PreACT and PreACT 8/9 online results typically come out within 10 business days after ACT receives the test materials, so about two weeks after an online test and a little longer after a paper one. PreACT Secure scores wait until enough students in the testing window have finished, then take about 10 business days. ACT sends the scores to your school, not to you, and your school decides when to hand them out.
Use the finder to get a date for your own test, then read why scores sometimes take longer and how to get them from your school. Every rule here comes from ACT's PreACT scores page and its 2026-27 program details, checked November 8, 2026.
Choose your version of the PreACT, online or paper, and the last day you tested. If you know when ACT received your school's paper answer documents, add it for an exact date.
When will my PreACT scores come out?
Pick your test and the day you finished it. The tool counts ACT's 10 business days of scoring, skipping weekends and U.S. federal holidays, and shows when paper copies may reach your school.
Not sure? ACT pitches PreACT 8/9 at grades 8-9 and PreACT at grades 9-10. The Secure versions are online tests that states and districts use.
Enter your test date to see when results should be ready.
The answer depends on which PreACT you took and whether it was on paper or a computer. ACT publishes one scoring rule for each family of tests, and the difference between them is when the clock starts.
| Test | Formats | Score scale | When results release |
|---|---|---|---|
| PreACT 8/9 | Online or paper | 1-30 | Online results typically within 10 business days of ACT receiving the test materials; two paper copies per student mailed to the school |
| PreACT (grades 9-10) | Online or paper | 1-35 | Same as PreACT 8/9 |
| PreACT 9 Secure | Online only | 1-32 | After enough submissions for equating, then about 10 business days for scoring |
| PreACT Secure | Online only | 1-35 | Same as PreACT 9 Secure |
An online PreACT is submitted as you finish, so the 10 business days start at about the time you test. Ten business days is two calendar weeks when there's no holiday in the way. For example, a student who tested online on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 would have results ready for the school by about Wednesday, October 21, 2026; Columbus Day on October 12 pushes it one day later than a plain two-week count.
For a paper PreACT the 10 business days start when ACT receives the answer documents, which your school packs and ships after everyone has tested, including make-up sessions. ACT doesn't publish a shipping time. Our finder assumes 3 to 7 business days unless you enter the receipt date, so a paper test usually comes back about three weeks after test day. The two printed copies of each student report then travel back to the school by mail, and ACT notes that their arrival varies with mailing time.
PreACT Secure and PreACT 9 Secure are equated, which means ACT adjusts scoring so that different forms of the test mean the same thing. That needs enough students' answers, so ACT releases results after it has the submissions it needs and then takes about 10 business days. In practice, the earliest testers in a window may wait the longest. In fall 2026, a student who tested on October 1 had a 10-business-day date of Friday, October 16, 2026, but if ACT waited for the window to close on October 23, results would come closer to Friday, November 6, 2026. The finder shows that range.
Schools pick their own PreACT and PreACT 8/9 test day anywhere from September 1, 2026 to May 28, 2027, so there's no single national release date. The Secure versions run in two fixed windows. Find your school's date on our PreACT test dates guide.
| Test | 2026-27 testing | Results ready for schools |
|---|---|---|
| PreACT and PreACT 8/9 | Any school-chosen date, Sept 1, 2026 to May 28, 2027 | About 10 business days after ACT receives the materials |
| PreACT Secure and PreACT 9 Secure, fall | Monday, September 28, 2026 to Friday, October 23, 2026 | Rolling; by about Friday, November 6, 2026 if scoring waits for the window to close |
| PreACT Secure and PreACT 9 Secure, spring | Monday, March 8, 2027 to Friday, April 16, 2027 | Rolling; by about Friday, April 30, 2027 if scoring waits for the window to close |
Fall testing is common for schools that want a baseline early in the year; spring testing usually measures growth or feeds into junior-year ACT planning. Either way, ACT says reports are expected "as early as 10 business days after receipt of materials".
Through your school. ACT delivers PreACT and PreACT 8/9 scores to the school online, plus two paper copies of each student's report. PreACT Secure and PreACT 9 Secure reports are delivered online. ACT notes that educators can review the scores and prepare discussions before giving them to students and families.
Online testers are asked to set up a MyACT account before testing so the career interest inventory and profile answers appear on their report. ACT says answers added after testing won't fill in the report, so if your report's career section is blank, that's the likely reason; it doesn't affect your scores.
Most delays happen at the school end, not at ACT. Work through these in order before you worry.
| Situation | What it usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer than 10 business days since an online test | ACT is still scoring | Wait; the finder shows the date |
| Paper test, two or three weeks later | Answer documents may have shipped after make-up testing | Ask your coordinator when they were shipped |
| Secure test early in the window | ACT is waiting for enough submissions to equate | Expect results after more students in the window have tested |
| Finder date has passed | Scores are probably at your school | Ask your counselor when reports will be handed out |
| A friend got scores and you didn't | Different test day, a make-up, or a missing answer document | Ask the coordinator to check your record |
Section scores, a Composite, a STEM score, a predicted ACT score range and how you compare with other students. The scales follow the ACT's 1-36 scale but stop lower: PreACT and PreACT Secure top out at 35, PreACT 9 Secure at 32 and PreACT 8/9 at 30. Your report also shows a US Rank, the percentage of PreACT-tested students who scored at or below you.
From fall 2026, every PreACT computes the Composite from English, Math and Reading, and science becomes optional at the school or district level. ACT's timeline says the Secure versions made the change in spring 2026. If you took PreACT 8/9 or PreACT in 2025-26, your Composite still included science. Our PreACT scoring guide explains each number, and the PreACT score report guide walks through the report line by line.
| Group (2025-26) | Fall average Composite | Spring average Composite |
|---|---|---|
| PreACT, grade 9 | 16.4 | 17.0 |
| PreACT, grade 10 | 17.3 | 18.0 |
| PreACT, grade 11 | 18.6 | Not reported |
| PreACT 8/9, grade 8 | 15.9 | 16.6 |
| PreACT 8/9, grade 9 | 16.5 | 16.9 |
Use the report to plan, not to judge yourself. The PreACT isn't a college admission test. What matters is the predicted ACT range and which section is furthest below ACT's readiness benchmark for your grade.
Last verified against ACT's PreACT scores page, PreACT program details, PreACT Secure administration page and PreACT FAQs: November 8, 2026. Shipping and mailing times in the finder are our planning estimates, not ACT figures.