Is 36 a Good ACT Score?

A 36 is the top of the scale on every section and the composite. ACT ranks a 35 at the 99th percentile, so a 36 is in the top 1 percent of test takers.

On the enhanced ACT the composite is the average of English, Math and Reading, rounded with halves up, so a 36 needs section scores that add up to at least 107. One point down, a 35 is at the 99th percentile.

ACT reports one national rank per composite: the share of recent graduates who tested and scored at or below it. ACT's national average composite was 19.2 for the class of 2026; a 36 is 16.8 points above it.

On the SAT, a 36 matches 1570 to 1600, with 1590 as the single value ACT prints beside it. See the 36 row on the ACT to SAT conversion chart or see whether 1590 is a good SAT score.

On ACT's National Online Practice Test 2, 36 on all three sections takes 107 of 108 English, Math and Reading questions; your three sections must add up to 107 or more.

That depends on the college, so we list no admission ranges. Section C9 of each college's Common Data Set gives the 25th and 75th percentile ACT composites of its enrolled first-year students: at or above the 75th, a 36 is a strength; under the 25th it trails most students, and at a test optional college you can leave it off. Some merit scholarships publish ACT minimums on the college's own aid page, and National Merit uses the PSAT/NMSQT, not the ACT (see what a good PSAT score is).

Ranks: ACT, National Ranks for ACT test scores (Composite), checked Oct 17, 2026. National average: ACT, Graduating Class 2026 national profile, checked Oct 23, 2026. SAT match: ACT and College Board, 2018 ACT/SAT Concordance Tables. Right answer counts: ACT, National Online Practice Test 2 Scoring Key, 2026, checked Oct 17, 2026.

The guide to a good ACT score reads the same files. Official scores come only from ACT.