How to Register for the ACT

Read time: 9 min  ·  Last updated: June 19, 2026

You’re signing up your son or daughter for the ACT - but you want help figuring out how to answer the questions. This step-by-step guide will walk you through the registration process from start to finish. It includes information on which section to register for, and tips on how to select colleges to send your scores to.

Here’s what you will need:

• A computer with internet (registration, account management, ticket printing).
• A credit card or other payment method — payment is what actually secures the seat.
• A photo that meets ID/security requirements ( can be submitted later)
• Your high school code (CEEB code). There's an official High School Codes Lookup.
• College codes (optional but useful) — up to four score reports are included free if you enter codes at registration; 5th/6th cost $20 each.
• A parent/guardian email (optional) — ACT lets you send copies of important messages to a parent email.

First you go to the act’s registration page. The home page looks like this.

Click the register now button. That will take you to a screen that looks like this.

You need to either sign in or create a new account. Once you do that, you’ll see a page that looks like this.

Click register. You’ll see a box pop up. It looks like this

You’ll get a number of questions.

• Are you testing in the US or abroad?
• Are you taking the test on paper or on computer? If you chose online, you’ll have to then select whether to bring your own device or not.
• Are you taking the ACT with science?
• Are you taking the ACT with writing?

Once you hit next, you’ll be asked to enter your address. From there, the website will give you the nearest test options. Notice I’m accessing the site June 19 2026 and the September test is already 100% booked. That’s how far in advance tests get booked up.

You’ll then “add” the test to your shopping cart - but you’re not done.

Once you hit next, you’ll be asked to fill out demographic information.

Fill that out - you’re allowed to select “prefer not to respond” without adverse impact to your score. ACT does share demographic information with colleges to give them context about your score.

You need to provide a photo - either now or before test day - that meets the following requirements:

• Clear image of ONLY the student, plain background, full face-and-shoulders, squarely facing camera, portrait orientation.
• No dark glasses; no filters/lenses/text/emoji/stickers; no enhancement of any kind.
• Religious head coverings are fine — adjust for a full-face view.
• Do NOT scan a driver's license or school ID photo (fails quality); do not submit a photo of a photo.
• Format: JPG/JPEG/PNG/BMP, max 5MB, at least 640×480px, prints at 2"×2" or larger.

Source: Photo Submission Requirements

The ACT will then ask if you want to share your information for “College and Financial Aid Opportunities.” You’ll likely get a lot of “spam” mail from colleges, and marketing emails. So it’s your choice if you want to select this option.

Once you finish with “College and Financial Aid Opportunities” section you’ll be asked if you want to send scores.

You have 24 hours after each test to decide to send your scores to each college for free. After that point, you’ll have to pay for each scores sent to colleges. Whether or not to send your scores immediately is a real judgement call. If your son or daughter is applying to highly selective schools, and they’re uncertain about their test scores, then it might make sense to delay sending scores.

Otherwise, delaying probably doesn’t make much sense.

On the next page, the ACT tries to upsell you their books.

The books are genuinely good, but you can almost always find cheaper copies on Amazon. As of June 19th, 2026 the ACT red book (the one that is physically red) costs $33 on Amazon. The ACT is trying to charge $47.95 on their own website. Kind of an insane ask.

Finally, this last page is only available on certain test dates.

“ACT My Answer Key” - you will receive a copy of the test your son or daughter took, along with their answer key. I wrote an article about the ACT My Answer Key here. The short version is it neither really helps or hurts.

Finally, you need to check out and pay. Here’s how much the ACT costs in 2026.

Fee waivers: Available based on location and household income (free/reduced-lunch eligibility is the usual trigger). Waivers cover the test fee; do NOT cover late fees, date/ center changes, or standby. There's a dedicated fee-waiver eligibility page.

See my article on fee waivers.

Read my guide on getting ready the night before and day of!