<p>My son took the ACT cold with no prep and scored as noted:</p>
<p>Comp: 28
English: 31
Science: 28
Math: 26
Reading: 25</p>
<p>At a min. he needs a 27 in the math to be considered to the school he wants. He is now going to prep and take the test in June.</p>
<p>Is it realistic to raise the score in math from a 26 to a 27?</p>
<p>If yes, based on taking the test cold with no prep what is the average increase in the math score. </p>
<p>He is all set in the other areas, reading has no weight and I guess they will pull the two best scores.</p>
<p>Help please...thank you in advance</p>
<p>Yes, it realistic to raise math from a 26 to a 27. The ACT claims that each subscore represents a range that a student could reasonably obtain. For example, since your son scored a 26, it can be reasonably expected that he would score between a 24-28 every time he took the test.</p>
<p>Also, since he took the test cold, a little bit of studying could easily propel his scores into the low 30s.</p>
<p>This is very encouraging, I did not expect the latter of your feedback. The 28 would be wonderful the 30 is exciting.</p>
<p>Based on the cold first time results just exactly where does he stand and if it can be compared to an SAT score what would that scale match up to. I know the SAT well but the ACT is a bit new for me.</p>
<p>Is he in the average range like a 1500?</p>
<p>Thank you…</p>
<p>A 28 ACT is comparable to an SAT score of around 1900, so he is quite above average. A math score of 26 is around the 80th percentile, I believe.</p>
<p>Well that wast quite a bit higher then what I expected. My resource information is way off or I was just reading the wrong stuff. Thank you for the feed, this is very nice news.</p>
<p>My DS would like to get that math score from a 26 to a 28 or 29.</p>
<p>Hmmm… perhaps the sources you were looking at were converting the ACT scores to the SAT’s old 1800 point system? I’m not sure what source would say a 28 is around the average ACT score. </p>
<p>The ACT’s website reports that, for 2012, the national average for the ACT was a 21 (with the average math score being the same).
Here’s a link to it: [2012</a> ACT National and State Scores | Average Scores by State | ACT](<a href=“http://www.act.org/newsroom/data/2012/states.html]2012”>http://www.act.org/newsroom/data/2012/states.html)</p>
<p>So, with a 28 composite and 26 math, your son did quite a bit better than most. With a little test prep, a 29 math score is very much within reach.</p>
<p>The test prep will definitely help, and there is generally a boost on the second attempt at the test just from the familiarity with the format and better idea of the pace. After the second try, it gets a little harder to raise it (but not impossible). I am sure he will see an increase in the score next time!</p>
<p>Great link and feedback from all, thank you.</p>
<p>Keep in my mind that the difference between a 26 and a 27 in any section is just one, or sometimes two, questions. If your son reviews some concepts he may have forgotten in math, he should easily be able to get a few more questions right, bumping him up into the low 30s. I’d suggest buying the official ACT practice book (often referred to as “the red book”) and having him do as many practice tests as he can.</p>
<p>I’ll talk to him about the book and ask if it’s something he wants. As much as I want to push him in the end he has to want it. </p>
<p>It would appear to be so simple to get a few more right. He is stronger in the math and sciences than english. He said after the test that he was very tired during the math portion and didn’t expect anything great. I guess he was right considering he got a 26.</p>
<p>Thank you everybody…</p>