Is a 28 ACT score good? Should you retake?

Yes, a 28 is a strong ACT Composite. It has a national rank of 91 in ACT's current percentile table. Whether you should retake depends on what a higher result would do for your college or scholarship plans, and whether you have time to prepare for it.

Our guide to what makes a good ACT score explains how to compare a result with college and scholarship requirements. Here, the question is whether improving a 28 would change a decision on your list.

Where a 28 sits nationally

ACT's national rank measures the share of its comparison group who scored at or below a given result. The current table uses ACT-tested graduates from 2024–2026 and applies to tests taken from September 2026 through August 2027. A 91st-percentile rank describes that group; it is not a 91% chance of admission. ACT defines the comparison.

For your own decision, open each college's current testing policy and published ACT profile. Note which entering class the profile describes and whether it covers admitted students or enrolled students. Use that information to set a goal for your list. A national percentile alone cannot tell you when to stop preparing.

Find the benefit of the next point

A scholarship threshold can give a retake a specific purpose. For 2027 out-of-state and international first-time freshmen with a GPA of at least 3.50, the University of Alabama lists a $10,000 annual automatic award at ACT 28 and $15,000 at ACT 29. Those are two rows of Alabama's scholarship table, not a promise that every applicant with a 28 will receive aid.

The conditions change the plan. Alabama requires official results and does not use superscores for these scholarships. For summer/fall 2027, its priority deadline for the application and official scores is December 4, with GPA considered through the end of junior year. Later consideration is subject to available funds. Check Alabama's score and deadline rules before scheduling a test.

For an eligible applicant considering Alabama, the published difference is $5,000 a year. That gives the target of 29 a reason. It does not establish that a retake will reach 29, arrive in time or make Alabama the least expensive college on your list. Compare total costs after aid, and use the award rules for your own entry year.

You can apply the same method elsewhere: record your current qualifying result, the next useful threshold, which scores the program accepts and when it needs them. If you cannot identify a benefit, pause before adding another test to your calendar.

Two students with a 28 may need different preparation

The current Composite averages English, Math and Reading, then rounds to the nearest whole number. Science does not enter that average. ACT's scoring explanation gives the calculation.

Consider two hypothetical section profiles. Both add to 84, producing a Composite of 28.

For Profile A, Math is worth investigating first. Review the missed questions to distinguish unfamiliar content from errors in work you know how to do. If the misses cluster around solving equations, that gives you an assignment. If they span many topics, a two-point section increase may require broader work. The lowest section is not automatically the easiest one to improve.

For Profile B, the section numbers do not identify a clear priority. A concentration of comma errors in English could be more useful to address than scattered mistakes across all three sections. Let the questions you missed determine the starting point.

In Profile A, raising Math from 23 to 25 while keeping English and Reading unchanged would make the sum 86. Dividing by three gives about 28.67, which rounds to 29 under ACT's rounding rule. This is a calculation, not a forecast. Two section-score points do not necessarily mean two more correct answers: raw results are converted to section scores using the test form's scale.

Retake when the goal and preparation both support it

Another sitting is worth considering when you can name a useful target, identify errors to work on and leave enough time for preparation and score reporting. An illness or testing problem may also justify trying again; ACT includes those circumstances in its retest guidance.

If you have tested more than once, check your current superscore before setting the target. It may already meet a recipient's requirement. ACT explains that superscore acceptance varies by college, so verify the rule for the application or award you are considering.

You can focus preparation on one section, but you cannot register for a section-only retake. ACT currently requires another test sitting. Keep practicing the other required sections too, especially when your goal requires a single-date Composite.

Stopping is reasonable when your result meets your documented goals and another attempt would take time from unfinished applications or schoolwork. If repeated results remain below your target, revisit the preparation itself before booking again. A new date does not resolve an unanswered question about what to study.

Choose your next assignment before your next test

Write down the target and the policy that makes it useful. Then review a fresh set from ACT's official free practice resources, or revisit errors from a recent practice test. Choose a specific skill to work on and check it again with unfamiliar questions.

Once you can describe both the benefit of another attempt and the work you will do beforehand, you have enough information to make a testing plan. If your 28 already does what you need, put those hours toward the next unfinished part of your application.

If another sitting fits your plan, explore ACT preparation with Sharp.