Is a 34 a good ACT score?

Test Preparation
1

I got a 34 Composite score on my ACT + Writing. Here’s the breakdown:

English: 35
Math: 33
Reading: 35
Science: 31
English/Writing: 32

I have also taken the SAT, on which I got a 2000 (CR: 680, Math: 660, Writing: 660). I’m planning on applying to a couple of Ivy League schools. I know that a 34 on the ACT is better than a 2000 on the SAT, but is it enough to have a good chance at the Ivy League?

Thanks for your input :slight_smile:

2

Yes, it is within that range they look for, among many other things…

3

A good test score depends on the standards of the person whose opinion is being asked of. To me it’s a great score. As for the schools of the Ivy League and other elite universities, hundreds and maybe thousands of perfect 36s and 2400s are rejected each year. That being said, having a complete and dynamic application as a whole will aid you the most.

4

Yes

5

http://www.actstudent.org/scores/norms1.html

It is at 99%ile.

6

Since everyone’s saying it’s good enough, then should I even bother retaking the SAT or the ACT?

7

No, don’t bother.

8

34 is absolutely a good score. I once read somewhere that a 34 is basically looked at as a 36 by colleges. Very rarely will colleges give an applicant preference solely for have a 36 rather than a 34, since they both fall in 99th percentile.

9

I had a classmate and close friend that got a 35 on his ACT his junior year. He applied to Harvard, Yale, UPenn, Cornell, Duke, Stanford, Dartmouth and only gained acceptance to UPenn. That being said, a 34 is phenomenal, but an Ivy League school is looking for a really dynamic resume, and I am assuming they only use test scores as initial screens. Good luck.

10

You should transcend this level of thinking - that test scores are everything. Yes, they are the base, however you would be competing with TENS of thousands of other people who have gotten your score plus or minus 2 points. You should focus instead on your interests and any other thing you love doing or have been doing for some time.

I suggest you read this. It’s amazing and you will have a different perspective of everything once you’ve read it, as it’s the MIT’s admissions who say this, not a layman on CC: [What’s the big deal about 40^2?](What’s the big deal about 40^2? | MIT Admissions)