When it comes to ACT score performance and/or potential performance, there are a variety of factors that come into play. There are the controllable: effort, strategies and tactics utilized, pacing, errors avoided. But one’s maximum score will ultimately grow as high as their problem solving skills and reading comprehension will take it.
Of course, it would be ignorant to not acknowledge that coming from an academic and/or affluent family correlates to stronger performance, so I would also consider that another uncontrollable factor. It should also be stated that academic and/or affluent families would be more likely to hire a tutor for their student, which is another controlled way to improve performance.
When we talk about performing better - what does that look like? Below are a few examples for different score profiles:
20 - You see a few different student types at this average score range. For example, student A who isn’t maximizing their problem solving and comprehension skill because they have limited content mastery and likely haven’t taken their studies as seriously from a controllable standpoint. You also see student B who, despite having nearly straight A’s and solid content knowledge, is more limited in their problem solving skill and comprehension skill than they’re aware of. Both of these students will see their potential scores being able to reach the 23-27 range if they polish the controllable.
25 - At this range you tend to go one of two ways. A potential 30 range scorer who doesn’t have a good feel for how to attack the test and needs to polish content they have forgotten. Or a 27-28 scorer who tends to be limited in the comprehension and problem solving processing speed necessary to be very strong across all sections.
30 - At this level you’re already in the top 10% of scorers. So the upside is often pretty dependent on the breakdown of your scores. If you’re balanced across the board, you’re more likely to see a point or two higher improvement. If you’re thinking of entering 33-35 levels, you’d have to have exceptional problem solving and comprehension skill that likely already allowed you to have a couple sections in the 33-35 range, that way you can work very hard at the other two sections to grow your composite score.
Do the characteristics of these profiles apply to all students scoring at those levels perfectly, no. However, they do an effective job of categorizing a student to better understand realistic goals to set and allow for more efficient approaches to get there. By focusing on what we can control, the odds of peak performance increase. As for the uncontrollable, we have to play the hands we’re dealt.