At PrepScholar, we keep track of all the best information to advise you about future test dates. Knowing the registration deadlines and test schedule can help you devise your ACT study plan and stay organized so that you can reach your target score.
In this article, I’ll give you the ACT test dates for 2016-2017 and explain the factors to think about when picking your test date.
ACT Test Dates for 2016-2017
Here are the test dates, registration deadlines, and anticipated dates for scores to be released.
| Test Date | Deadline | Late Deadline | Score Release* |
| Sept 10, 2016 | Aug 5, 2016 | Aug 19, 2016 | Sept 19; Oct 3, 2016 |
| Oct 22, 2016 | Sept 16, 2016 | Sep 30, 2016 | Nov 8; Nov 15, 2016 |
| Dec 10, 2016 | Nov 4, 2016 | Nov 18, 2016 | Dec 21, 2016; Jan 4, 2017 |
| Feb 11, 2017** | Jan 13, 2017 | Jan 20, 2017 | Feb 21; Feb 28, 2017 |
| Apr 8, 2017 | Mar 3, 2017 | Mar 17, 2017 | Apr 26; May 10, 2017 |
| June 10, 2017 | May 5, 2017 | May 19, 2017 | June 21; June 28, 2017 |
*= Refers to online score release. The first date is when multiple choice scores come out, and the second one is when complete scores are available.
**= No February dates are scheduled in New York.
How Accurate Is the Table Above?
The test dates and registration deadlines come from official ACT sources and have been released. The score release dates are projected based on information from past tests, but generally, scores will come out within a week of the projected dates. Keep in mind that there's some variance in when multiple choice scores come out and not everyone receives them at the same time.
How to Choose Your Test Date
Here are some of the major factors to consider when selecting your ACT test date:
Know Your Deadlines!
The most important thing to remember is to take your ACT before any deadlines. If you apply regular decision, the December test in your senior year will be the last test you can take for most colleges. If you apply early, the last test you can take may be in October or November of your senior year.
Also, scholarships have deadlines. If you want to obtain any scholarships that consider your ACT score, you’ll need to have your test score before the scholarship deadlines.
How Many Times Do You Plan to Take the ACT?
Most students improve their scores when they retake the ACT, and you want to give yourself an opportunity to take the test multiple times. Generally, we suggest first taking the ACT in the fall of your junior year. Then you can retake it in the spring of your junior year and the fall of your senior year if necessary.
How Long Do You Need to Study?
When selecting your test date, give yourself enough time to prepare. Get a rough idea of how long you’ll need to study and make sure you’ll be able to effectively prepare before you take the test. If you take both the April and June tests without doing any studying in between, your score probably won’t improve much.
Do You Have Conflicts With Any Test Dates?
Check to see if you have any potential conflicts on or around any of the ACT test dates. Maybe the February date is during your basketball playoffs and you’ll be too busy to study. Perhaps you want to avoid the June test date because you’ll be focusing on your finals.
It may be difficult to find a time when you can fully devote yourself to the ACT, but you should try to pick the best test dates for you.
What's Next?
If you're studying for the ACT, use free practice tests to help you prepare.
Also, find out which schools require you to send all your ACT scores.
Finally, if you have any questions about the ACT, you'll want to check out our expert answers to frequently asked questions about the ACT.
