ACT Testing Accommodations: How to Apply

If you have a documented disability or you are an English Learner, you are allowed to request accommodations for the ACT. Requests go through ACT's online Test Accessibility and Accommodations (TAA) system, tied to your CCRIS account. Your school submits the request for you in most cases.

Approval must happen before test day, so submit your request as soon as you register. Late requests risk a test day without the support you need. This guide covers eligibility, the supports on offer, the TAA steps, English Learner supports, and the deadlines. See ACT registration for the full sign-up process, what to expect on test day, and our ACT prep page for free practice tests and drills once your accommodations are approved.

Who Qualifies for ACT Accommodations

Eligibility depends on the documentation you provide. ACT accepts two paths: a current school plan, or a professional evaluation. Both paths ask for the same proof: a disability, and a link between the disability and the accommodation you request. Pick the path matching the records you already hold.

With an IEP or 504 Plan

A current, valid Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 Plan which authorizes the accommodations you are requesting is enough documentation on its own, per ACT's accommodations documentation policy. You do not need extra testing or a separate letter if your plan already lists the accommodation. Check the wording first, because the plan has to authorize the specific support you are requesting. If your plan is out of date or silent on the accommodation, use the professional documentation path below.

Without an IEP or 504 Plan

Without a current IEP or 504 Plan, you need documentation from a licensed professional identifying a diagnosed physical or mental impairment which substantially limits a major life activity, and recommending the specific accommodations you are requesting. ACT reviews mental health and learning disorder claims against DSM-5 criteria, and a full diagnostic evaluation might be required for some requests. If you have no prior history of receiving accommodations, you also need to submit an Exceptions Statement Form.

Accommodations Available

ACT offers accommodations through two pathways: National testing and Special testing. Which pathway applies to you depends on whether a regular test center is able to provide the accommodation, according to ACT's National vs. Special testing guide. National testing keeps you at a regular test center alongside other examinees. Special testing moves you to a date and time your school arranges with ACT.

National Testing

National testing covers accommodations a normal test center is able to provide, alongside other examinees. These include one-and-one-half time or breaks with standard time, wheelchair access, an 18-point large-print booklet, a sign-language interpreter for verbal instructions, and an authorized bilingual word-to-word dictionary or translated directions. You test on a national test date at your assigned center. Your request still goes through TAA, and approval still has to land before test day.

For online national testing, the room you are assigned to determines which accommodations apply, per ACT's accommodations and English Learner supports guide. Each room level adds to the one before it. The table below shows which supports come with each room.

Special Testing

Special testing covers accommodations unavailable at a regular test center. Your school arranges the date and time with ACT directly. Testing spreads across more than one day for the longest timing accommodations. The list below groups the supports by type.

• Timing: one-and-one-half, double, or triple time across multiple days, standard time across multiple days, double time on the writing test only, or late-start testing.
• Presentation: screen reader software (JAWS, NVDA, or VoiceOver) with braille or tactile graphics, or text-to-speech.
• Response: an assistive device such as AAC, an abacus, a switch, or a geoboard, a scribe, speech-to-text for the writing test or the full test, or speech-to-text navigation.
• Setting: background music or white noise, environmental adaptations, a personal aide, testing at home or in a care facility, or verbal on-task cues.

Built-In Tools (No Request Needed)

The online ACT platform includes built-in tools available to every examinee, without an accommodations request. These include an answer option eliminator, answer masking, color contrast adjustments, an embedded calculator, full-screen zoom, a highlighter, a time-remaining indicator, keyboard navigation, a line reader or visual tracking tool, and the option to mark items for review, per ACT's accommodations and English Learner supports guide. Check the list before you apply, because a built-in tool removes the need for a request. Everything on the list works for every examinee on the online test, with no documentation attached.

How to Apply Through TAA

The application steps depend on whether your school enrolls you. Enrolled students go through their school. Homeschooled and non-enrolled examinees start the request themselves, then hand it to a school official to submit, per ACT's accommodations request page. Every request lands in the same TAA system tied to your CCRIS account.

If Your School Enrolls You

Your school submits your accommodations request on your behalf through the TAA system. Talk to your school counselor or testing coordinator early, so they have time to gather documentation and submit before the deadline. Bring your IEP, 504 Plan, or professional documentation to the first conversation. Ask them to confirm the request was submitted, because approval has to land before test day.

If You Are Homeschooled or Not Enrolled

Follow the self-submission process, according to ACT's accommodations request page. A school official still files the final request, so line one up before you start. TAA requests are normally processed in 5 to 10 business days after submission, and approval must happen before test day, per ACT's testing accommodations and supports page. Build the wait into your timeline, then work through the steps below.

1. Register for the ACT in MyACT and select "Yes" when asked about accommodations.
2. Wait for the confirmation email from ACT.
3. Sign a Consent to Release Information form.
4. Forward the email and the signed consent form to a school official, who submits the request on your behalf.

English Learner Supports

English Learner (EL) supports are separate from disability accommodations, and they follow their own eligibility rules and documentation. You do not need an IEP or a 504 Plan to qualify. Requests still run through the same TAA system, and the same deadline applies. Only one EL support needs advance authorization, which keeps the paperwork lighter than a disability request.

Eligibility

To qualify for EL supports, you need to meet ESSA-based criteria, per ACT's EL supports documentation policy: limited English proficiency, participation in an English-language-acquisition program, or current school-based EL supports. You also need to reside in the United States, a US territory, or Puerto Rico. Both conditions apply together, so an examinee living outside those locations does not qualify. Confirm your current status with your school before the request goes in.

Accepted Documentation

ACT accepts specific proficiency results and program records, and rejects documents which do not confirm current EL status. Age matters as much as type, because documentation older than 12 months is rejected. Records showing you exited EL status are rejected as well. The lists below split the two groups.

• Accepted: WIDA or ELPA21 proficiency results, TOEFL results, WIDA Screener, ELPA21 Dynamic Screener, LAS Links results, or program-participation records such as class schedules, student information system records, or EL Plans.
• Not accepted: passports or visas, home language surveys, documentation older than 12 months or missing required information, or records showing "exited" EL status.

Supports Offered

Only extended time (one-and-one-half time, single day) needs TAA authorization for EL students. Approved word-to-word bilingual dictionaries (paper copies, without definitions or pictures) and native-language translated test directions, available in a limited set of languages, do not need advance TAA approval. Extended-time EL approvals expire after 2 years, so you need to resubmit with current documentation to renew.

Application Deadlines

Your accommodations request, including any appeal, needs to reach TAA by the accommodations deadline listed on the Schedule of Events for your chosen test date. This deadline lines up with the regular registration deadline, not the later registration deadline. Deadlines fall at 11:59pm CT.

Submit your accommodations request as soon as you register, not after. TAA reviews take 5 to 10 business days, so give yourself enough time before the deadline to submit documentation and handle any appeal. Appeals fall under the same deadline, which leaves no slack at the end. Treat the regular registration deadline as your hard stop.

Keep preparing while your request is under review. Our ACT prep page has free full-length practice tests and section drills, with no signup required. Once ACT confirms your timing, practice under the same conditions, so test day feels familiar.

Sources

• Requesting Accommodations for the ACT Test | ACT
• ACT Policy for Accommodations Documentation | ACT
• Testing Accommodations and Supports | The ACT Test | ACT
• ACT National Test Dates Schedule 2026-2027 | ACT
• ACT National vs. Special Testing (accommodations planning PDF)
• Available Accommodations and English Learner Supports (online testing planning PDF)
• ACT Policy for English Learner Supports Documentation | ACT