Last Updated: July 15, 2021
ACT Scoring
Scores are ONLY available online after logging into ACT account and NOT via phone, email, fax or chat.
ACT Score Reports
ACT prepares three different reports for each examinee.
- Student Score Report: Students can view their report by logging into their online ACT account. It contains ACT scores along with college and career planning information. It will be available about two to eight weeks after the test date.
- High School Score Report: A copy is sent to the student's high school which also contains ACT scores along with college and career planning information. It will be available after two to eight weeks after the test date along with the Student Report.
- College Score Report: A report is sent to the colleges or scholarship agencies the student had listed previously (up to 6). It contains the Student Report information plus grades from up to 30 courses taken in high school along with predictions about the student's performance in certain programs and courses.
Releasing ACT Score Online
The Student Report or the online release of ACT scores for the multiple-choice section is usually after 2 weeks of the test date. If one takes the optional Writing test, the writing score will be available for online viewing about 2 weeks after the multiple-choice section scores have been posted.
The scores are officially released after the writing scores have been added, usually 3 to 8 weeks after the test date.
Official Test Score Release
The High School receives the test report around the same time as the student. They can also access an online image of the writing essay along with the reader's comments. The high school then uses the report to analyze the student's weaknesses and strengths. The student can work on their weaknesses and the school uses the results to improve the curriculum.
The College Report is sent to the four colleges or
scholarship agencies the student had requested to initially. In addition, the student can choose two more colleges to send the score to. The college report is ready within a week of scoring or when the student orders it. It is sent depending upon the said college's schedule. Most colleges accept results every two weeks. Colleges can also access the online writing essay image and view the reader's comments.
ACT score helps colleges in the admission process; offer papers to students depending upon their strengths and weaknesses during the first year; provide academic advice and part-time employment; identify candidates for scholarships and
loans.
Delay in Receiving ACT Score
If there is a delay in receiving ACT scores beyond the above-mentioned time frame, the reasons can be as follows:
- Late arrival of answer documents from the test center.
- Rescheduling of the test date.
- Inconsistent Matching Information(Name, Date of Birth, and Matching Number) in the answer document when compared to the admission ticket.
- Due to incomplete or inaccurate information in the answer document.
- Due to pending scoring accuracy checks pertaining to the answer sheet.
- Irregularities at the test center.
- Candidate owes registration fees.
- The delay can be of 1-2 weeks if the test center is outside the United States, United States territories, and Canada.
Sending Additional Score Reports
ACT scores are sent to the four universities that the student selected upon registration. Students can choose to send their scores to two additional colleges before or after the ACT test. The scores are sent to all the colleges after all the scores have been compiled.
Types of Reports
Reports can be received as both regular mail or priority mail. Both of these methods differ in their speed and cost. Candidates have to specify their choice while requesting reports. The differences between the reports include-
Report | Description | Duration | Payment |
Regular | Complete request | Processed within 1 week of request; Delivered in the next cycle | Test Date after Sept 1, 2017 - $13.00 per test date per report |
Priority | Abbreviated report; Complete report sent later | Processed within 2 working days of request; Delivered by mail in 3-4 working days | Test Date after Sept 1, 2017 - $16.50 |
Reports that are archived, of tests conducted before 1/9/2017, may be requested by paying $39.00 which includes an additional archival fee of $26.00. This will take an extra 1-2 days to process.
Priority reports are available only for institutions in the United States. Institutions that accept only electronic reports may not review priority reports.
Writing a Report Request
There are 3 ways to make a report request.
Option | How to request | Payment | Report |
Online | Login to ACT account | Pay by credit card | Regular or Priority |
Mail | Send the form
at ACT Customer Services - Score Reports, PO Box 451, Iowa City, IA 52243-0451 | Check | Regular or priority |
Things to include in request letter(if applying offline)
- Full name
- Current mailing address
- ACT ID number
- Date of Birth
- Phone number
- Test Date including month and year including test location pertaining to the scores the candidate wants mentioned.
- Codes and names for the colleges and scholarship agencies to which the reports have to be send.
- Specifyif it should be a regular report or a priority report.
- Include form of payment
- Report will be sent only to places designated by the college or scholarship agency. It will not be sent to any other individual.
Any and all requests made cannot be canceled and all the payments are non-refundable.
Additional Score Report
An ASR indicates only the highest scores obtained by the candidate. This helps the candidate withhold lower grades that might tarnish an otherwise perfect score report.
ASR can be applied for during ACT registration. But the fee for ASR is not included in the Standard Registration process and has to be paid for separately.
Superscoring
In this method, ACT finds an average of the candidate's four best subjects from all their test attempts. ACT then provides the superscore along with at least one composite score and all the scores that were considered to be part of the superscore composite.
According to the ACT, superscoring enables colleges and universities to predict a candidate's first-year grades better than other scoring methods.
Receiving a Copy of Questions and Answers
The student can request to receive a copy of the questions, the answers, and the answer key if they apply for a Test Information Release (TIR). The request can be made at the time of registration or within 3 months of taking the test and costs $20.
In the case of the Writing Plus test, a copy of the essay, scoring rubric, and scores given by both the readers will also be included.
Eligibility for TIR(Test Information Release)
- Candidate must have taken the test on a National Test date through National Testing at a National Test Center. OR
- Candidates must have registered for an April test date and tested through ACT Special testing during a Special Testing window.
TIR can be ordered through the mail either during registration or until six months after the test date. The TIR order form can be downloaded on the official site if the candidate wishes to apply for the same after taking the test.
Cancelling ACT Scores
ACT can cancel the test scores if they feel that the scores are invalid. If ACT finds uncanny similarities in answers of different examinees or if there is any indication that the examinee may have advanced knowledge about the test booklet, ACT holds the right to withhold the ACT testing score and to conduct an Individual Score Review.
ACT initiates this process by sending an official letter stating the reasons behind considering misconduct during the test. Failure in responding to the letter/mail will result in the cancellation of the ACT score that is under review.
Scores can be voluntarily canceled by the candidate as long as the candidate did not take the test under District, State, or On-campus testing programs. In this case. ACT will cancel the score on request and also notify the recipients about the cancellation of the score. The scores will not be reinstated if the candidate wishes to do so later.
Re-Evaluating the ACT Score
Students can request for their results to be re-evaluated within 12 months of the test date by printing and filling out the Request for Score Verification form and mailing it along with the required amount to:
ACT Customer Care
PO Box 414
Iowa City, IA 52243-0414, USA
The check payable to ACT Customer Care for
$55 for multiple-choice questions
$55 for writing an essay
$110 for both tests
should be enclosed in the letter. The results are re-scored by ACT, and the updated results are informed within 3-5 weeks of receiving the request. In case of a change in score, the updated score is sent to all the concerned parties, and the re-scoring fee is refunded.
The student can also request to be present at the time of multiple-choice responses verification at an ACT designated site for an additional charge.