How to Put ACT Scores on Resume: Should You Do it at All?

Let’s face it, your chances of landing your dream job are much dependent on how you present your resume to your potential employer. You need to get it right if you want to be considered for the job. All your qualifications need to be added neatly to make your resume stand out among the rest. American College Testing (ACT) score is one of the qualifications that you can add to your resume.

Is it really important? Should I put my ACT score on my resume? If so, do you know how to add SAT well to your resume? Well, let’s find out through a series of thoughts that will highlight the whole idea of putting ACT on resume.

Should I Put My ACT Score on My Resume?

The first thing that you need to do is to examine the importance of adding the results to your resume. Normally, this practice is not common amongst job applicants who have ACT qualifications that could be added to their resumes. Some scenarios may require you to add the test results to your resume. This only happens when you have been directly asked to do so by your prospective employer. It can also be a prerequisite when you are applying for higher education or scholarships in universities.

So, the practice should be that you only add ACT on your resume when you are asked to.

How to Put ACT Scores on a Resume?

Once you have determined that the scores are important and should be added to your qualifications, you can go ahead and put your ACT score on your resume. Always remember that the nature of the job will determine how your resume should look like. The organization is an important skill that you need to learn when you are selling your set of skills using an important document like a resume. To make resume making process easier — check this list.

You need to determine where you will put the score if your job requirements need it. There are two sections on which you can add this important detail.

1. Adding in the skills section of the resume

The skills section has details of the abilities that you have related to the job that you are seeking. The details added here must be precise to capture the attention of the interviewers. Should you put ACT scores on a resume, the best place is in the skills section. Here, you need to be as brief as you can.

For example, you don’t need to get into the details of the different results that you got in math, reading, and writing. You should summarize the score and add it. Also, remember to add the date of the exam and a bit of context that may indicate to your potential employer the kind of score that you have.

2. Adding in the accomplishment section

Another section that you can use is the accomplishment. This section highlights to your prospective employer what you have achieved concerning the job for which you are applying. When adding your ACT score here, you need to highlight it as an achievement.

For example, you should indicate the percentile rankings that show you were amongst the top students. Of course, you also need to write the actual score and explain in brief how it is an achievement.

When to Add ACT Score to the Resume

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Presenting a job application is a process that needs to be precise. You should not miss important things that might be needed. So, how would you know if it is important to add ACT scores to your resume? This is a question that doesn’t have a general answer because it is not a normal practice to add it.

Aslo read: How to add GRE score on the resume.

However, you need to be aware of special circumstances when the scores might be useful in boosting your credentials.

• You should add it if the employer has explicitly requested that you do so. You can only know this by keenly checking the job advert in the requirements section. Do not assume that you already know what you should do.
• You should also add it if you believe it will help add weight to your application.
• You should also add it if the score is exceptionally high and will boost your credentials.

When You Should Ignore Adding the Score

Just as it is an important consideration to avoid missing out on important things in your application, you should also be on the lookout to avoid adding unnecessary items to your application.

Sometimes, adding the ACT score can be an unwanted addition. So, how would you know it?

• When you have extremely low marks that may work against you.
• When you already have an undergraduate or postgraduate degree.
• When you deem it as an unnecessary addition to the resume.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you are applying for a first-time job or the job is extremely important to you, then you must be nervous about the whole idea of writing an application. Refining your resume is one of the things that you should have in mind if you want it to turn out amazingly great. So, if you want to have the best resume ever, but you aren’t ready to do it by yourself, there are professionals that can help.

When it comes to ACT scores, you must be having a few questions related to its addition to the resume. Here are some of the frequently asked questions that could help you have a better perspective of this matter.

Can employers check your ACT scores?

The biggest worry about a potential job candidate is lying about their scores just for the employer to find out. You don’t need to worry a lot because a majority of employers don’t have time to think about the test scores.

Whether or not you have included them in your application, most employers are less likely to check them out. This is why it is not a requirement in many job applications. Even when they check it, the score is less likely to be used to determine your suitability for the job.

How do you obtain your ACT scores?

You first need to create an account to access the scores. Of course, this is based on having done the tests. After finishing the test, the results are posted online and you simply need to go to your MyACT account to check your score. The other option of getting your score is phoning Customer Support to get results via email, phone, fax, or chat depending on which one is convenient for you. Sometimes you may log in and fail to find the results of the score.

Therefore, you should know when the results are released. It takes about two weeks for multiple-choice scores to be released while it may take up to eight weeks to get the results if there is a delay after the national test.

Do your test scores matter for hiring managers?

The test scores that you get before college are rarely used by hiring managers. Most hiring managers do not request the test scores, thus, diminishing their importance during the hiring process. Even when they ask for the test results, they are rarely used as a major metric for determining who is suitable for a job position or who is not.

But this doesn’t mean that low scores are as attractive as high scores in a resume. There are other things in your resume together with your personality that the hiring managers are more interested in as opposed to pre-college test scores.

Verdict

Learning how to put ACT scores on the resume is important if it is a requirement for your job. The whole idea is to get ahead of others seeking the same position. Therefore, you need to analyze if the test results are going to work in your favor or not before adding them.

If they are not asked by the employer and they are low, quick advice is to avoid adding them as they will disadvantage you. If you are to add it, consider the tips shared above to get the best out of your resume.