ACT is a standardised test, short for American College Testing. It is one of the major parameters that determine the admission of a student to most universities and colleges across the United States. ACT checks the readiness of the high school students for admissions in US colleges and universities including Stanford University, Harvard University, University of Southern California, etc. ACT is administered by a non-profit organization named ACT Inc. and is conducted 6 times in a year for international cities and 7 times for national cities.

The test is accepted by all 4-year universities and colleges in the US as well as more than 225 universities outside the United States. As per the ACT profile report, every year, over 2 million students take up the ACT test. The test centres of the ACT are mainly career schools, local high schools, colleges and universities among other locations. Read about the SAT.

ACT COVID-19 Updates

ACT is keeping tabs on all the current happenings related to the pandemic and adopting measures to ensure a hassle-free ACT registration and testing. Find the latest updates below:

• The registration site officially reopened on August 3, 2020. ACT had rescheduled its April international test dates in response to COVID-19. 

• It is addressing all unique situations related to the ACT test registration experience.

• ACT is trying to help seniors in need of a score to consider registering for the December or spring 2021 test dates. 

• Examinees will be asked about various health and wellness questions during check-in to an ACT test centre. If an examinee affirms any of them, he/she can make a test date change at no cost.

• Policies have been updated following the same issued by local officials and CDC guidance to provide social distancing instruction at ACT test centres. 

ACT or the American College Testing is accepted for undergraduate admissions by the universities and colleges in the United States. ACT is taken by candidates willing to pursue undergraduate degrees at the colleges and universities of America, this also includes those students who have completed their secondary education in other countries. 

Institutions rely on ACT for admission to undergraduate programmes as they cannot be familiar with the academic rigour of all the schools in America and secondary schools in other countries. ACT is one common data point that is used to compare all the applicants.

ACT is administered around the world across different test centres. In the US, Puerto Rico and US Territories, it is conducted through seven annual test dates, one each in the month September, October, December, February, April, June and July. Internationally, ACT is taken six times a year, i.e. in September, October, December, February, April, and June. Testing is always held on Saturdays unless the student has some religious restrictions. Such students can take the exam on Sundays. Each student gets 12 attempts to appear for the ACT test.