How to Go From 20 to 25 on the ACT: A Practical Study Plan

A 20 ACT Composite is around the 63rd percentile.

A 25 is around the 83rd percentile.

That is a substantial jump.

At this score range, improvement often comes from fixing broad, repeatable weaknesses, not hunting for obscure tricks.

Start with your section split

Student A:

• English 17
• Math 21
• Reading 22

Student B:

• English 25
• Math 17
• Reading 18

Same overall neighborhood.

Different plan.

For more section-specific strategy, browse the rest of our ACT guides.

English priorities

High-value skills:

• sentence boundaries;
• commas/semicolons/colons;
• agreement;
• verb forms;
• modifiers;
• concision;
• transitions.

English is highly trainable because many errors repeat the same rules.

Math priorities

Check:

• fractions/percentages;
• linear equations;
• ratios;
• exponents;
• functions;
• basic geometry;
• probability.

Do not spend most of your time on the hardest trig question if basic Algebra is still inconsistent.

Reading priorities

At this range, the biggest issue may be:

• reading too slowly;
• rereading;
• losing the main idea;
• guessing without finding evidence.

Practice building a quick map of each passage.

Science?

Science is optional and no longer part of the current Composite.

If your main goal is to raise the Composite from 20 to 25, prioritize:

• English;
• Math;
• Reading.

Take Science when it serves a separate purpose. For the full section-by-section format, see our complete guide to the Enhanced ACT.

Phase 1: fix predictable errors

For 2–3 weeks:

• core grammar;
• foundational Math;
• passage mapping;
• basic timing.

Phase 2: mixed practice

Now mix skills so you must identify the method yourself.

Phase 3: timed sections

You need to prove you can use the skill under the ACT clock.

Current timing:

• English: 50 questions / 35 minutes
• Math: 45 / 50 minutes
• Reading: 36 / 40 minutes

Once these habits feel automatic, students aiming past 25 can continue with our ACT 30 to 34 study plan.

A sample week

Track repeated errors

If you miss subject-verb agreement five times, that is not five separate mistakes.

It is one skill gap showing up repeatedly.

Fix the pattern.

If you work through this plan and still fall short of your target, our guide on whether to retake the ACT walks through the trade-offs.

Bottom line

The 20-to-25 path is usually:

stronger fundamentals + fewer repeated mistakes + better pacing

You do not need to master every hard ACT question to reach 25.

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