How to Register for the ACT

ACT registration runs through a free MyACT account at my.act.org. You pick a test date, a test center, and a testing option, then upload a photo and pay the fee before the deadline. The base fee is $70, and science or writing add-ons raise the total to as much as $100, per the ACT fee schedule. A separate photo deadline falls 5 days before the test, and missing it cancels your registration.

This guide covers each step: setting up your account, choosing a date and center, registering online or by mail, meeting the photo and ID rules, and using late or standby registration if you miss the standard window. Fee amounts, deadlines, and the accommodations process each get their own section with the official numbers. See our ACT exam prep hub for score guides and free practice tests.

Create Your MyACT Account

A MyACT account is free and required before you register for the ACT, per the official ACT registration page. Signup asks for your legal name, date of birth, email address, and high school. Enter your name exactly as it appears on the photo ID you plan to bring, because test center staff compare the two on test day. One account covers all future registrations, so the same login handles retakes and every score report. Once your account is active, it also gives you access to your scores, planning tools, and practice questions.

Choose Your Test Date and Center

ACT publishes seven national test dates for the 2026-27 cycle, each with its own registration deadline and a later deadline for a $42 late fee. All deadlines close at 11:59 p.m. Central time, per the ACT national test dates schedule. Regular deadlines fall about five weeks before each test date, so plan backward from the date you want. Check our state and district testing guide if your school offers testing on a separate schedule.

Search for test centers inside MyACT once you pick a date. Popular centers fill their seats before the deadline arrives, so register early to keep the widest choice nearby. Switching centers after you register costs $49, per the ACT fee schedule. For dates outside this cycle, check our ACT test dates guide for updates.

Complete Registration: Online vs Paper

Online Registration Steps

Most students complete registration online, per the ACT registration page. The whole flow runs inside MyACT, from account creation through payment. Four steps take you from new account to confirmed seat.

1. Create your MyACT account.
2. Complete registration by choosing your test date and center.
3. Upload a recent photo for identification and security.
4. Pay by credit card or another accepted payment method.

Register-by-Mail Packet

Students who need a paper option request one Register-by-Mail Packet from ACT. ACT mails the packet through USPS or FedEx, and delivery takes 7 to 10 business days. Paper packets leave out code listings, so you look up test center and college codes online. Compare both paths in our online vs. paper ACT registration guide.

Photo and ID Requirements

Photo Submission Rules

ACT requires an original, unedited photo with a plain background, showing your full face and shoulders, per the photo submission requirements. Accepted file types are JPG, JPEG, PNG, and BMP, sized at least 640 by 480 pixels and no larger than 5MB. Filters, emoji, and dark glasses are not allowed.

Upload your photo at least 5 days before your test date, by midnight Central time, per the photo submission requirements. Miss this window and ACT cancels your registration with no refund. The photo appears on your admission ticket, and staff compare it against you at check-in. Take a compliant photo before you start registration and upload it during the signup flow, and this deadline stays out of your way.

Test-Day ID Check

Bring an acceptable photo ID to your test center on test day. Staff check your ID against the roster and the photo on your admission ticket before letting you into the testing room, per the ACT registration page. A current photo ID meets the requirement, and students without one bring an ACT Student Identification Form completed by a school official or notary public, with the seal or signature overlapping the photo. Arrive without acceptable ID and staff deny you entry to the testing room. Keep the name on your ID identical to the name on your MyACT account so the comparison lines up. If you test outside the US, review our ACT guide for international students for separate ID rules.

Registration and Test Fees

The base ACT fee covers three sections and score reports. Add-ons raise the total depending on which sections you take, per the ACT fee schedule. Science adds $5 and writing adds $25, while changes after registration carry their own charges. The table below lists each amount.

The base fee sends score reports to you, your school, and up to 4 colleges if you provide the college codes when you register, per the ACT fee schedule. Enter the codes during registration to use the included reports. Payment happens at the end of the flow, by credit card or another accepted method. For fee waivers and a full cost breakdown, see our ACT cost guide.

Late Registration and Standby Testing

Late Registration

Miss the regular deadline and you still register during the late window shown in the test date table above, for a $42 fee, per ACT's fee schedule. The same $42 charge applies to a test-date change made during the late period. You add or remove the science section through the late deadline too. Late windows close roughly two to three weeks before each test date, so move fast once the regular deadline passes.

Standby Testing

Standby testing is for students who missed the late registration deadline. Request standby through MyACT and pay $75 during a limited window opening after the late deadline closes, per ACT's standby testing page. Standby gives you a chance at a seat, not a guaranteed spot.

Standby testing happens on paper only. Staff admit standby students on a first-come, first-admitted basis, after every registered student is seated. You still need a photo on file and the other standard registration items.

ACT refunds the $75 fee if a center denies you admission. The refund arrives after ACT processes every answer document from the test event. Standby does not carry over to a future date or location. If you are not admitted, you register and pay again for another test date.

Requesting Accommodations

Students needing testing accommodations select "Yes" for accommodations during MyACT registration, then link the account to their high school, per ACT's accommodations page. A school official submits the request and consent through ACT's TAA system. ACT then issues a Decision Notification, typically within 5 to 10 business days. If you hear nothing after 10 business days, ask your school official to check the request status.

Submit accommodations requests by the regular, non-late registration deadline for your chosen test date. The late window does not extend this deadline, so start the request early. See our ACT accommodations guide for the full request process and eligible support types.

Sources

• Register for the ACT
• ACT Registration Fees
• ACT National Test Dates Schedule
• Photo Submission Requirements
• ACT Test Day
• Standby Testing
• ACT Register-by-Mail Packet Request
• Requesting Accommodations for the ACT Test