Is 20 a good ACT score?
A 20 is a slightly above average ACT score. The national average Composite was 19.4 for the classes of 2024 and 2025, and a 20 sits at the 63rd percentile on ACT's current national ranks. It is widely accepted at regional and open admission colleges and can work at many mid-tier schools. For selective colleges or bigger scholarships, aim for 24 or higher.
The ACT Composite runs from 1 to 36 and is the average of English, Math and Reading, rounded to a whole number. Science is optional since 2025 and no longer counts toward the Composite. So a 20 tells colleges you are right around the middle of everyone who tests, a little ahead of it.
What about a 21? It sits at the 68th percentile, so it beats about two thirds of recent test takers. ACT describes 20 to 23 as competitive at many mid-tier colleges. Going from 20 to 21 usually takes only a handful of extra right answers, which is why a short, focused retake plan works well at this level.
Colleges look at more than the Composite. Many schools are test optional, and your grades, classes and essays carry real weight. Before you plan a retake, check whether each school on your list wants scores at all and whether it superscores.
| Composite | National rank | Where it usually fits |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | 52nd percentile | Regional and open admission colleges |
| 20 | 63rd percentile | Regional colleges and some mid-tier schools |
| 21 | 68th percentile | Many mid-tier colleges |
| 22 | 72nd percentile | Many mid-tier colleges |
| 24 | 80th percentile | More selective colleges, more merit aid |
- 1Take one full, timed official ACT practice test and score it.
- 2Find your lowest section of English, Math and Reading. Science does not count toward the Composite, so only study it if a college asks for it.
- 3Learn the patterns that repeat: grammar rules in English, algebra and geometry basics in Math, and the question types in Reading.
- 4Practice 30 to 45 minutes a day, five days a week, for six to eight weeks.
- 5Keep a list of every miss with the reason: did not know it, misread it, or ran out of time.
- 6Take a second full timed test after four weeks, and book your test date once you score where you want.