When do ACT scores come out?
ACT scores usually appear online 5 to 17 days after your test date, and ACT says over 97 percent are available within 1 to 4 weeks. ACT sets one initial release date per test date: online tests come about 5 days after the test and paper tests about 10 days after, with scores in your MyACT account. If you take the optional Writing test, scores can take longer.
In more detail
How the release works. For each test date ACT sets an initial release date. On that day it posts every test that has been received, processed and passed its checks. Scores keep being processed during business hours after that, so a score that is not there on release day usually appears in the days after. Online tests come first because ACT gets the test as soon as you finish and can start scoring and checking at once. For the September 2026 and February 2027 dates, online and paper scores release on the same day.
Why one score can be late. ACT names four causes: answer documents that arrive late (a mailing delay, rescheduled testing or the Special Testing window), matching information on the answer document that does not match your admission ticket, an irregularity at your test center, and an extra equating review of your test record. If your score is still missing well after the release date, check your MyACT details and contact ACT.
Writing and colleges. You see your multiple-choice scores, including the Composite, as soon as they are ready. If you took Writing, those scores can take longer, and ACT sends scores to colleges only once everything from your test date is available. You can take the ACT as many times as you want, and 43 percent of test takers do it more than once, so check the release date when you pick a retake and make sure the scores arrive before your application deadlines.
2026-27 ACT initial score release dates
| Test date | Online scores | Paper scores |
|---|---|---|
| September 19, 2026 | October 6, 2026 | October 6, 2026 |
| October 17, 2026 | October 22, 2026 | October 27, 2026 |
| December 12, 2026 | December 17, 2026 | December 22, 2026 |
| February 27, 2027 | March 16, 2027 | March 16, 2027 |
| April 10, 2027 | April 15, 2027 | April 20, 2027 |
| June 12, 2027 | June 17, 2027 | June 23, 2027 |
| July 10, 2027 | July 15, 2027 | July 20, 2027 |
Step by step
- 1
Find your test date in ACT's initial score release table and note both release dates.
- 2
Sign in to your MyACT account on the release date for your test type and open your multiple-choice scores.
- 3
If your score is not there yet, check again over the following days, since ACT keeps processing scores during business hours.
- 4
Still nothing well after the date? Check that your name, date of birth and match number are right, then contact ACT.
- 5
Compare your Composite with the middle 50 percent range of each college on your list.
- 6
If you plan a retake, pick a date whose release lands before your application deadline, and leave four to six weeks to prepare.
How StudyPDF helps
Planning a retake? Upload pages from your ACT prep book, your class notes or a practice test you already took, and StudyPDF builds quizzes and timed practice exams from them. Every answer updates your per-concept mastery, so the next quiz goes after the skills that cost you points. Set your new test date in the Plan tab and you get dated sessions up to the test. The free plan covers about 4 materials a week.
See also
Do it on your own course
Upload your lectures and ask Bo. Cited answers, plus flashcards, exams, and more built from your material.
More questions
What time do ACT scores come out?
ACT does not publish a release hour. Scores start appearing in your MyACT account on the initial release date and keep posting during business hours after that.
Why are my ACT scores taking longer?
Most scores post on the initial release date, but a score can wait for late answer documents, a mismatch in your matching information, an irregularity at the test center or an extra review. ACT keeps processing during business hours, so check MyACT again, and contact ACT if it is still missing well after the date.