Robert Urich, a junior at Grundy County R-V school scored a perfect score of 36 on the ACT. He is the son of Mark & Kristi Urich of Laredo.
In the class of 2018, 1,914,817 students took the ACT. The average composite score was 20.8 out of 36. This means that a score of 21 or higher puts you above average. If we consider 21 and up good scores (since they’re above average), what would qualify as an amazing score?
To find out, let’s look at ACT percentiles—the rankings tied to composite scores. For example, a 90th percentile score means you scored higher than 90% of test takers.
On the ACT, 34 and up is the 99th percentile. So if you score 34 or higher, you’re in the top 1% of test takers!
But exactly how many students earned a 33, 34, 35, or 36 in 2018? And which score is the rarest? Let’s take a look:
| Score | # of Students | Percentage of All Test Takers |
| 36 | 3,741 | 0.195% |
| 35 | 14,928 | 0.780% |
| 34 | 21,836 | 1.140% |
| 33 | 26,930 | 1.406% |
Unsurprisingly, a perfect 36 is the rarest score of all—just 0.195% of all test takers earned a perfect ACT score.
