Kenston High School junior Emma Salem earned the highest possible ACT composite score of 36. We recognize her accomplishment, hard work, preparation and diligence.
Only around two-tenths of 1 percent of students who take the ACT earn a top score. In the US high school graduating class of 2020, only 3,731 out of more than 1.8 million graduates who took the ACT earned a top composite score of 36. Scores of 334 and up fall into the 99th percentile.
The ACT consists of English, mathematics, reading, and science tests, with each scored on a scale of 1–36. A student’s composite score is the average of the four test scores. ACT’s optional writing test score is reported separately and is not included within the ACT composite score.
In a letter to Emma recognizing this exceptional achievement, ACT CEO Marten Roorda stated, “Your achievement on the ACT is significant and rare. Your exceptional scores will provide any college or university with ample evidence of your readiness for the academic rigors that lie ahead.”
The ACT is a curriculum-based achievement exam that measures what students have learned in school. Students who earn a 36 composite score have likely mastered all of the skills and knowledge they will need to succeed in first-year college courses in the core subject areas.
ACT scores are accepted by all major four-year colleges and universities across the country.