Testing for the first 2020 national ACT test administration of the school year began this weekend (on Saturday, September 12 and Sunday, September 13). COVID-19 continues to challenge us with the complexities of late test center closures, reduced capacity at sites due to social distancing requirements, and the introduction of new face-covering policies.
Our mission compels us to meet these challenges head on to serve students in need of scores for admissions, scholarships, and college and career insights. We’ve added capacity with additional test centers and pop-up testing locations, as well as additional fall test dates to answer to demand for scores and to provide safe testing experiences.
Our continued priority is to promote the safety and wellbeing of students and test center staff while providing as many testing opportunities as possible. We thank our customers and stakeholders for working with us to help students navigate the new school year and testing season.
Here’s what you should know about “what’s next”:
Scores
Multiple choice scores from the September 12 and 13 test dates will begin to be released on Monday, September 28 during standard business hours. Multiple choice scores from September 19 will begin to be released on Monday, October 5 during standard business hours. Scores typically first become available within 2 weeks of the test date and are released throughout an 8-week period.
Scoring system enhancements have pushed out the start date of our typical score release window. After September, we will be back to our typical release schedule for both national and international score releases.
Please note, not all students who tested on September 12 or 13 will receive their scores on the first score release day (September 28), but scores will continue to be released each week through November 6. If you tested on September 19, your scores will be released through November 13. The 8-week score release window is typical, and in line with prior years’ score release processes.
Score Report
Students’ score reports tell a unique story about their knowledge, skills and strengths. Though the composite score (the average of a student’s English, math, reading and science section scores) is often a focus, the ACT score report can and should be used as a learning and navigation tool. It can help address gaps in knowledge and spur students to think about what they may be interested in studying at college or pursuing in their career. Students will see an updated and interactive score report in MyACT (rather than a pdf score report) that they can use to drill into specific areas of strength, determine areas for improvement, and explore their achievements in more detail than ever before.
Here’s some of what you will see in MyACT:
Click on View Score Details to see additional information about your scores.
Send this Score – Click here to send this score to
the school and/or scholarship agency of your choice.
How do I Compare – Explore US and state rankings of recent graduates to see how your scores compare.
Am I Ready for College – Compare your scores with standards to meet college readiness benchmarks to predict success in the first year based on ACT scores. If your score is at or above the Benchmark, you have at least a 50% chance or obtaining a B or higher or about a 75% chance of obtaining a C or higher in specific first year college courses in the corresponding subject area.
My Interests – If you completed the interest inventories, this tab will show you college majors that align with the interests you picked. More information can be found in the Plans tab on the MyACT home screen.
Superscores
The world—and life as we know it—has changed considerably since we announced our plans to introduce superscoring to ACT test-takers beginning with the September 2020 test date.
Superscores for September test-takers will be available in MyACT and reportable to colleges in the coming weeks. If a student would like to send a superscore, they will need to log into their MyACT account and indicate which institutions they would like the scores sent to. Students can still send scores from the full ACT test to colleges of their choice at any time.
Here is what a superscore will look like in MyACT:
Fee Waivers
Everyone has the potential to learn—and a student’s background or family income should not determine educational or career opportunities. This year, eligible students are receiving twice as many fee waivers to cover the cost of the ACT test, meaning they will have four opportunities to test for free. These students can send an unlimited number of score reports to colleges and universities. Additionally, students who test with a fee waiver receive free access to The Official ACT® Self-Paced Course, Powered by Kaplan® which includes on-demand tutorials, 2,000 ACT test questions, and five full-length ACT practice tests.
October Testing
Registration is open for our four national ACT test dates on Oct 10,17,24, 25. Students should check MyACT to find and register for a seat before the September 25 deadline.
For answers to questions about testing amid COVID-19, check out our landing page for students, parents, educators and advocates and consult our FAQs.
For higher education institutions seeking additional information about score delivery, please register to attend our upcoming live training session or receive the recording.