MORRIS COUNTY — Rajvi Shah, a junior at Morris County School of Technology, earned the highest possible ACT Composite score of 36 on the ACT test.
About one-quarter of 1% of students who take the ACT earn a top score. In last year’s high school graduating class in the United States, only 2,958 out of more than 1.38 million students who took the ACT earned a top Composite score of 36.
The ACT consists of section tests in English, math and reading, each scored on a scale of 1 to 36, as well as optional science and writing tests. The ACT Composite score is the average of the English, math and reading test scores. The scores for the optional science and writing tests are reported separately and are not included in the ACT Composite score.
“Earning a top score of 36 on the ACT is a significant accomplishment that signals a student’s readiness for the challenges ahead,” said ACT Chief Executive Officer Steve Tapp. “It opens doors to their future and is an achievement we’re proud to celebrate.”
The ACT test is a curriculum-based achievement exam that measures what students should have had the opportunity to learn in school. Students who earn a top Composite score have demonstrated mastery of the skills and knowledge they will need to succeed in first-year college courses in the core subject areas.
Students who earn a 36 Composite score have met all four of the ACT College Ready Benchmarks, meaning they have a 50% chance of earning a B or higher in related first-year, credit-bearing college courses and a 75% chance of earning a C or better in those courses. ACT data show that students in college who have met at least three ACT benchmarks are more than twice as likely to graduate on time as students who have met none.
ACT test scores are accepted by major four-year colleges and universities across the United States, and they are one of the many criteria that inform admissions, scholarship awards and course placement decisions.
About ACT
ACT is transforming college and career readiness pathways so that everyone can discover and fulfill their potential. Grounded in more than 65 years of research, ACT’s learning resources, assessments, research and work-ready credentials are trusted by students, job seekers, educators, schools, government agencies and employers in the United States and around the world to help people achieve their education and career goals at every stage of life. For more information, visit act.org.
