How do I Cancel my ACT Score?

So you took the ACT, and you have a sinking feeling that you didn’t do as well as you wanted to. In fact, you’re so sure you didn’t well that you want to make sure no one ever sees your score other than you. You can’t travel back in time and tell your past self not to take the test, but there is something you can do: You can permanently delete your score and make sure your high school and prospective colleges never see it.

Change Your High School and College Codes

First things first: you have to act fast to make sure your high school and prospective colleges never receive your score. The ACT website states that you only have until noon (Central Time) on the Thursday after the test date to correct your high school code and/or change your college codes. To make sure that your score does not end up on your high school transcript, you must change your high school code by the deadline. Delete the code from your high school’s assigned number and leave a blank field. This little known secret ensures that the test scores are sent to you, not your high school. If you fail to make this change, the score will be sent to your guidance counselor and it will likely end up on your transcript, even if you request that your scores are removed from ACT’s database.

While changing your high school code, you should also remove the college codes you entered so that the score is not sent to those prospective colleges.

To make both of these changes, log into your ACT Web Account and select “Make changes to your registration.”

Delete the Score from Your Record

Then you wait. If you receive the scores and surprise yourself by doing better than you expected, you might decide to keep them. If this occurs, you will have to pay a small fee to have those scores sent to your colleges. But if your intuition was correct, and your scores were as low as you expected, you need to delete them from your ACT record. To do this, you must send your request in writing (no emails or phone calls!) to the following address:

ACT Institutional Services
P.O. Box 168
Iowa City, IA 52243-0168

Be sure to include your name, address, and test date. ACT will then send you a form to complete, which you must complete, sign, and return in order to have that test date deleted.

Note that if you take the ACT again before the previous score is deleted, you must NOT enter prospective college codes during registration. Otherwise, universities that request all scores be sent will see the score you are in the process of deleting.

Note that unlike the SAT, you cannot cancel your ACT score at the testing center or in the days following the test. You will see your score, no matter what. But you can make sure that no one else does by following the PowerScore solution above.