Online ACT Testing & Device Setup

• Enhanced accessibility. An online option allows us to provide additional accessibility features, including support for screen reader users, text-to-speech functionality, zoom, and answer masking. These are not "features" for many of our students, but necessities for equal access. By offering an online option, we can helpmore students meet their academic and career success  goals. 
• Test prep and testing can align. Many of our test prep options, including free practice exams, offer online components, so sitting down with a computer at a test center on test day will feel like preparing at home.
• Similar to school-day testing. If a student has taken the ACT during the school day, they will experience many similarities if they take the national online test option. 

If you select “Computer” during test registration, you will be able to find test centers that are offering the online ACT test. You may then choose between bringing your own device (BYOD) or using a test center provided device.

The online ACT is not available as a “remote” exam and must be taken on a test center-managed device at your chosen test center. If an accommodation is needed for an alternate location (i.e. hospital, etc.), please review our accommodations policies.

Test Center Locator

You will have until the late registration deadline to make changes to your test format, for a fee. You will not be able to change your desired test format at the test center on test day.

Students who also qualify for a fee waiver for paper-based testing will qualify for, and be able to use, the same fee waiver for the online format.

Yes, for students outside of the U.S., the ACT is only available online.

Yes, you may use scratch paper if you are taking the ACT online. However, ACT does not provide scratch paper. The testing site is responsible for providing it for online testing. All scratch paper is collected at the end of the exam.

For paper testing, scratch paper is not permitted. Annotations must be done in the test booklet.

You will still be able to bring your own permitted calculator to the test center regardless of your test format. A built-in calculator application is also available if you take the ACT exam online at a testing center.

To learn more about our testing accommodations, please review our accommodations policies. There will also be accessibility tools built into the software to help with your online testing experience. The following accessibility supports will be available to all students:

• Choice of colors and color contrast
• Magnification
• Line reader tool (mimics straight edge used in paper testing for visual tracking)
• Highlight text or parts of an item
• Answer-masking or custom masking
• Mark an item for review
• Option eliminator
• Indicator of time remaining
• Online calculator

If you are a person with a disability or an English Llearner who needs additional supports, please respond “Yes” during registration in MyACT.org when asked if you need accommodations or language supports to access the test. Then work with your school official to request authorization from ACT.

If the computer you are on experiences difficulties on test day that cannot be easily or quickly resolved by the testing staff, they may be able to move you to a new testing device. If a new device is unable to resolve the issue, your test center will let ACT know, and ACT will work with your test center for rescheduled testing.

Personal Chromebooks, Windows S Mode, iPads and tablets are not supported at this time. If you registered for the BYOD option, test centers are not required to provide back-ups on test day and showing up without a device will result in you being unable to test. If you registered for online testing, non-byod, then sites will be responsible for providing and preparing all devices for examinees on test day.

The admission ticket policy is not changing. We recommend bringing your ticket, because it will contain critical information that will help you log in to the test platform on test day. While you won’t be turned away for not bringing your ticket, you will still need to bring an acceptable form of identification.

• On test day, it is best to leave any electronic device, other than a permitted calculator, acceptable watch or timing device and your testing device (if BYOD) at home.
• Textbooks, foreign language or other dictionaries, scratch paper, notes, or other aids or reading materials should be left at home and are not permitted on test day.
• Highlighter pens, colored pens or pencils, mechanical pencils or correction fluid/tape can not be used on test day and should be left at home. Don't forget your number 2 pencil!