How to Study for the December 12 ACT: Free 8-Week Plan (2026)

Key dates, an eight-week plan and a retake checklist, for students taking the ACT on December 12, 2026.

The December 12, 2026 ACT is eight weeks from today, enough time to work through all four of ACT's free official practice tests and still fix the mistakes you keep repeating. The best free setup is ACT's own full-length practice tests for timing, plus Larry Learns for a short quiz every day on your phone. Register by November 6, 2026 (late registration, with a fee, runs through November 29), and initial scores come out December 17 for online tests and December 22 for paper.

Many of the students reading this took the ACT yesterday, on October 17. Your scores start posting October 22 for online tests and October 27 for paper, at least ten days before the regular December deadline, so you will know whether you need a second try before you have to pay for one. The plan below works either way: if you are retaking, the first two weeks turn your October score into a to-do list, and if December is your first ACT, they are your diagnostic.

December 12 ACT Key Dates

ACT deadlines fall at 11:59 p.m. Central Time. Confirm every date on ACT's test dates page, which lists December 22 as the initial paper score release and says most scores come out about two to four weeks after the test. ACT's scores page lists December 17 for online tests. Our ACT test dates guide has the full 2026 to 2027 calendar, and when ACT scores come out explains how the release works.

What the December ACT Costs

The base test (English, math and reading) is $70, and adding Science brings it to $75. Registering after November 6 adds a $42 late fee, and standby testing costs $75. Every price includes score reports to you, your high school and up to four colleges, as long as you enter the college codes when you register. ACT lists all of it on its fees page.

Why December Matters for Your Applications

For a regular decision deadline in early January, December 12 is the last ACT most colleges will take. The next national date is February 27, 2027, with scores on March 16. Duke and Penn both name the December 12 ACT as the last one for regular decision, Brown says testing must be done by the last December test date, and Vanderbilt names December 12 as the preferred last ACT for its Early Decision II round, due January 1. December scores start posting December 17 (online) or December 22 (paper), so they reach a January application in time.

What December cannot do is help a November early application. Duke and Penn stop at the October 17 ACT for Early Decision. Our December SAT plan lays out the same college cutoffs side by side, if you are deciding between the two tests.

Should You Retake After the October ACT?

When your October scores arrive (October 22 online, October 27 paper), put them next to the middle range at the colleges on your list. Three questions settle it:

1. Is your composite below your target? If it is, December is the last ACT before January deadlines, so it is now or never for those applications.
2. Was one section clearly weaker than the other two? The composite is the average of English, math and reading, so one weak section pulls the whole number down. That is also the easiest kind of score to raise in eight weeks.
3. Do your colleges superscore? ACT builds a superscore automatically once you have tested more than once: your best English, math and reading, averaged. ACT notes that not every college uses it. Read our ACT superscore guide and check each college's own policy.

If two of the three answers are yes, register by November 6 and save the $42 late fee. Not sure what counts as a strong score for your list? Our guide to what a good ACT score is by college tier sets out the targets.

What Counts on the Enhanced ACT

English, math and reading take 125 minutes, and Science adds 40. Students who take Science get a standalone science score plus a STEM score that combines science and math, according to ACT's guide to the enhanced test. Decide in the first week whether your colleges want Science. If none of them do, give all eight weeks to the three sections that make up your composite.

The 8-Week Plan for the December ACT

Plan on 30 to 45 minutes on weekdays and one longer weekend session for each practice test. The weeks run Sunday to Saturday, so each practice test falls on a Saturday morning, the same slot as test day itself. ACT offers four full-length practice tests, which is exactly enough for this plan.

If you took the October test, you have already seen a full ACT under test-day conditions, which is why your first practice test can wait until week 3. Use the first two weeks for targeted work instead.

The Best Free Tools for the December ACT

• ACT's free practice tests: four official full-length tests, each as an interactive digital simulation with a scoring guide or as a downloadable paper booklet, with timed and untimed versions of each section. Take them in the format you will test in.
• Larry Learns: the daily practice layer on your phone, with ACT English, Math, Reading and Science quizzes from a bank of 25,000+ SAT and ACT practice questions, a live score estimate on the 1 to 36 scale and a streak that keeps the habit going through Thanksgiving. It is free for three quizzes a day on iPhone, Android and the web.

The official tests measure; the daily quiz is where the measuring turns into points. For section-by-section practice, start with ACT English, ACT Math or ACT Reading, and our guide to improving your ACT score goes deeper on what moves each section.

How to Spend Each Study Day

1. One short quiz on your weakest section. Keep it to about ten minutes.
2. Name the mistake. For each miss, write one line: the rule, the formula or the trap answer that got you.
3. Time one set. The ACT moves fast, especially English at 50 questions in 35 minutes, so practice finishing, not just being right.

The Week of the Test

Your last full-length test is behind you, so week 8 is for staying sharp. Upload your photo before the December 7 deadline, confirm your test center and arrival time in MyACT, and pack the night before. Our checklist of what to bring to the ACT covers ID, admission ticket and calculator. Then sleep. Eight weeks of steady practice beats one more late night.

Ready to start week 1? Take a free ACT quiz and see which section to put first.

Frequently Asked Questions About the December ACT

When is the registration deadline for the December 12 ACT?

The regular deadline is Friday, November 6, 2026. Late registration, with a $42 late fee, runs through Sunday, November 29, 2026. Deadlines fall at 11:59 p.m. Central Time.

When do December 12 ACT scores come out?

ACT lists December 17, 2026 as the initial score release for online tests and December 22 for paper, and says most scores are released about two to four weeks after test day.

Can I retake the ACT in December if I took it in October?

Yes. Your October 17 scores start posting October 22 (online) or October 27 (paper), at least ten days before the November 6 regular deadline, so you can see them before you register. ACT builds a superscore automatically once you have tested more than once.

Is the December ACT too late for regular decision?

Usually not for January deadlines. Duke and Penn name December 12 as their last ACT for regular decision, and Brown accepts testing through the last December test date. It is too late for November Early Decision.

Is eight weeks enough time to study for the ACT?

Yes. Eight weeks fits all four official practice tests, targeted work on your weakest section and a final week of light review.

Does Science count on the December ACT?

Not toward the composite. The composite is the average of English, math and reading. Science is optional and, if you take it, reported on its own along with a STEM score.

December is your last ACT before January deadlines, so make the eight weeks count. Create a free Larry Learns account and start daily ACT practice today on web, iPhone or Android.