ACT Online Testing

Information for States and Districts

Technical Requirements

For the ACT Test Taken Online

Below you will find technical requirements for the ACT® test taken online.

Information to Share with Examinees

Resources are available to help examinees prepare for the ACT. 

Set-Up and Technical Requirements

Optimal Testing Experience

For an optimal online testing experience, avoid testing on any computer that takes 10 seconds or more to start and run applications.

 

Determining Testing Capacity

To determine if your test site has enough computers to test all your examinees, use the formula below.

[number of devices] x [number of days you plan to test in the window] = examinee capacity

Note: For State and District testing, there are 6 days available in the online testing window.

 

TestNav and PearsonAccessnext

TestNav™ is the test delivery engine used by examinees to take the tests. PearsonAccessnext ™ is the web application used by testing staff to manage participation, ordering of materials, and online testing.

 

Hardware Requirements

See the table below for minimum hardware requirements for devices used for testing.

  Windows macOS (OS X) Chrome OS
Supported Devices Desktop
Laptop		 Desktop
Laptop		 Chromebook*
Processor x86/x32 and x64 only Intel-based™ Any
Memory 2 GB RAM 2 GB RAM 2 GB RAM
Screen size 9.5 inch 9.5 inch 9.5 inch
Screen resolution 1024 x 768 1024 x 768 1024 x 768
Other
  • External keyboard and mouse (or touchpad) for touchscreen devices required*
  • Wired hardware is recommended
  • Local File access to home directory
  • Local File access to home directory
  • Wired hardware is recommended
     
  • Convertible Chromebooks cannot be used in tablet mode*
  • Touchscreen not supported*

ACT cannot provide support for customers utilizing virtualization/thin clients, therefore, those using these technologies should compare virtual environment performance to that of a non-virtual environment prior to administering the ACT.

Tablets, Chromebooks and iPads

Chromebooks must be used with a keyboard and mouse/touch pad. Tablet mode is referring to using the device as a touchscreen device without a keyboard and mouse/touch pad attached.

iPads and Linux devices are not supported at this time.

Software Requirements

Tests that Require Kiosk Mode

Kiosk mode prevents students from accessing any other web pages or applications besides TestNav while testing.

TestNav

Use the links below to download and set up the app for your supported operating system.

 

Operating System Download Installable TestNav Setup Instructions
Chrome OS 74+ From Chrome Web Store Set Up TestNav on Chromebook
OS X: 10.12, 10.13, 10.14+ From TestNav downloads Set Up TestNav Desktop on OS X
Windows: 7, 8.1, 10 (includes Windows Store app) From TestNav downloads Set Up TestNav Desktop on Windows

Firewall/Proxy Servers/Content Filtering

Open the following URLs and ports in any firewalls, proxy servers, or software used for internet content filtering:

URL:Port

*.act.org:80

*.act.org:443

*.pearsontestcontent.com

*.thawte.com

*.usertrust.com

*.comodoca.com

https://dictionaryapi.com

https://www.dictionaryapi.com

https://media.merriam-webster.com

https://media.merriam-webster.com

google-analytics.com (optional)

Note: TestNav content is dynamically hosted in the cloud. No static IP addresses or ranges can be provided.

Requirements for Proctor Caching

See the table below for minimum hardware and software requirements for devices used for proctor caching.

 

Hardware Requirements (Minimum) Windows
Processor 2.0 GHz x86/x32 and x64 
Memory 2 GB RAM

 

When using ProctorCache, you must open the following URL:Port combinations in any firewalls, proxy servers, or software used for Internet content filtering:

URL:Port
*.act.org:80
*.act.org:443
*usertrust.com
*thawte.com
*pearsontestcontent.com
*comodoca.com
google-analytics.com (optional)

You must configure the firewall software to open both ports listed below, or both of your custom port settings, in the local network on all proctor caching computers:

Default TCP/IP Port Settings
  • port 4480
  • port 4481
Custom Port Settings If you set custom ports using instructions on the Set Up and Use ProctorCache page, configure firewall software to open BOTH custom ports, and NOT the two default ports listed above.

 

Supported Operating Systems for Proctor Caching

These are the supported operating systems for devices used for proctor caching:

  • Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Server 2012, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows Server 2016, or Windows Server 2019