What to bring to the ACT test

ACT test day checklist: what to bring

• Admission ticket, printed from MyACT after your photo is approved
• Acceptable photo ID
• Sharpened No. 2 pencils with erasers. No pens or mechanical pencils
• A permitted calculator, for the math test only (optional)
• A watch with no alarm (optional). It stays on your desk
• A snack and drink for the break, kept outside the testing room
• For bring-your-own-device online testing: a fully charged laptop and its charger

Which IDs are accepted

Your ID must be original and valid, issued by a city, state or federal agency or by your school, with a photo that clearly shows it’s you. It has to be a hard plastic card. Paper and digital IDs aren’t accepted. The name must match the name you registered with.

If you don’t have a photo ID, bring an ACT Student Identification Form with a photo, filled in by a school official or a notary. A relative can’t complete it.

These won’t get you in: a birth certificate, diploma, report card, Social Security card, credit card, or a photo of a parent.

What to leave at home

• Phones, smartwatches, fitness bands and anything that can connect to the internet or record. If you have one, it must be off and out of sight. If it goes off, you’ll be dismissed and your test won’t be scored.
• Textbooks, notes, scratch paper and dictionaries (an ACT-approved bilingual dictionary is the exception)
• Highlighters, colored pens and correction fluid or tape
• Calculators with a computer algebra system, such as the TI-89, TI-92 or TI-Nspire CAS

Arriving, and what time the ACT ends

Plan to be inside the test center by 8:00 a.m. Late arrivals can’t be admitted. At check-in you show your ID and your ticket. If you forget the ticket you can usually still test, but on paper your scores may be delayed.

There’s a short break after the second test, and you can’t leave the supervised area or use a phone during it. ACT’s estimated finish times are below.