The ACT added three new national test dates and opened up two Sunday test dates to all students this September and October, bringing the total number of fall 2020 ACT testing opportunities up to seven.
According to their announcement, ACT added the dates to accommodate the testing bottleneck created by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing guidelines.
2 New September ACT Test Dates
ACT added a new national test date on September 19 and opened up a Sunday test date on September 13 to all students. (Sunday tests are typically reserved for students who can’t test on Saturdays for religious reasons.)
3 New October ACT Test Dates
ACT added two new national test dates on October 10 and 17 and opened an existing Sunday test date on October 25 to all students.
Remaining 2020 ACT Test Dates:
There are now nine testing opportunities remaining this year:
| Month | ACT Test Date |
| July | 18 (existing) |
| August | – |
| September | 12 (existing) 13 (non-Saturday, existing) 19 (new date) |
| October | 10 (new date) 17 (new date) 24 (existing) 25 (non-Saturday, existing) |
| November | – |
| December | 12 (existing) |
Section Retesting Postponed – But Other Updates Move Ahead
To accommodate the new test dates ACT has postponed its planned rollout of section retesting until 2021 but will move ahead in launching online testing and superscoring this fall.
ACT also plans to offer a new remote proctoring option in late fall/early winter, allowing students to take the ACT test online from home or another safe location.
Online Testing
For the first time, students will be able to take the ACT test online at a testing center in select locations this fall. Online testing will eventually expand to all testing centers. Currently, the test is administered only on paper on national test dates.
One huge benefit to online testing is faster test results – students can get their results in as few as two days, compared to 4-8 weeks. If you are a rising senior, you may want to seriously consider taking the test online if you are trying to meet tight application deadlines.
Superscoring
“Superscoring” the ACT averages a student’s highest section scores across all tests into one composite superscore. Previously, students could superscore their ACT by sending all their ACT scores to a college. The college would then piece together the superscore from the tests. In the new option, the ACT does this step for the college.
Additional Fee Waivers
ACT increased the number of fee waivers available to qualified students from two to four waivers.
Learn more about these new updates here.
When Can I Register for the ACT?
ACT test registration for fall 2020 and spring 2021 test dates will open at the end of July.
You can register for the ACT and sign up for an email to remind you when registration opens here.
Advice for Students
Rising seniors – you’ll have top priority when registering for the ACT so you can expect to have ample opportunity to take the ACT test this fall. Start your prep this summer so you’re well prepared for the first available test date. It’s best to study for about three months, so NOW is the time to begin! You can get enrolled in Olive Book’s online, self-paced ACT course in minutes and start your studying right away.
Rising juniors – with the additional test dates in place your chances of getting a testing spot this fall just shot up. You, too, can start your prep this summer in order to be ready for fall tests. Enroll in Olive Book’s online, self-paced ACT course and start studying right away.