At PrepScholar, we know how important it is the pick the right ACT test date. Choose a date too early and you won't have enough time to study, but choose a date too late and you may not be able to retake the exam if needed or get your scores sent to schools on time.
In order to make choosing an ACT test date easier, we constantly review the best data to inform you about future test dates. When you know future ACT registration and exam dates, you can create your study plan and stay organized, allowing you to lessen your stress and reach your target score.
In this article, we give you the anticipated ACT test dates for 2020-2021 and explain the key factors to think about when choosing your test date.
ACT Test Dates for 2020-2021
Below is the anticipated schedule for the ACT test dates, registration deadlines, and score release dates for the 2020-21 school year. Note that these aren't official dates. All dates are based on our own projections.
| Test Date | Deadline | Late Deadline | Online Score Release* |
| Sept 12, 2020 | Aug 31, 2020 | N/A | Oct 6; Oct 20, 2020 |
| Sept 13, 2020 | Aug 31, 2020 | N/A | Oct 7; Oct 21, 2020 |
| Sept 19, 2020 | Aug 31, 2020 | N/A | Oct 13; Oct 27, 2020 |
| Oct 10, 2020 | Sep 25, 2020 | N/A | Nov 3; Nov 17, 2020 |
| Oct 17, 2020 | Sep 25, 2020 | N/A | Nov 10; Nov 24, 2020 |
| Oct 24, 2020 | Sept 25, 2020 | N/A | Nov 24; Dec 8, 2020 |
| Oct 25, 2020 | Sep 25, 2020 | N/A | Nov 25; Dec 9, 2020 |
| Dec 12, 2020 | Nov 6, 2020 | Nov 20, 2020 | Jan 7; Jan 21, 2021 |
| Feb 6, 2021 | Jan 8, 2021 | Jan 15, 2021 | Mar 8; Mar 22, 2021 |
| Apr 10, 2021 | Mar 5, 2021 | Mar 19, 2021 | May 11; May 25, 2021 |
| June 12, 2021 | May 7, 2021 | May 21, 2021 | July 6; July 20, 2021 |
| July 17, 2021 | June 11, 2021 | June 25, 2021 | Aug 10; Aug 24, 2021 |
*The first date is when multiple-choice scores come out, and the second date is when complete scores (including the essay) become available.
How Accurate Is the Table Above?
All of the dates in the table above are projected and subject to change, particularly in the time of COVID-19.
However, based on previous years' dates and the information we currently have, this schedule should be quite accurate since exam dates don't change much year to year. The score release dates are the least precise, but they should be within a week of the projected dates. Also, keep in mind that not everyone receives their multiple-choice scores at the same time.
How to Choose the Best ACT Test Date
These projected ACT test dates are too far off for you to register for one of them, but you can still use them to get a good sense of when future ACT test dates will be and start planning which month you want to take the test.
When thinking about which ACT exam date is the best for you, consider these four factors:
#1: College Application Deadlines
Before you can choose an ACT test date, you need to know when each of the colleges you're applying to need your scores. College application deadlines are the most important factor to consider when choosing an ACT exam date. If you miss their deadline, they likely won't review your scores, no matter how high they are! This means you always want to choose a test date well before college deadlines.
It takes about two weeks after your exam date for you to get your ACT scores, and then schools typically receive your scores another two weeks after that. Therefore, we recommend choosing an ACT test date at least a month before your applications are due in order to make sure you don't miss any deadlines.
Common application deadlines are January 1 for students applying regular decision and November 1 or 15 for early action/early decision. If you apply regular decision, the December test in your senior year is likely the last ACT you can take for most colleges. If you apply early action or early decision, the last ACT you can take will likely be the October test date. Some schools have a specific deadline just for SAT/ACT scores, or they'll list the last exam date they accept scores from. Check the admissions pages of the schools you're applying to so you can get this information.
#2: Possible ACT Retakes
In order to get their best score, many students end up taking the ACT two or three times. Even if you feel confident you'll get the score you want the first time you take the test, it's smart to give yourself time for one or two retakes, just in case. Here's a potential schedule that gives you plenty of time to take the ACT three times:
- First time: as a junior in your fall semester
- Second time: as a junior in your spring semester
- Third time: as a senior in your fall semester (or the summer before fall semester)
If you don't feel quite ready to take the ACT in the fall of your junior year, you can take the test for the first time in February. This will still leave you enough time to take it once or twice more with time to study between exams.
#3: Your Study Plan
Your study plan is another key factor to think about before you choose an ACT test date. We typically recommend students begin studying several months before they take the ACT, but what really counts, more than the number of months, is how many hours are spent studying. Here are our estimates for the numbers of hours you'll need to study for the ACT based on how much of a point improvement you want to make:
- 0-1 ACT point improvement: 10 hours
- 1-2 ACT point improvement: 20 hours
- 2-4 ACT point improvement: 40 hours
- 4-6 ACT point improvement: 80 hours
- 6-9 ACT point improvement: 150 hours+
For example, if you are getting about a 26 on practice ACTs and your goal score is a 30, expect to study about 40-60 hours to reach that goal. If you think you can manage studying about six hours a week, it'll take you about seven to ten weeks to be ready. That means you should choose a test date at least 2.5 months after you begin studying for the ACT to make sure you have plenty of time to prepare.
However, these are just estimates, and it's important to take regular practice tests so you can see how much progress you're making and which areas you still need to improve in.
#4: Schedule Conflicts
Another factor to consider is whether the date you're interested in works with everything else in your schedule. Once you have an exam date in mind, check to see if you have any potential conflicts on or around that date. Don't look at just the test date itself either; make sure you'll have plenty of time in your schedule in the weeks/months before the exam date for you to study as much as you need to.
For example, maybe the October date is on the same day as your orchestra concert. Or perhaps you want to avoid the June test date because you'll be focused on your finals/AP exams. In these cases, you'll want to choose a different exam date to be sure you can be well prepared for the ACT and fully focused on the test come exam day.
What's Next?
Trying to decide whether to take the ACT or the SAT? Learn more about how to decide which test (or tests) to take by reading our comparison guide on them.
What's a good ACT score, and what score should you aim for? Jump into our step-by-step guide to figure out your ACT score goal and how you can reach it.
If you're aiming for top scores on all four sections of the ACT, read our in-depth strategy guides on how to get a 36 on ACT English, ACT Math, ACT Reading, and ACT Science.
