The ACT Test is a standardized test that measures a high school student’s academic skills and readiness for college. It tests your English, math, science, and writing skills.

To take the test, you need to complete the ACT registration and submit the ACT requirements.

Learn more: ACT (American College Testing) Test Guide – Registration, Test Dates & Scores

1. Visit the ACT website to register and create an account.

Allot at least one hour for the registration process. Prepare to answer questions about:

Your personal information

High school background information

College plans and career choices

Preferred ACT test date and location

You also need to submit a recent photo of yourself. Keep in mind that this will be printed on your ticket and score report. Learn more about the ACT photo submission guidelines here.

Start reviewing with our helpful contents: ACT Scores – Release Dates, Scoring System, Average ACT Score

2. Pay the fee. Here are the current ACT fees:

ACT without the writing test

$50.50

What you will get:

Score report for yourself

Score report your high school

Score report for up to four colleges of your choice

ACT with writing test

$67

What you will get:

Score report for yourself

Score report your high school

Score report for up to four colleges of your choice

The report will include your score for writing or English Language Arts, but note that this does not affect your composite score.

Additional Reports

$13.00

You can request for your score report to be sent to additional colleges. Just submit the score report form.

Late Registration

$30

You need to pay the late registration fee if you’re registering or changing your test date within the late period for a national test date.

We have ACT Reading Test Basics & Practices to Improve Scores

ACT Fees For Non-US Students

ACT without the writing test

$150

What you will get:

Score report for yourself

Score report your high school

Score report for up to four colleges of your choice

ACT with writing test $166.50 What you will get: Score report for yourself

Score report your high school

Score report for up to four colleges of your choice

The report will include your score for writing or English Language Arts, but note that this does not affect your composite score. Visit our website: ACT Registration And Requirements 3. Print your admission ticket.

After payment, you can print your admission ticket. Check your email for confirmation.



After you’ve registered and paid for the test, the next step is to prepare for it. Get your ACT study guide, take practice tests, and sign up for lessons. This is the way to get the highest possible score for the test and increase your chance of getting into your college or university of choice.

Related Topic: ACT Test: What You Need to Know

ACT Requirements

Preferred test date and location

Career choices

College/Universities you will be applying to

Computer with internet connection. ACT.org doesn’t recommend using your mobile phones or tablets when registering for the test.

Credit card for payment

A clear and recent portrait-oriented photo that shows your full face and shoulders. You should be facing the camera.

Check our ACT Test Dates for 2020-2021

2020-2021 ACT Registration and Test Dates for United States, US Territories, and Puerto Rico

Test Date Deadline Late Deadline Online Score Release* Sept 12, 2020 Aug 7, 2020 Aug 21, 2020 Sept 22; Oct 6, 2020 Oct 24, 2020 Sept 20, 2020 Oct 4, 2020 Nov 3; Nov 17, 2020 Dec 12, 2020 Nov 6, 2020 Nov 20, 2020 Dec 22, 2020; Jan 5, 2021 Feb 6, 2021 Jan 8, 2021 Jan 15, 2021 Feb 16; Mar 1, 2021 Apr 10, 2021 Mar 5, 2021 Mar 19, 2021 Apr 20; May 4, 2021 June 12, 2021 May 7, 2021 May 21, 2021 June 22; July 6, 2021 July 17, 2021 June 11, 2021 June 25, 2021 July 27; Aug 10, 2021

Check our Free ACT Practice Tests 2020 – Full Length Practice Questions with Explanation

Email Communication

Email is an essential communication between test-takers and the ACT organization. ACT.org will send email messages to the students, including:

Receipts of the registration

Reminders for students to upload an image and have a printout of the admission ticket

Test location alerts

Notifications if the registration was canceled for not providing the required photo by the deadline

Learn more: ACT Math Test Overview, Content Type And Tips To Score High

Parents or Guardians May Receive Emails from ACT.org

ACT will also send the copies of the student’s email messages to their parents, and ACT will also contact the parents in accordance with the organization’s Privacy Policy.

The student emails that ACT will send to the parents will be a duplicate copy. Students must sign in on their ACT account to deal with whatever ACT requested in the email. Note that these emails sent by ACT may have the student’s sensitive information as well as the ACT record of the student. Only the student’s trusted parent or guardian are required to register to receive such emails.

Once a parent has entered his/her email address, ACT will then give the parent 14 days to confirm that he/she wants to receive these emails. If the parent will not confirm within the given time, the parent will not receive any email copies of the student. The student will also be notified that his/her parent has or has not confirmed.

A parent may opt to stop receiving email copies at any time by requesting the student to remove his/her email from the student account’s Parent Email section. ACT will then send an email notification to the parent if the student deletes information in the account.



Knowing ACT registration dates allows a student to opt for a test date ahead of time, so the student can avoid paying any late registration fees. Registration deadlines are typically about a month before the test dates.

ACT registration deadlines also provide a student a rough idea as to how much study time they would have before the test. For instance, if a student will register for a test date right before its regular registration deadline, that student would only have at least a month to study for his/her test.

It is best to register before the regular ACT registration deadline to avoid paying extra fees.

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