. even students who score well the first time may still retake the act. when you do get your scores, you can begin to focus your prep on the areas where you struggled. if you need some additional practice this time around, check out our magoosh act prep.
 

 

 

act score release faq

still have questions about how act score release works? check out our answers to your top questions.

a final word

asking yourself, “when do act scores come out?” can be exhausting as you refresh and refresh your act account page. but it’s a lot easier when you know what to expect! now, you can make plans for what to do with those scores and how to use them in your college applications. good luck!

the post when do act scores come out? score release dates and faq appeared first on magoosh blog | high school.

the sat reading section is a daunting task for many students who are new to it. the passages are dense, and the questions are tricky. however, if you have a solid strategy in mind, you’ll be able to tackle it effectively. here are my top 10 sat reading tips to help you improve your score:

1. get familiar with the types of sat reading passages.
2. don’t read every sentence.
3. do a preliminary skim of the passage before looking at the questions.
4. write a summary in the margins for each paragraph as you progress.
5. use keyword skimming for more specific questions.
6. predict before looking at the answer options.
7. get familiar with the common wrong answer traps.
8. keep a different strategy in mind for each sat reading question type.
9. use time checkpoints to stay on track.
10. when in doubt, choose the “boring” answer.

sat reading tips for a high score (2024)

1. get familiar with the types of sat reading passages

there are four different types of sat reading passages:

• literary narrative
• historical document
• social science
• natural science.

the literary narrative passages are parts of novels or stories. the historical document passages are primary source documents, which take the form of speeches, letters, or editorials. social science is the scientific study of human society and social relationships, so social science passages will be articles related to subjects such as anthropology, economics, or psychology. on the other hand, natural science is the scientific study of the physical world. natural science passages will usually be related to chemistry, physics, or biology.

you will see a total of five passages in the test. literary fiction and historical documents will each appear once. additionally, there will be either one social science passage and two natural science passages, or vice versa. one of the passages you encounter will be paired with a graph, and another one of the passages is actually a pair of two short passages.

now that you know what to expect, you’ll want to ingrain that knowledge with regular sat reading practice using quality prep materials!

2. don’t read every sentence

sat reading is very different from the way we usually read in real life. you don’t want to read every single sentence of the passage, because it’s too time-consuming and completely unnecessary–a bad combination. another common tactic used by students is to skip directly to the questions. this is also less than ideal, as you will have no context for the questions, and context is key to reading comprehension. what you should do instead is skim the passages.

3. do a preliminary skim of the passage before looking at the questions.

the first thing to do before looking at the questions is an initial skim of the passage. to be clear, when i say “skim”, i don’t mean to simply read every sentence quickly. skimming on the sat entails reading only the important sentences and skipping the rest (cross sentences out, if necessary).

how do we know whether a specific sentence is important? the first and last sentences of every paragraph are usually important because they tend to give us a gist of what the paragraph is about. (one important exception: the first sentence of the overall passage is often just a catchy hook, lacking any substantial content.)

transition words and phrases are important to look out for. any sentences that feature contrast transitions (e.g., however, nevertheless, in spite of) or conclusion transitions (e.g., therefore, in conclusion, ultimately).

transition words and phrases can also act as clues that a sentence is not important. any sentences with transitions that indicate detail (e.g., in detail, for example, for instance) or continuation (e.g., furthermore, additionally, in addition) are sentences that you should avoid for now. at this point of the process, you’re just trying to get a broad understanding of the passage without wasting time on the specifics.

4. write a summary in the margins for each paragraph as you progress

as you go through the passage, stop after every paragraph and write a short summary of the paragraph in the margins. how short? ideally, summaries should be no more than five words. you don’t even need to use words, as long as you can understand what you wrote! it’s not easy to condense several sentences into a few words, but embracing this challenge will help you to really internalize and retain your summaries, often to the point that you don’t need to revisit them while answering questions.

when you’re creating your summaries, focus on the big ideas, logical or narrative structure, and tone. furthermore, remember that relationships between concepts and points of view are far more important than any technical stuff you may encounter. you should be able to answer all of the broader questions attached to the passage from just your summaries.

5. use keyword skimming for more specific questions

there will be questions that pertain to specific details in a passage. you may remember that i said to ignore the details when doing your initial skim. so, how do we answer these more specific questions without rereading the passage? this is where keyword skimming comes in.

pick the most unique word in the question and scan for it in the passage. you can use your summaries to narrow in on the paragraph that likely contains the answer to the question. you don’t need to read —simply look out for the “shape” of the word (i.e., its length and which letters stick up or down). it’s kind of like “where’s waldo?” or “i spy”!

6. predict before looking at the answer options

instinctively, students tend to read the answer choices immediately after reading the question. reject this instinct! on the sat reading section, it’s more effective to make a prediction of the correct answer before looking at the choices. even vague predictions are better than nothing.

making a prediction first can help to focus your thinking so you don’t fall into wrong answer traps (more on that later). as i said before, you can answer the broad questions using just your summaries; make predictions based on what you jotted in the margins.

for the specific questions, keyword skim and read the sentences that feature your keyword. then, you can take what you learned to predict the answer. if you’re still stuck after reading the answer choices, revisit your prediction. ask yourself which choice is closest to your prediction and go with that one.

7. get familiar with the common wrong answer traps.

wrong answers are traps made to appear correct. here are the most common traps you’ll see on the sat:

• too broad — the answer choice is technically correct, but it fails to capture the meaning or content of the passage.
• too narrow — the answer choice contains a detail or idea that is mentioned in the passage but can’t be generalized to the whole.
• too extreme — is overwhelmingly positive/negative or states/implies that something is “all”, “none”, “never”, “every”, etc.
• assumption — could very well be true, but not necessarily, given the text of the passage.
• half right, half wrong — is correct about one detail or passage but incorrect about the other
• one word off — is almost perfect, but one word ruins it
• wrong detail — misattributed something mentioned in the passage
• opposite — has a sneaky “not” thrown in, or it’s correctly answering the wrong question (e.g., in “except” questions)

8. keep a different strategy in mind for each sat reading question type

• main purpose questions typically ask what the passage/paragraph is about or why it was written. these are big picture ideas, so you can make predictions from your summaries.
• line reference questions ask about the intended meaning or purpose of specific sentences/phrases/words. these questions deal with little picture ideas, and they give you the location in the passage, so you can just go to the line reference to predict. it helps if you use the surrounding sentences for context.
• key words questions ask about specific details of the passage, where the answer will always be explicitly stated. you aren’t given a line reference for these, so you’ll usually have to keyword skim to make your prediction.
• inference questions deal with notions that are implicitly stated in the passage. you’re looking for something that isn’t mentioned in the text but must be true, given what is in the text. these are often the hardest questions to answer; they’re difficult to predict, so you might want to use the process of elimination.
• evidence-based reasoning questions are usually paired with inference questions but are sometimes standalone. these questions ask what part of the passage proves that the inference is true, and the answer choices are line references. if you were able to figure out the answer to the inference question, then you should have a pretty good idea of the answer to the evidence-based reasoning question. if not, think about the implications of each answer choice and whether it fits with the one alluded to in the question.
• vocabulary in context questions deal with the author’s use of a word in the context of the passage; they are not asking for the definition of the word. for these questions, your prediction doesn’t have to fit perfectly with the answer choices. consider how you would use the answer choices and substitute them for the word in question. it is also very helpful here to have a broad knowledge of words with several different meanings.
• with graph questions, you will be reading and interpreting graphics, and relating them back to the passage. take note of the graph’s title, axis/column/row titles, keys/legends/labels, and trends. you can use them as keywords to scan for in the passage. it’s often useful to annotate the graph and mark what you’re solving for.
• comparison passage questions ask about the relationships between the paired passages. answer the individual passage questions before the ones asking about both passages. skim the first passage and answer its corresponding questions before attending to the second passage.

9. use time checkpoints to stay on track

in the sat reading section, you have 65 minutes to answer 52 questions. instead of wasting time constantly checking the clock or not paying attention to your pace at all, you can use time checkpoints to help yourself to stay on track. because the questions are divided almost evenly amongst the five passages, you have built-in checkpoints at your disposal. 65 minutes divided by 5 passages gives you an average of 13 minutes for each passage and its 10 or 11 corresponding questions.

i want to emphasize that this is an average; it’s okay to spend more time on some passages and less on others. adjust your checkpoints to your specific strengths and weaknesses. for example, you can save more time for whichever passage type is your least favorite. (if it’s your least favorite, it’s probably also the one that takes you the longest time to get through.) if you find yourself significantly behind schedule (more than a few minutes), then consider skipping some questions to get back on track. you can come back and attempt them at the end if there’s still time.

10. when in doubt, choose the “boring” answer

correct answers are rarely extreme in their implications or their tone, so pick the answer that is the least assertive and/or most neutral. if there’s a passage that you’re just not getting, or if you’re running low on time, you can use the process of elimination to increase your chances. eliminate anything that isn’t “boring” enough.

those are my top recommended sat reading tips to help you prepare efficiently for the test. know of any other tips? leave them in the comments below!

all magoosh sat prep plans are digital sat ready! start studying today.

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the future is (almost) here! college board, the group of folks who make the sat, has finally decided to switch the format of the exam from paper and pencil to taking the test on a digital device. wow college board, is it 2007 already?

the new digital format will make the sat more accessible to more future college superstars, which is awesome! college board is also taking this opportunity to make some other changes to the test. in this article, we’ll give you an overview of the new digital sat, as well as what’s staying the same and what’s changing from the paper-based sat.

what’s on the digital sat?

the digital sat will test almost the exact same topics and skills that the sat has always tested. that means the digital sat features passages across a range of academic disciplines, and will ask you to demonstrate command of evidence, vocabulary in context, and conventions of written english like sentence structure, usage, and punctuation. the entire reading and writing section is made up of multiple choice questions.

on the math side, the digital sat will include problems covering the topics that matter most for college and career readiness and success. that means plenty of algebra and advanced math, as well as some word problems, data analysis, geometry, and trigonometry. the math section is made up mostly of multiple choice questions with a few of the grid-in style questions (aka “student produced response”) mixed in.

how is the digital sat scored?

the big takeaway here is that your digital sat score report will still use the familiar 200-800 scores for both the reading and writing section and the math section. then, those two scores are added together to get your overall sat score out of 1600.

but since the test will now be digital, college board can get a little more sophisticated about how they come up with your score. the digital sat will be scored adaptively, which means the overall difficulty of your test depends on you! both the reading and writing section and the math section will be broken into two separately timed modules. the first module will have a mix of easy, medium, and hard questions. based on how you do, you may see an easier, harder, or more balanced second module targeted to you. this change doesn’t really affect how it feels to take the test, but it does mean they can produce a more accurate score with fewer questions and a shorter test. digital sat for the win!

how to prepare for the digital sat

good news here—preparing for the sat is almost exactly the same as it’s been for years! all the tips, tricks, strategies, and study schedules test prep experts have always recommended will be virtually unchanged from the paper-based test to the digital sat.

one important callout here is that the digital sat students will see mostly the same lesson videos and video explanations of practice questions in magoosh as the paper sat students see. so, for now it’s really important for students studying for the digital sat to be aware of the differences so you’ll know when a magoosh video mentions some info that may not apply to your test.

the novelty of the digital sat also means there’s a lot less data available about the scoring scale. that means score estimates in magoosh may not be as accurate for a little while (but they should still be really close). it also means an official score on the paper sat may be less predictive of your performance on the digital sat. of course, magoosh students can email our test prep experts for answers anytime they have questions about the digital sat!

paper vs. digital sat comparison

long story short…

even though the test itself is changing in a big way, preparing for the sat is barely changing at all! and we can all celebrate that the test will now be shorter, simpler, with no need for a no.2 pencil. if you’re interested in more details about the digital sat, check out the digital sat doc from college board or email help@www.catharsisit.com. happy studying!

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