Class of 2026 Score Improvements
For over fifteen years, Marks Education has collected score improvement data for every test preparation student with whom we have worked for six or more tutoring sessions. Calculating score improvement allows us to analyze the efficacy of our tutoring methods and adapt to changes in test formats. Our students in the Class of 2026 achieved historic results, and we are excited to share them with you!
For the Class of 2026, students working with tutors at Marks Education increased their test scores by an average of 173 points on the SAT and by an average of 5.9 points on the ACT®. These increases are the highest we have seen in Marks Education history for both the SAT and the ACT®. The table above shows our students’ average ACT® and SAT score improvements for the past five years.
Score Improvements at Different Levels
While average score improvements are useful as an overall measurement of how we are doing, more accurate and detailed metrics are what we call our ‘banded scores’. As you can see below, banded scores calculate the mean score improvement for students at different baseline score ranges.
Students start tutoring with us with a wide range of baseline scores. Baseline scores come from official SATs and ACT®s, practice tests taken in school in 11th grade or proctored by the Marks Education team.
Regardless of incoming score or where the baseline test was taken, students from the Classes of 2024, 2025, and 2026 greatly increased their scores across the board. SAT test takers scoring between 1160-1250 improved their score by an average of 198 points, putting even the lowest scoring students in this band in at least the top 10% of high school graduates in the past three years on average.
Higher-scoring test takers also achieved strong growth, with an average of a 62-point improvement for students who came to us with an SAT score between 1450-1520. ACT® test takers who started with baseline scores of 33 or 34 improved their scores by an average of 2.2 points with 83.3% of these students achieving a perfect 36 on their final ACT®. These scores greatly expand the opportunity for our students to be admitted to the most selective universities in the world.
How our Class of 2026 Score Improvements Compare
To provide context to these scores, we like to take a look at how students improve their scores with other services despite there being very few test prep companies that track and release score improvement data.
Marks Education’s students who have had 6 or more tutoring sessions (at least 5 hours of tutoring) averaged 83 more points of score improvement on the SAT than students who have had 6-8 hours of practice with College Board’s Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy.
The average gain on the ACT® for all students who took a PreACT® is 1.15 points, considerably lower than our Class of 2026 who averaged a 5.9-point score improvement.
Throughout the years, our students have consistently shown significant improvements, demonstrating the value of our tutoring sessions and the ambition of our students. The Class of 2026 was no exception! Our strategically customized sessions for each student might be just what you need to achieve your score improvement goals too.
Ready to schedule a baseline test or to start prepping for your next test? Contact Marks Education today!