ACT College Readiness Benchmarks

The ACT College Readiness Benchmarks are the ACT scores that represent the level of achievement required for students to have a 50% chance of obtaining a B or higher or about a 75-80% chance of obtaining a C or higher in corresponding credit-bearing courses. Using data collected from hundreds of colleges across the United States, Benchmarks have been established for the ACT subject test scores, ACT STEM score, and the ACT ELA score.

The PreACT 8/9 and PreACT Readiness Benchmarks are linked to the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks. Students scoring at or above the Readiness Benchmark in grades 8-10 are on target to meet the corresponding ACT College Readiness Benchmark in grade 11 or 12. PreACT 8/9 Readiness Benchmarks have been established for grades 8 and 9 and PreACT Readiness Benchmarks have been established for grades 9, 10, and fall of grade 11.

*ACT ELA scores are only reported for students who take the writing test. Because PreACT 8/9 and PreACT do not include a writing test, ELA scores are not reported and an ELA Benchmark has not been established for PreACT 8/9 or PreACT.