Can You Delete ACT Scores? Cancellation Rules and Steps (2026)

ACT uses the term cancel, not simply “delete,” for a student-requested removal of a score record. ACT’s current score page says that, outside State and District testing, a student may ask to cancel scores for a particular test date. The student contacts ACT, receives a form, completes and returns it, and ACT permanently cancels the indicated test-date record. ACT also says it sends cancellation notices to score recipients.

That policy is narrower than many students expect. It applies by test date, not by one inconvenient section score, and ACT explicitly excludes State and District testing from the student-request process described on its public score page. Confirm your administration type and the current instructions directly with ACT before taking action.

Four actions students often confuse

Action	What it does	What it does not do
Choose a test date to report	Sends a selected test-date score report	Does not erase other ACT records
Send an ACT superscore	Reports a combination built from eligible section results	Does not cancel the underlying dates
Correct student information	Fixes a significant record error with supporting evidence	Does not remove a valid low score
Cancel a test-date score	Permanently cancels the indicated eligible record	Does not preserve selected sections from that date

If your concern is merely that one attempt is lower, reporting choices may solve the problem without cancellation. ACT states that students who tested more than once can choose to send a specific test or a superscore. Read our ACT score-sending guide before removing a record.

Which scores can a student ask ACT to cancel?

ACT’s public guidance says student-requested cancellation is available outside State testing and District testing and applies to scores for a particular test date. A national Saturday administration may therefore be eligible under that description; a test delivered through a state or district contract is not covered by the same request option.

Do not guess based on whether the test happened at a school. A national administration can use a school building as a test center, while a school-day administration may be part of a state or district program. Check the registration and score record, then ask ACT if the administration is eligible.

What happens to the whole test date?

The request concerns the score record for the indicated date. It is not a menu for keeping Math while deleting English, Reading, Science, or Writing from that same administration. ACT also says that when reporting a single test date, all scores from that date are reported together; students cannot separately send only Writing or only the multiple-choice scores.

Example: Maya has a strong Math score and a weak English score from April, then stronger English and Reading results in June. Canceling April would also remove the strong April result that might contribute to a superscore. She should first inspect the current superscore and every recipient’s policy.

The current cancellation process

ACT does not publish a general instant-delete button in MyACT. Its score page directs students to contact ACT online. ACT then provides the form to complete and return.

Prepare this information before contacting support:

• full legal name used for testing;
• ACT ID, if available;
• date of birth;
• exact test date to be canceled;
• administration type, if known;
• current contact information;
• a list of score recipients already connected to that date;
• a copy of the request and later correspondence for your records.

Use ACT’s official score information page to reach the current contact path. Forms, identity checks, and delivery instructions can change, so do not rely on an old PDF found elsewhere.

What if a college already received the score?

ACT says it will send cancellation notices to score recipients when it permanently cancels the record. That is different from pretending the report was never delivered. A recipient may already have imported the original score into its system and later process the cancellation notice.

If an application is active, contact the college after ACT confirms cancellation. Ask whether the admissions office needs any action from you and whether the original self-reported testing entry should be corrected. Do the same for scholarship, honors, athletic, or placement offices that received the score.

Our guide to whether colleges can see all ACT scores explains the difference between what ACT sends, what an application asks you to report, and what an institution requires.

Cancellation is not the same as score verification

If you believe ACT scored an answer document or Writing response incorrectly, do not cancel first. ACT offers score verification for a limited period after the test date. The current score page says students can request verification of multiple-choice and/or Writing scores up to 12 months after the test date, with applicable procedures and fees.

Verification checks whether responses were handled with the correct scoring process. If ACT discovers an error, it corrects the score and releases corrected reports to previous recipients. A low but correctly calculated score is not a scoring error.

Cancellation is not the same as correcting identity data

If the score record has a significant student-information error—such as incorrect identifying details—ACT has a correction process. Its public guidance recommends contacting ACT within three months of receiving the report and notes that supporting evidence is generally required.

Correcting the record is preferable when the score itself is valid and the problem is personal data. Cancellation would remove the test-date record rather than repair the information.

A decision checklist before submitting the form

Answer these questions in writing:

1. Is the test a National administration rather than State or District testing?
2. Do I want the entire date permanently canceled?
3. Does that date contain a section score used in my ACT superscore?
4. Has the record already been sent to a college, high school, scholarship, or other recipient?
5. Is the real problem a scoring concern, identity correction, or reporting choice?
6. Does an application require a full testing history or an update from me?
7. Have I saved copies of the score report and all ACT correspondence?

If any answer is unclear, contact ACT and the affected institution before returning the cancellation form.

Worked decision example

Jordan took a national ACT in February and received a 24 Composite. In June, Jordan received a 29 and assumes the February record must be removed.

First, Jordan checks the colleges. Each accepts score choice and will use the June score; one also accepts an ACT superscore. February contains Jordan’s best Reading result, which improves that superscore. No application requires every sitting.

Cancellation would eliminate a useful section result without solving a reporting problem. Jordan keeps the record and sends the appropriate score report. If February had instead been an eligible national date with a compelling reason for permanent cancellation, Jordan could contact ACT for the form—but only after confirming the consequences.

What to do after ACT confirms cancellation

• Save the confirmation with the test date clearly identified.
• Verify which recipients were notified.
• Contact active applications or programs that need an update.
• Recheck the score choices available in MyACT.
• Confirm that any superscore you planned to send still uses the intended dates.
• Do not submit a conflicting self-reported record on a later application.

For another explanation of the policy terminology, see our ACT score-cancellation guide.

Official ACT resources

• ACT’s score information and questions page contains the current cancellation, score-reporting, correction, and verification guidance.
• ACT’s superscore FAQ explains the current superscore calculation and reminds students to check each college’s policy.

Because cancellation is permanent and date-specific, verify the form and eligibility with ACT at the time of your request.