How to Get a 36 on the ACT: Advice From Perfect Scorers

The ACT is a popular college entrance exam and assessment of college readiness. Students can take the test up to 12 times to achieve the highest score possible.

So what is a perfect ACT score? The perfect composite score is 36. This score is an average of your four section scores for English, Math, Reading, and Science.

While you don’t need a perfect score to get into top colleges, earning a full 36 ACT score can help you be a competitive applicant. Scoring 36 is uncommon and will take a lot of preparation. We interviewed two students who achieved a perfect ACT score and compiled their advice for acing the test.

Getting a perfect ACT score is a pretty rare feat. The number of students in 2020 who scored a full 36 was 5,579 out of over 1.6 million — or about 0.33% of test-takers.

Don’t be discouraged by the rarity of a perfect score. Even if you don’t earn a 36, coming close is still an excellent result. Scoring in the 90th percentile can help you earn admission to top universities and unlock scholarship opportunities.

The middle 50% of students enrolled in prestigious universities like Cornell, Brown, Princeton, Stanford, and NYU all scored between 31 and 36.

The “middle 50%” is a term that means half the admitted students scored in that range (25% of students scored below that range and 25% scored above). So if the middle 50% at Brown is 33-35, then 75% of students scored a 33 or higher on the ACT.

Here’s a brief overview of middle 50% ACT scores for some of the most selective schools in the U.S. All scores are for the class of 2025 except where noted.

The ACT consists of 215 questions across four sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science. You have two hours and 55 minutes to complete the test.

Each section is given a raw score, which then is converted into a scaled score on a scale of 1-36. Finally, your four scaled scores are averaged together to create your ACT composite score.

What does this mean exactly? Ultimately, a perfect ACT score doesn’t equate to a perfect test. You can likely miss a couple of questions and still get a perfect 36.

The exact conversion between raw and scaled score will depend on your test date and the other students who took it on that date — so the exact number of questions you can miss will vary.

We spoke with two perfect ACT scorers to learn more about the test-taking strategies that helped them ace the test. Here are their top five.

Try not to approach the ACT feeling worried about how your performance will impact your chances of getting into college. And don’t consider it a measure of your intelligence, either.

“I like to tell students that it’s more like a game — the test makers use certain tricks, and if you learn how to identify and overcome those tricks you can get as many points as possible in the allotted time,” said Grant Pace, a tutor with Ivy Tutors Network and perfect ACT scorer.

The ACT essentially measures how well you can take the ACT. If you approach the test with this mindset, it can take off some of the pressure and change the way you prepare.

Using official ACT prep materials and practice tests is key to performing well.

“For any student trying to get a perfect score, exposure to test material is a huge factor,” said Pace. “The difference between a 35 and a 36 can come down to one question, so it’s important to expose yourself to as many questions as possible and learn from any mistakes made so you don’t repeat them.”

The time allotment for the ACT can feel pretty intense. For example, on the ACT English section, you only get about 36 seconds per question. Practicing the test timed will help you feel comfortable with the time pressure on test day.

“Take a practice test under testing conditions and then go through the questions you missed,” advised Pace. “From there, assess what questions you think you could quickly learn how to do correctly and which ones you can’t — knowing which questions to skip and guess on can save time to study and answer more manageable questions.”

Perfect ACT scorers take their studying to the next level by really analyzing the questions they miss on practice tests. Reviewing your mistakes carefully will help you continue to improve.

“For every question you got wrong, write a paragraph detailing what you got wrong, how to prove the correct answer, and a tip for next time,” said Alex Nelson, a mentor with Ivy Scholars and perfect ACT and SAT scorer.

Nelson calls these “mistake journals” and encourages students to use them to notice trends and improvements. This can help you focus your study time on weaker subject matter.

Cramming the night before and morning of your ACT isn’t a strong strategy. Many agree that retaining information last minute is unlikely and it’s better not to burn out so close to the test.

“What I always tell my students is truly last-minute, day-before preparation isn’t able to help all that much,” said Nelson. “Once you reach a week before the test, it’s too late to cram your head with new equations and vocab words; instead, focus on material you understand but may have made careless errors on previously.”

Last-minute prep should involve energizing yourself for a long test day. Get a good night’s rest, stay hydrated, and have a filling breakfast.

Feature Image: Ridofranz / iStock / Getty Images Plus / Getty Images