Is 24 a Good ACT Score?

Applying to the next stage of your education is always a time fraught with anxiety and uncertainty, so you will be trying to get as much information as you can about your chances. In particular, taking a test for admission is a very challenging thing to do, so knowing what score to aim for is crucial.

A score of 24 is generally seen as quite good for the ACT, and it would typically place you within the top quarter, or 25%, of those who take the test. That means that, while you would have a number of good opportunities for places to apply to, you may be up against a lot of even more impressive scores from other applicants.

In the article below, we’re going to give you the low-down on how a 24 on the ACT can affect your application’s chances, and how it stands up to the competition – so make sure to read on!

How High Is A 24 ACT Score?

When you finish a practice test or look at the possible scores in general, it can be hard to interpret what you are really seeing. Does a 24/36 mean the same as a 66% on any other test, or are things a little bit different here?

The reality is that you won’t get a grade in the same way that you might with tests you have done in the past. Instead, what the schools you apply for get to see will be your score, and they will be weighing it up against those of the other people who apply alongside you.

To get to grips with how impressively you have performed, then, you need to know what percentile rank you would fall into with the score that you get. This will tell you the percentage, or proportion, of all those who sat the test that achieved the same result you did, or an even greater score.

Using information gathered from high school graduates between the years of 2020 and 2022, a composite score of 24 on the ACT would be ranked in the 76th percentile, meaning that 24% of people got the same or greater.

This data was used to create the ACT ranking report for 2022-2023, and you can take a look at more of the percentile groups in the table below.

How Might An ACT 24 Convert To The SAT?

There are more ways to think about your results than just percentile ranks, though. You can also look at how they might convert if you took them over to the other largest admissions test in the country: the SAT.

The SAT is scored out of a much higher number, so there is greater variance in the scores that can be achieved. Even so, you can make an approximate conversion between the two to see where your ACT score would likely fall.

If you convert a 24 on the ACT over to the SAT it would likely be the same as a score that is between 1160 and 1190. A wider range of score conversions can be seen in the following table:

Also read:

• Is 23 a Good ACT Score?
• Is 22 a Good ACT Score?
• ACT Test Dates

Which Institutions Should Be Easy To Apply To With A 24?

As a score that is well above the average achieved on the test, a 24 is more than good enough to get you into an excellent institution. There are all kinds of wonderful schools all over the country that have a minimum requirement of 24 or less, giving you a lot of options to choose between.

These are some of the establishments that are rated most highly by students, and accept applicants that have an average composite score of 24 or below:

• University of Oregon
• University of Houston
• Ohio University, Main Campus
• Georgia State University
• Pace University
• West Virginia University
• California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
• Florida Atlantic University
• University of North Texas
• Sam Houston State University

Which Institutions May Not Be Easy To Apply To With A 24?

It should come as no surprise, however, that you are not going to have your pick of absolutely any school you want with a 24 on the ACT. There will be many students that are applying with even better results, and a lot of the hardest schools to get into will regularly receive applicants that achieve scores well into the 30s.

There are a number of places that you could still apply to with a 24, though you may find the competition to be pretty fierce. Some excellent schools that accept applicants with an average composite ACT score of 25 to 28 include:

• University of Arizona
• Michigan State University
• University of South Florida
• Temple University
• Louisiana State University and Agricultural ; Mechanical College
• Colorado State University, Fort Collins
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Liberty University
• University of Iowa
• DePaul University

Should I Aim For A Better Score On The ACT?

Looking at everything that we’ve talked about so far, the natural next question you’ll have is whether or not you need to work harder. Well, that’s in your hands. The school you hope to attend most in the world may be more than happy to accept you with a 24, but the more competitive the institution is the more competitive your results may have to be.

To make sure your application is noticed for all the right reasons, you should consider trying harder to achieve even better results. Put in the hard work now to practice and prepare, and make sure you sit the ACT itself multiple times so that you manage to show the best of yourself when the time comes.

On another important note, don’t forget to ensure your application is well-rounded. Your ACT isn’t everything, and the other elements such as the interview, essays, portfolio, or references may be what tips the scale in your favor.

Summary: Is 24 a Good ACT Score

So, is a 24 a good enough score for the ACT? It can be, if it is high enough to get you noticed by the schools you are interested in. For some higher education institutions, though, a 24 could look a little low compared to the others who are applying, so you might want to consider working to get a better result.

However, there is a lot more to this picture besides these scores, and the rest of your application will hold a lot of weight too – so make sure to put the effort in across the board.