Future ACT dates are only officially confirmed about a year or year and a half in advance. However, here at PrepScholar we've researched patterns from previous testing years to predict future ACT test dates and help you plan your exam schedule. Having an idea of when future ACT test dates will be can help you organize your schedule and know when to register and begin studying for the test.
In this article, we discuss the anticipated ACT test dates for 2022-2023 and explain how you can use them to be well-prepared for the date you decide is best for you.
2022-2023 ACT Test Dates
Below is the schedule for the anticipated ACT test dates, registration deadlines, and score release dates for the 2022-23 school year. All of these dates are our own estimates; we discuss in the next section how we came up with them.
| Test Date | Deadline | Late Deadline | Online Score Release* |
| Sept 10, 2022 | Aug 5, 2022 | Aug 19, 2022 | Sept 20; Oct 4, 2022 |
| Oct 22, 2022 | Sept 16, 2022 | Sept 30, 2022 | Nov 8; Nov 22, 2022 |
| Dec 10, 2022 | Nov 4, 2022 | Nov 11, 2022 | Dec 20, 2022; Jan 3, 2023 |
| Feb 11, 2023 | Jan 6, 2023 | Jan 20, 2023 | Feb 28; Mar 14, 2023 |
| April 15, 2023 | March 10, 2023 | Mar 24, 2023 | April 25; May 9, 2023 |
| June 10, 2023 | May 5, 2023 | May 19, 2023 | June 20; July 4, 2023 |
| July 15, 2023** | June 16, 2023 | June 23, 2023 | July 25; Aug 8, 2023 |
*The first date is when multiple-choice scores come out, and the second date is when complete scores (including the essay) become available.
**The July exam date isn't offered in New York.
How Accurate Is the Table Above?
These 2022-2023 ACT test dates, along with deadlines and score release dates, are all estimates. ACT, Inc. doesn’t confirm dates more than a year or so in advance.
So does that mean they’re not useful? Not at all! The ACT likes to keep to a standard schedule so, by looking at past ACT dates, we can predict fairly accurately when future test dates will occur. There’s little variation in when ACT exams are held, so expect these date estimates to be no more than a week off.
The score release dates were estimated based on past patterns of multiple-choice results being released about ten days after the test, and essay scores released about two weeks after that.
The disarray and stretch of exam cancellations due to the coronavirus pandemic showed us that even a very set schedule can change drastically, but barring major changes, you can plan on these estimated dates being quite close to the actual ACT exam dates.
How to Use These ACT Test Date Projections
These 2022 and 2023 ACT test dates are too far in the future to register for. However, they can still be useful for planning and studying purposes. First, you can look over the exam dates to see what your options are for the 2022-2023 school year. If you have an idea of the month you want to take the ACT, you can check the dates to see if one falls on an important event such as, say, prom or your birthday. Remember, these dates are subject to change, but being aware of potential future schedule conflicts can make it easier and less stressful to choose an ACT test date.
Once you think you've chosen an ideal ACT test date, you can work out when to begin studying for the exam. We generally recommend that students begin studying several months before they take the ACT, but what really counts, more than the number of months, is how many hours you spend studying. You'll want to take a practice ACT first, see how you score on it, and see how far that score is from your goal score. Then you can figure out how much you want to improve and how many hours you should study.
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 22 on practice ACTs and your goal score is a 25, expect to study about 40 hours to reach that goal. If you think you can manage studying six hours a week, it'll take you about six to seven weeks to be ready. That means you should choose a test date at least 1.5 months after you begin studying for the ACT to make sure you have plenty of time to prepare. Of course, you can reach that goal faster if you can fit in more study hours each week.
Planning ahead can be very helpful in scheduling and making sure you budget enough time for your studying, but remember that these dates are still projections. Check them again within a year of the testing dates to see if there have been changes. If so, tweak your planning a bit, and you'll be set!
What's Next?
Want the best ACT practice materials? Check out our massive collection of official and unofficial ACT practice tests.
How long should you study for the ACT? Learn the exact number of hours you need to study for the ACT to get the score you want!
Once you have all your ACT prep resources together, it's time to build a study plan. Our expert advice will help you build the ACT study plan that's best for you!
