| 100% | BLACK | 5 | The circled letters in the first shaded area |
| 84% | WHITE | 5 | The circled letters in the second shaded area |
| 59% | INNERCITIES | 11 | Urban areas (as hinted at by the circled letters in this puzzle's grid) |
| 55% | ARMORYSHOW | 10 | Event at which the work spelled out by the circled letters was first exhibited in America |
| 54% | TARA | 4 | Author Westover whose memoir is spelled out in the first letters of this puzzle's eight circled schools |
| 53% | GOD | 3 | What each set of circled letters is, relative to the first word in its answer |
| 52% | BETH | 4 | First letter in the Torah |
| 52% | KENTUCKYDERBY | 13 | First leg of the Triple Crown, whose levels of success can be found in this puzzle's circled letters |
| 52% | ABCD | 4 | First four letters in the alphabet |
| 52% | ALEPH | 5 | First letter in the Hebrew alphabet |
| 52% | ALPHA | 5 | First letter in the Greek alphabet |
| 52% | ALFA | 4 | First letter in the NATO alphabet |
| 51% | SEEYOUINCOURT | 13 | What the circled letters in this answer represent, homophonically |
| 51% | BEEINONESBONNET | 15 | What the circled letter in this answer represents, homophonically |
| 51% | SEAOFCORTEZ | 11 | What the circled letter in this answer represents, homophonically |
| 51% | EYEOFTHETIGER | 13 | What the circled letter in this answer represents, homophonically |
| 51% | ALFA | 4 | First letter in the NATO phonetic alphabet |
| 51% | ABC | 3 | Kind of order for the circled letters in this puzzle |
| 51% | SMILEYFACE | 10 | What's formed by the circled letters in this puzzle |
| 51% | CELESTIALBODIES | 15 | Astronomical objects represented by the circled letters in this puzzle |
| 50% | PSI | 3 | First letter in the Greek spelling of "Psyche" |
| 50% | NOTES | 5 | Staff members, and what the circled letters in this puzzle represent |
| 50% | BEANSTALK | 9 | Storied locale for the circled letters in 8- and 65-Across |
| 50% | OFFONALARK | 10 | What's depicted by the circled letters in 41-/49-Across |
| 50% | LONGWINDED | 10 | Verbose, and what the circled letters in this puzzle literally are? |
| 50% | SUBCONTRACTED | 13 | Outsourced, and what happened to the circled letters in this puzzle |
| 50% | CROSS | 5 | With 36-Down, intersection ... as suggested by the circled letters in the middle of this puzzle? |
| 49% | SWITCHBLADE | 11 | Street weapon ... or a hint to the circled letters in this puzzle |
| 49% | TURNINGAPROPHET | 15 | Punny description of the circled letters in 17-, 27- and 48-Across |
| 49% | TAU | 3 | First letter in the fourth quarter of the Greek alphabet |