How to Retrieve Your ACT Scores from High School for College Admissions

The ACT (American College Testing) is a standardized test used for college admissions in the United States. Many students take the ACT during their junior or senior year of high school. If you've taken the ACT and need to access your scores for college applications, scholarship applications, or even for certain employers, here's a comprehensive guide on how to obtain them.

Accessing Your ACT Scores Online

The easiest way to access your ACT scores is online through your ACT account. Here's how:

Create an Account: If you don't already have one, create an account on the ACT website. Use the same information (name, date of birth, etc.) you used when registering for the ACT.
Log In and Navigate to the "Scores" Section: Once logged in, find the "Scores" section of your account.
Check Score Availability:
- Scores Within the Past Two Years: If you took the ACT within the past two years, your scores should be available online for free. You can view and download them directly from your account.
- Scores Older Than Two Years, But Less Than Five: You may be able to request an archived score report.

Dealing with Older ACT Scores (More Than Five Years)

If you tested before September 2011, your scores will not be available in MyACT. You can use microfiche to find scores from as far back as the fall of 1966. Again, have as much identifying information as possible on hand to help the agent find your score.

Requesting Archived ACT Score Reports

If your scores are not available online, you may need to request an archived score report. Here's what you need to know:

Online Request: You can make an online request for score reports through your ACT web account (which you can create if you don't have one).
Archive Fee: The nonrefundable archive fee is in place to cover the additional cost of searching and accessing databases to retrieve and send an archived score.
Processing Time: A score report is always processed within one week after your request is received.

Sending Your ACT Scores to Colleges and Other Institutions

Once you have located your ACT scores, you'll likely need to send them to the colleges or institutions of your choice. Here's how:

Send Your Scores: If you head back to that left-hand sidebar, you’ll see a tab called Send Your Scores. Once you click, you’ll see your score reports organized by date.
Score Reports: Once all scores for a test event are available, they are sent to institutions you elect in MyACT.
ACT Codes: Use valid ACT codes only. The College Code List and the Congressional Code List are available online to provide you with the most updated information.
Official Reports: We can send your report only to the office designated by the college or agency, not to any other individual or office. Reports you request will include the ACT ID currently on your record.
Superscore: 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. Want to make sure a college has a specific score? You can currently send scores from test events from September 2011 to current, as well as an available superscore. Scores from September 2018 to current are available to be sent to a high school as an additional score report. If your superscore is from these dates, you may also request to send your superscore.
Fees: Unfortunately, the only free reports you can send are the ones included in your registration, way back when you took the ACT. Now, you’ll have to pay to send score reports. If you took the test before September 2013, then your score is archived…which just means it isn’t in the ACT’s active file. To send your old ACT score, you’ll need the code for the school that you want to receive your scores. Check out the ACT’s fee chart for the most up-to-date rate, for archived reports, and for priority rush reports!

Understanding ACT Superscoring

ACT Superscoring is a practice where colleges consider your best scores from each section of the ACT across multiple test dates to create a "superscore." This can potentially increase your overall composite score.

New Method: Starting in April 2025, students who choose to take the online ACT test will have their ACT Superscore calculated using a new method that includes only English, math, and reading. For everyone else, this change will take effect in September 2025. We’ll continue to show your highest scores for each subject section along with the test date, but your Composite score on your Superscore report will be based on the new English, math, and reading. This means a student who got their highest English their first time testing and on a legacy administration, their highest math on their second legacy administration, and their highest reading on the new enhanced ACT, would see those highest scores used to calculate their ACT Superscore Composite after the new enhanced ACT administration.
Superscore Selection: For sending a Superscore: If the scores are the same (e.g., your highest subject level mathematics scores across multiple tests are equal) then the most recent will be chosen for sending your superscore.
Reporting Categories: For sending a Superscore: ACT does not compare your reporting categories when selecting the best score.

What Information is Included in Your ACT Score Report?

When you receive your ACT score report, it will include a variety of information about your performance. Here's a breakdown:

Composite Score: The most well-known score, it's the average of your scores on the four main sections: English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science.
Subject Area Scores: Individual scores for each of the four sections mentioned above.
Writing Score (If Applicable): If you took the optional writing test, you'll receive a separate score for that.
Subscores: These scores provide more detailed information about your performance in specific skill areas within each subject. Understanding your subscores can be pretty helpful if you’re applying to specific college program. Some programs or grants might want to know how well you did on a subject that matters to them. You’ll usually still need a great overall score, but if your math score is exceptionally high, that can be a big boost if you’re applying for a math-related major or scholarship.
Test Dates: All scores from a test date will be reported together.

Understanding Your Scores - What Does it All Mean?

The ACT with writing assesses students in grade 11 on their academic and college and career readiness in the areas of English, mathematics, reading, science, and writing. The scores of each subject area are categorized as College Ready or Below College Ready based on benchmark values provided by the ACT. Benchmarks are provided for the Math, Science, STEM, English, Reading, and ELA scores.

ACT College Readiness Benchmarks are the ACT scores that represent the level of achievement required for students to have a 50% chance of obtaining a B or higher or about a 75-80% chance of obtaining a C or higher in corresponding credit-bearing courses. Note that no single test can tell us whether students have learned everything that is important for students to learn.

Retesting and Score Verification

Should I Retest? Did you know improving by just a single test point can be worth thousands of dollars in financial aid for your college education?
Score Verification: 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.

Cancelling ACT Scores

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: Finding Your GPA

ACT and Texas Public Schools

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) prepares data and reports related to college admissions testing, including SAT and ACT, in Texas public schools.

DataView: Texas public school SAT and ACT participation and performance data for annual graduates at the state level or search by campus, district, county, or education service center region.
Reports: The Accountability Research unit in the Division of Research and Analysis publishes annual reports on college admissions testing of graduating seniors in Texas public schools, as well as special reports on related topics.

Read also: Comprehensive PSAT Guide

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