If you have been putting off the ACT/SAT or are hoping to retake one, you need to know when you can take your last test so that your scores will arrive at your schools in time. In other words, when is the very latest you can take the SAT or ACT for your college applications?

Read on to find out when you can still take the SAT or ACT—and when you'd be too late. You might be surprised by how little time you have!

Can you take the ACT online? The answer used to be a resounding "no" but, in Fall 2023, the CEO of the ACT made the surprise announcement that they'd begin offering a digital ACT as a pilot program beginning in December 2023.  Since then, access to the digital ACT has expanded, and students in the US now have the opportunity to choose between the paper ACT and the online ACT. 

How does the online ACT work? How is it different than the paper ACT? Can you take the ACT at home on your laptop? What do you need to do to prepare? We'll answer all those questions in this guide!

Are you planning to take the ACT this year? If so, your first order of business is to check out the testing dates and choose the one that works best for you. Whether you plan to take the ACT once or a few times, remember that standardized test scores are an important component of your college application. You’ll want to make sure you choose the dates that will help you be the most successful.

You can use apps to order food, watch sports, keep up with friends, and even study for the ACT. ACT apps are a somewhat recent phenomenon, but they're pretty appealing. After all, studying on your phone sounds like way more fun than studying from a book.

Even though apps are not enough to prepare you for the test on their own, they can be a helpful resource. In this article, I'll explain what ACT prep apps are, list the best ACT apps (most of which are free!), and offer tips on how to use them effectively.

No matter how you prep for the ACT—whether you have a tutor, take a class, or study by yourself—you must get access to official, online and printable ACT tests. The official ACT practice test provided below—released by ACT, Inc.—is the exact format you’ll see on test day.

In this post, I'll tell you where you can find the official, online or printable ACT practice test with the answer key. I'll also give you key strategies and resources to help you make big improvements while you prep for the ACT.

You've just signed up for the ACT. But did you know that there is an optional Writing test for the ACT? More importantly, do you know if your dream schools require or recommend this ACT section?

Check out our regularly updated list of schools to find out if the Writing ACT is worth your time and money. We'll then give you our top tips for acing the ACT Writing section.

If you’re taking the ACT, you know waiting for scores can be stressful. Wondering how your scores compare to those of other students is common, but how do you know what’s considered a good ACT score? More importantly, how do you decide what ACT score to shoot for in order to get accepted to your top colleges? 

We’ll tell you how to determine whether your ACT scores would be considered “good.”(Spoiler alert: it’s tricker than you think!) From there, we’ll explain how to set a target ACT score that helps you achieve your college admissions dreams. As a bonus, we’ll help you put your ACT scores in context by looking at how what qualifies as a good ACT score has changed over time. 

Let’s get started. 

Future ACT dates are only confirmed a little more than a year in advance, but at PrepScholar, we've researched patterns from previous testing years to predict future ACT test dates.

In this guide, we'll provide the confirmed and likely dates for 2026-2027, 2027-2028 and 2028-2029. From the data we've looked at, we can predict these dates with a fair degree of confidence. If you're looking for sooner ACT test dates, check out this article. on upcoming ACT test dates and how to choose the best test date for you.

What's the difference between a good ACT score and a great ACT score? One way colleges make that distinction is by looking at ACT score percentiles.

ACT score percentiles help colleges compare students with one another, rather than just looking at everyone's individual score. Learn more about your ACT score percentile so you can maximize both your study time and admission chances. Then, find out your current score percentile using our detailed charts.

This fall, the ACT surprised us all by rolling out a digital exam option for December 2023. With just a few months till exam time, how do you decide if the digital ACT option is right for you?

NOTE: This article is about the December 2023 Digital ACT pilot. Check out our guide to the new digital ACT changes for more info on the 2024-2025 version.

In this article, we’ll tell you everything we know about the December digital ACT right now, including: 

• Why the ACT is offering a last-minute digital exam option
• The timeline of dates and deadlines to the December ACT digital test
• What to expect from the digital ACT and how this change will affect you
• How the digital ACT compares to the digital SAT

Let’s get started!

Whether you're currently studying to take the ACT or took it in 2016-2020, you might be curious about how your ACT percentile compares to students who took the ACT in past years.

In this article, we'll go over what percentiles are, how percentiles work on the ACT, and why ACT percentiles matter. We also lay out ACT percentile charts for 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 so you can see how your score compares to historical ACT scores.

What is the highest possible score on the ACT, and how rare is it to get one? Whether you're just now diving into your ACT prep or have been at it for a while, you're probably wondering what the best score is. In this guide, we'll explore the odds of earning the maximum ACT score and give you tips and advice for reaching it.

Looking for info on 2025-2026 ACT test dates? Knowing the correct ACT test dates is crucial for a solid test-taking plan. Though you might be tempted to go ahead and register for the next possible test date, what you should really be doing is finding a date that works well for you and your schedule.

In this guide, we offer an overview of upcoming ACT test dates, registration deadlines, and score release dates. We also give you tips on how to choose an ACT test date and go over which test dates work best for juniors, seniors, and more.

We know that 36 is the best possible score on the ACT and that any score in the 30s is considered very good. But how good is a top score of 34, 35, or 36? And how many students earn these scores every year?

In this post, we break down just how rare those top scores are and how many students get them each year. Learn how you can stand out in the application process with a top score—and how to raise your ACT score to get there.

Did you recently get your ACT scores back and are now wondering how your score compares with those of other test takers in your state? Or perhaps you're curious as to how your state's average ACT score stacks up against other state averages.

For this article, we compiled the average ACT scores by state, as well as the average in each subject area, using the latest data from ACT, Inc. Read on to learn how your state's SAT data—and your ACT score—compare with the averages in the rest of the country.