ACT is committed to providing appropriate accommodations for examinees who take the ACT test. To request accommodations, you will need to work with a school official, because the accommodations requested should be similar to the accommodations you currently receive in school. Accommodations MUST be approved by ACT before testing. A request alone is not enough.
All requests, including appeals, must be submitted by the late registration deadline for your preferred test date. If your request is not properly submitted, it may not be approved in time for your preferred test date.
Not in school?
Log into MyACT and complete the following:
You can also view this helpful video that provides a walkthrough of the registration process: The ACT Extended Time vs. Special Testing Comparison
After you register, you will receive an email that you must forward to your school official. You also need to provide a completed Consent to Release Information to ACT (PDF) form.
Your school official must submit your accommodations request in TAA before the late registration deadline for your test. Once submitted, requests can take 5-10 business days to process.
Note: If the accommodations you need were previously approved, you should not submit a new request. Skip this step.
Your school official will receive a copy of the decision notification. If your request was denied, review your decision notification with your school official. You have until the late registration deadline to submit an appeal.
Note: If after 10 business days, you have not received an update from your school official about your accommodations request, please contact them directly.
You are responsible for working with your school official to make arrangements to test within the special testing window. Students approved for special testing usually test at their own school. If your high school cannot administer the test, contact ACT as soon as possible.
Be sure to upload your photo (if you have not already done so) and review your admission ticket to ensure your registration shows your accommodations. If you are testing at a national test center, check your testing location. In some cases, we may need to change your testing location to provide your accommodations.
If you are located in the US, US Territories, or Puerto Rico, special testing is available during the designated testing windows below. Please note, some schools may be closed during part of the testing window due to schools being out of session.
2023-2024 Special Testing Windows
| Test Date | Testing Window |
|---|---|
| September 9, 2023 | September 9 - September 24 |
| October 28, 2023 | October 28 - November 12 |
| December 9, 2023 | December 9 - December 24 |
| February 10, 2024 | February 10 - February 25 |
| April 13, 2024 | April 13 - April 28 |
| June 8, 2024 | June 8 - June 23 |
| July 13, 2024* | July 13 - July 28 |
*Special testing is not available in New York for the July Testing Window.
The Test Information Release for Special testing is available during the April testing window. Learn more!
2024-2025 Special Testing Windows
| Test Date | Testing Window |
|---|---|
| September 14, 2024 | September 14 - September 29 |
| October 26, 2024 | October 26 - November 10 |
| December 14, 2024 | December 14 - December 29 |
| February 8, 2025 | February 8 - February 23 |
| April 5, 2025 | April 5 - April 20 |
| June 14, 2025 | June 14 - June 29 |
| July 12, 2025* | July 12 - July 27 |
*Special testing is not available in New York for the July Testing Window.
The Test Information Release for Special testing is available during the February testing window. Learn more!
Based on your approved accommodations, ACT will place you in either National or Special Testing.
Some accommodations (e.g., time and one-half single session testing) and all EL supports, may be administered at national test centers. If you are approved to test at a national test center you will see an “Accommodations” label on your admission ticket once accommodations and/or English Learner Supports are approved by ACT, and your seat at a national test center is confirmed in the applicable room type (e.g., Extended Time, single room).
If your approved accommodations cannot be provided at a national test center (e.g., multiple-day testing) you and the school official will work together to make arrangements for testing within the applicable special testing window. If you are approved to test via special testing you will see a “Special Testing” label on your admission ticket once accommodations and/or English Learner Supports are approved. If your school is unable to administer the test, you may find another school and work with ACT to request testing at this location. Contact ACT to request a Test Location Change Form.
If you are approved for multiple accommodations, you will receive the accommodations that provide the most amount of time and support. If you wish to use fewer or no accommodations when testing, please contact ACT more than one week before your test date.
If you were not approved for accommodations but still wish to test, contact ACT as soon as possible to update your registration to test without accommodations. Please note that your preferred test center may not be available.
We do our best to minimize the impact to your test experience and provide your approved accommodations. This may result in changes to your test format or test option. Your test accommodations are not approved until after you are able to print your admission ticket. If your accommodations are approved for a national test center, ACT reviews your registration against available capacity and may update your test location to a nearby test center that can support your accommodations. Please be sure to review the information on your admission ticket and confirm your testing location.
Writing test changes - If you are approved for accommodations that are only for the writing section and you are not registered for the writing test, you will be moved to a National testing center.
Test format changes – If you are approved for accommodations that do not depend on a particular test format, changes to your test format may occur to provide your approved accommodations.
Note: We are rolling out the online testing format at limited locations for the remaining 2023-2024 test dates and will be supporting online Special testing through locations participating in National testing only.
Temporary arrangements are also available for situations including, but not limited to a broken limb. Contact ACTAccom@act.org for a request form.
Find out more about ACT research investigating the performance and experiences of students testing with accommodations and language supports.