How to Register for the ACT

How to Register for the ACT

Before you can take the ACT, you will register for the ACT. The ACT registration process takes about 40 minutes to complete.

What Do You Need to Register for the ACT?

The ACT test registration requires your high school course details, a photo of you that fulfills the ACT’s photo requirements, and a credit card for payment. You will also need the correct code for your high school, which you can find here.

To register for the ACT online, visit the following link: https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/registration.html.

Create your ACT.org account and provide the requested personal information, which will include your name, address, phone number, email address, Social Security number and high school, as well as some information about your recent curriculum and your family. Once you have provided this personal information and created your ACT web account, you can proceed to register for the ACT, selecting your desired test date and a testing location near you.

When Should You Register for the ACT?

Consult the list of upcoming ACT test dates here. Decide when you would like to take the ACT. Generally, the ACT registration deadline is about four weeks before the test date. If you miss the standard ACT registration deadline, you have the chance to late register for the ACT as well by paying an additional fee.

ACT Test Specifics: Register for the Paper Test, with Science, but without Writing

The current version of the ACT, the “Enhanced ACT”, was introduced in 2025 and is still very new. Due to this shift if format, there are currently a confusing number of options for how you can register for the test. Here’s what we currently recommend:

• Register for the paper version of the ACT
• Include the optional Science section
• Don’t include the optional Writing (essay) section

For more information on these recommendations, please refer to our blog post on this topic.

What if You Need to Change Your ACT Registration?

If you need to make changes to your ACT registration, it can be done through your ACT web account. The kinds of changes that can be made include:

• Adding or removing the writing test
• Changing your test date
• Changing your test location
• Updating your personal information
• Adding or changing your college choices
• Correcting high school code

However, for each of these changes, there is an additional fee. Check out the additional fees and services provided by ACT here.