Did you graduate from college years ago and now a prospective employer is asking for your ACT scores? Or perhaps you took time off after high school and now have to send your ACT scores to colleges. In either case, you'll need to know how to access your old ACT scores.
In this article, I'll explain how to get and use old ACT scores. I'll walk you through the process of retrieving old scores and sending score reports for any ACT tests you took long ago.
Why Would You Need Old ACT Scores?
Believe it or not, some employers do request standardized test scores. Most employers who look at old ACT scores are in the investment banking and consulting industries. Education and tutoring companies might also ask for your ACT scores, especially if you're applying for a job in the fun-filled world of test prep.
In addition, if you took time off between high school and college, or if you left college and are now reapplying to schools, you might need to send ACT score reports to the schools you're applying to. In this case, you'll need to look at each school's website to verify whether or not you need your old ACT scores. In general, standardized test scores are not required if you graduated from high school more than five years ago.
How Do You Get an Old ACT Score?
There are a few ways to get your old ACT scores depending on when you took the test.
If You Tested in September 2011 or Later
ACT scores are available online from September 2011 to the present. (Note that Writing scores are only available if you took the Writing section in September 2016 or later.) To view your scores online, you must have an ACT account. If you registered online when you originally took the test, you already have an account and can simply log in to access your scores.
If you don't have an online account, you can create one. However, you'll need to know your ACT ID number in order to access your scores. You can find your ACT ID number on your admission ticket and official ACT score report, which was sent to the high school and colleges you requested. It's an eight-digit number that begins with a dash.
If you can't find your ACT ID, call ACT, Inc. to get it. Prepare as much identifying information as possible to help the agents locate your ID; this includes the following:
- Your full name
- Your test date
- Your home address (when you tested)
- Your birth date
The phone number for ACT, Inc. is 319-337-1270.
If You Tested Before September 2011
If you tested before the September 2011, you can't get your scores online. However, ACT, Inc. can use microfiche to find scores from as far back as the fall of 1966. If you tested before September 2011, call ACT, Inc. at the number above to try to locate your scores.
Again, have as much identifying information as possible on hand to help the agent find your score. You should know your test date (at least the year) and your address at the time.
How to Send an ACT Score Report for an Old Test
You can make an online request for score reports through your ACT web account (which you can create if you don't have one). Note that you must pay by valid credit card.
ACT scores are archived for tests taken more than three years ago. If a score is archived, it's not in the active file. As you might've guessed, fees are unfortunately higher if you're trying to send old ACT scores. ACT score reports for tests taken within the last three years cost $19 per test date per report, while score reports for tests taken more than three years ago cost $49 per test date per report (including a non-refundable $30 archived scores fee).
A score report is always processed within one week after your request is received. ACT, Inc. delivers reports to colleges and agencies you've selected based on their preferred schedule, which is typically at least every two weeks.
What's Next?
For more tips, read this article on sending ACT scores to colleges. Also, learn about ACT college codes and school codes for score reports.
Curious about what a good ACT score is? Check out our guide to how to set an ACT goal score. If you're aiming for a top score, you'll definitely want to learn how to score a perfect 36.
Finally, take a look at this post to learn who uses ACT scores.
