Waiting for your standardized test results is almost as nerve-racking as taking the exam itself. You refresh your browser daily, hourly, or maybe more frequently than that—and nothing. Where’s your score?
To ease your anxiety—or to at least give yourself a break from checking—keep reading to find out when you should expect to receive your scores.
Typically, it takes up to two weeks (about 10 days on average) for students to receive their multiple-choice results, and writing scores are available two weeks after that. However, the ACT cautions that score releases may take up to eight weeks after the test date.
Due to equating, the process of ensuring that scores on different tests indicate the same level of ability, October and February scores will be available 3-8 weeks after their respective test dates.
It takes up to a week to process score report requests for schools. The exact dates colleges will receive scores vary depending on the college and the day you ordered the report. Keep in mind that colleges receive writing and multiple-choice scores in the same report. In many cases, they will receive your scores before you’re able to see them.
Remember that you can send up to four free reports to colleges per test you take. You can also pay for an additional two when you register for the ACT, for a total of six reports to be issued per test date. Each additional score report costs $16, unless you qualify for a fee waiver .
We don’t recommend sending your scores directly to colleges via the four free reports, as you won’t know what your score is yet. It’s best to wait to see your score and then order score reports afterward, if that’s financially feasible for your family. Also, remember that many colleges allow students to self-report and only ask for an official report upon acceptance.
Below are our anticipated ACT score release dates for 2023. Bear in mind that these are the earliest potential dates you could see your scores; it could take up to eight weeks for you to actually receive your scores. Typically, you’ll see them within two weeks of your test date, except for scores on tests taken in October and February.
Reporting Timeframe