When Are ACT Scores Released? A Comprehensive Guide

After taking the ACT, a wave of relief is often followed by anticipation as you await your scores. Understanding the ACT score release timeline can help manage expectations and reduce anxiety. This article provides a comprehensive overview of when ACT scores are released, factors that can affect the release date, and what to do once you receive your scores.

General Timeline for ACT Score Release

Generally, the ACT score release date happens two weeks after you take the exam. However, it's important to note that the ACT releases scores in batches, so not every score comes out on exactly the same day. The multiple-choice scores become available 2-8 weeks after the test date. If you took the ACT Writing Test, you’ll be waiting an extra two weeks to receive your complete score.

The ACT releases scores at 12 AM Central Time on a given test’s score release date, which is usually two Fridays after you take the exam. For students on the East Coast, this means that results are available by 1 AM. Those on the West Coast will be able to access them at 10 PM. If it’s after midnight Central Time and your scores haven’t appeared yet, your results may not appear for one, two, three, or even seven days after the official release day. Scores will appear in your ACT account (the same place where you registered for the ACT).

2025-2026 ACT Score Release Dates

According to ACT, the organization that administers the exam, most test-takers can access their ACT scores online through their MyACT account 2-4 weeks after taking the exam.

Here is an overview of the upcoming ACT score release schedule so you know when to expect your scores.

Read also: UCF Application Strategies

February 8, 2025: February 18 - April 4
April 5, 2025: April 15 - May 30
June 14, 2025: June 24 - August 8
July 12, 2025 (except New York): July 22 - September 5
September 6, 2025: September 16 - October 31
October 18, 2025: October 28 - December 12
December 13, 2025: December 23, 2025 - February 6, 2026
February 14, 2026: February 24 - April 10
April 11, 2026: April 21 - June 5
June 13, 2026: June 23 - August 7
July 11, 2026 (except New York): July 21 - September 4

Factors Affecting ACT Score Release Dates

Several factors can influence when your ACT scores are released. Here are some common reasons for delays:

Equating Activities: On select test dates, ACT does what it calls “equating activities” to ensure scores represent the same level of skill across test dates. If you take the ACT on an equating test date, expect your scores to take slightly longer to come out - 3-8 weeks after your exam. The October tests takes longer because of equating.
Writing Test: Because essays are graded by real people instead of computers, ACT writing scores take a bit longer as ACT sends, grades, coordinates, and posts your scores. ACT Writing scores usually come out about two weeks after your multiple-choice scores are released. If you took the ACT with the writing test, your overall scores (multiple choice and writing) will be released altogether and cannot send out a score report until your test has been scored.
Inconsistencies or Irregularities: The “Matching Information” you provided on the answer document (name, date of birth, and Match Number) is not consistent with the Matching Information on your admission ticket. Scores cannot be reported until they can be accurately matched to the correct person. You provided incomplete or inaccurate test form information on the answer document, or the answer document has not cleared all other scoring accuracy checks. An irregularity is reported at your test center. Answer documents from your test center arrived late.
Millions of Test-Takers: First of all, because of how many test-takers there are-literally millions! It might seem as though grading shouldn't take long since ACT tests are scored automatically, but ACT has a significant logistics challenge to deal with!

Checking Your ACT Scores

Checking your ACT scores is easy! The fastest way to view your ACT scores is to go online to your ACT account.

Log in to your MyACT account.
Click on "View Scores" for the test date for which you want to view your ACT scores.
Once you enter your password again, you'll be taken to a page with your ACT results.

If you can’t see your ACT score on your MyACT account and it’s been at least 10 days since your test date, it could be that ACT hasn’t released your scores yet. Remember that scores can take as long as eight weeks to be released.

Understanding Your ACT Scores

Once you have your scores, you can find out more about how the ACT calculated your score and how you did compared to others in your state. You will see your total score, score by section, and the percentile score in the percentiles for your overall score and subscores. This means you will be able to see how your results compare to other students who took the ACT that same day.

What Scores Are Reported?

You will see your multiple-choice scores, including your composite score as soon as they become available.

Read also: College SAT Deadlines

Sending Your ACT Scores to Colleges

Love your ACT results? If you selected schools to receive your scores on your ACT registration, ACT will send the scores directly to up to four colleges for free. It depends on how soon your test is graded and the scores are ready to be released. After that, you can use your ACT account to send the scores to schools for $19 per report/per school. In all cases, keep in mind that the ACT doesn’t send scores to colleges until your writing scores are in-about four weeks after your test date. Before reporting your scores to colleges, the ACT groups your score report with others to be sent to the same college. The ACT generally rolls out score reports at least once every two weeks.

This can be a bit of a challenge and involve some cost-benefit analysis on your part during registration. Should you take advantage of the free score reports and have ACT send the scores before you even see them? Or wait to ensure that you want to send these scores but pay more after the fact?

When you select score recipients, you’ll have the option of sending either score reports from the specific test event or you can choose to send your superscore.

What to Do if You're Not Happy With Your ACT Scores

If you get your ACT scores and you’re not happy with them (whether that’s your composite score or sectional score), you have options.

Retake the Test: And your best option is to retake the test. In fact, you don’t have to wait to get your scores to plan for an ACT retake. If you really think you did poorly on the ACT, my best advice would be to continue your ACT prep even before you see the results. Even if you’re relatively confident in your test performance, you may still want to go ahead and sign up to retake the test. Even students who score well the first time may still retake the ACT. When you do get your scores, you can begin to focus your prep on the areas where you struggled. ACT reports that test-takers typically take the exam 2-3 times to reach their goal score. To improve your composite ACT score by 1 to 4 points, you'll need to put in around 40 hours of smart prep. Increasing your score by more than this requires even more time and energy. The bottom line: if you're able to put in the time and energy to improve your score, then it's worth retaking the ACT.
Consider Withholding Scores for Test-Optional Colleges: If you plan to apply to mostly or all test-optional colleges, you might consider withholding your ACT scores from them if you didn’t do as well as you hoped to - or if your scores are considerably lower than the average scores of admitted applicants. This way, your lower-than-expected scores won’t count against you in the admissions process.
Focus on Improving Other Application Materials: This way, schools can see other indicators of your skills and achievements.

Additional Considerations

Score Choice: ACT Score Choice is a program that allows you to select which schools see your scores from certain test dates. In other words, it’s up to you which scores to send to which schools. Does score choice affect when I get my scores? Nope! All scores from a test date will be reported together.
International Test-Takers: Do US test-takers get their scores earlier? No. ACT score release dates are the same around the world.

Can ACT Test Scores be Cancelled?

ACT reserves the right to cancel test scores when there is reason to believe the scores are invalid. Outside of State testing and District testing, you may request to cancel scores for a particular test date. Contact us online and we will provide you a form to complete and return to us.

Read also: High School College Applications

Verifying Your Scores

You can ask ACT to verify your multiple-choice and/or your writing test scores up to 12 months after your test date. For the writing test, ACT will verify that your essay was scored by two independent, qualiﬁed readers and by a third reader in the event that the two scores differed by more than one point in any domain. ACT will also verify that your essay was properly captured and displayed to readers. If a scoring error is discovered, your scores will be changed and corrected reports will be released to you and all previous score report recipients at no charge. We recommend contacting us within three months of receiving your score report. If an error is our responsibility and requires you to retest, there will be no fee.

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