ACT College and Career Readiness

Standards and Benchmarks

ACT College Readiness Benchmarks

Setting the Bar for Success

The ACT College Readiness Benchmarks are the ACT scores that indicate that students are ready for common first-year college courses.

Educators and policymakers have come to rely on the Benchmarks as an indicator of readiness for college and careers. The Benchmarks can be used to aid in college course placement decisions, identify students who need additional academic support, and as a performance standard for monitoring educational improvement.

ACT College and Career Readiness Standards

Giving Clearer Meaning to Test Scores

What Sets ACT Assessments Apart?

The ACT College and Career Readiness Standards are the backbone of ACT assessments. They describe essential skills and knowledge students need to become ready for college and career, giving clear meaning to test scores and serving as a link between what students have learned and what they are ready to learn next.

The standards encompass the many paths available to students after high school, and they reflect our ability to provide insights related to both college and career readiness.