Bring four things to the ACT: an acceptable photo ID, your printed admission ticket, sharpened No. 2 pencils with erasers, and a permitted calculator. Add a watch with no alarm and a snack for the break, and if you registered for online testing with your own device, a fully charged laptop and its charger. Leave your phone and smartwatch off and out of sight, or better, at home.
The checklist below comes from ACT's test day page and applies to the October 17 and December 12, 2026 national test dates. Be inside the test center by 8:00 a.m. ACT does not admit late arrivals.
What to Bring to the ACT: The Full Checklist
| Item | Required? | What ACT says |
|---|
| Photo ID | Required | An original, valid photo ID on a hard plastic card. Without acceptable ID you will not be admitted. |
| Admission ticket | Strongly recommended | Print it from MyACT once your photo is uploaded. You can be admitted without it, but on the paper test your scores may be delayed. |
| No. 2 pencils with erasers | Required for paper | Sharpened, and more than one. No pens and no mechanical pencils. |
| Calculator | Optional | A permitted model, for the Math test only. Staff do not hand out calculators. |
| Watch or timing device | Optional | Allowed for pacing. It must have no alarm and stay on your desk. |
| Snacks and a drink | Optional | Allowed during the break, outside the testing room. |
| Laptop and charger | Required for BYOD online testers only | Fully charged, with the ACT Gateway app installed and the device check passed. |
| ACT-approved bilingual dictionary | Only if you need one | It must be on ACT's approved list, and staff will inspect it. |
That is the whole list. Everything else stays home or in the car.
Photo ID Rules for the ACT
ID is the item that actually keeps students out of the room, so check yours tonight instead of on test morning. ACT accepts two things.
1. A current official photo ID. It must be an original, valid ID issued by a city, state, or federal agency or by your school. It has to be a hard plastic card. Paper IDs and electronic IDs on your phone are not accepted. The name on it must match your registration, and the photo must clearly look like you.
2. The ACT Student Identification Form with photo. If you do not have an official photo ID, a school official or a notary public can complete this form for you. A relative cannot fill it out. Download it from ACT's test day page and get it done at school before test week, because the form needs a photo and a signature you cannot arrange on a Saturday morning.
| Accepted | Not accepted (examples from ACT's list) |
|---|
| Driver's license or state ID card | Learner's permit or temporary license without a photo |
| Current school ID on a hard plastic card | Birth certificate or Social Security card |
| Other city, state, or federal photo ID card | Digital or mobile ID, such as LA Wallet |
| ACT Student Identification Form with photo, completed by a school official or notary | Photocopies, report cards, or a transcript, even with a photo |
| Employer ID, or a credit or bank card with a photo |
| Your admission ticket alone, or a parent or teacher vouching for you |
What about a passport? ACT's rule asks for a hard plastic card and does not mention passports as accepted. Its list of unacceptable ID only rules out a passport so old that you cannot be identified from it. If a passport is the only photo ID you have, call ACT before test day or get the Student Identification Form completed as a backup.
ACT is clear that you will not be admitted with any form of ID other than the two it lists as acceptable. If you are turned away, the fix ACT offers is a paid test date change.
Your Admission Ticket and the Photo Deadline
Your admission ticket comes from your MyACT account, and you can print it only after you have uploaded a photo of yourself and ACT has approved it. For paper testers, the ticket carries the match information that links your answer sheet to your registration. For online testers, it carries the launch code you use to start the test.
There are two deadlines to know. The photo deadline is on ACT's test dates page, and the device readiness deadline is on its device setup page:
| Test date | Photo upload deadline | BYOD device readiness deadline | First scores |
|---|
| October 17, 2026 | October 12 | October 12 | October 27 |
| December 12, 2026 | December 7 | December 7 | December 22 |
If you are testing on October 17 and have not uploaded a photo yet, do it now. October 12 is the cutoff, and ACT says a registration with no photo by the deadline will be canceled and you will not be admitted. ACT recommends reviewing your ticket early but printing it close to test day in case anything is updated. A screenshot on your phone will not help at check-in, since phones must be off and out of sight.
Forgot the ticket? ACT says you can still be admitted with acceptable ID. For paper tests, the missing match information may delay your scores, so it is worth the thirty seconds at the printer.
Paper ACT vs. Online ACT: What Changes in Your Bag
The national ACT is given on paper and online, depending on what you picked at registration. The ID and phone rules are identical. The supplies are not.
| Paper ACT | Online ACT (test center device) | Online ACT (BYOD) |
|---|
| Pencils | Required for the answer sheet | Bring them for scratch work | Bring them for scratch work |
| Scratch paper | Not permitted. Write in the test booklet. | Provided by the test center and collected afterward | Provided by the test center and collected afterward |
| Calculator | Bring your own | On-screen Desmos, or bring your own | On-screen Desmos, or bring your own |
| Device | None | Supplied by the test center | Your own Windows or Mac laptop, charged, plus charger |
| Core test ends about | 11:25 a.m. | 11:05 a.m. | 11:05 a.m. |
If you chose Bring Your Own Device, read ACT's device setup page well before test week. The points that matter most:
- Supported devices: a Windows or Mac laptop. Personal Chromebooks, iPads, and tablets are not supported. Windows laptops need Windows 11: ACT says Windows 10 is no longer an option starting with the October 2026 test date.
- Setup: install the ACT Gateway app and pass the device check by the readiness deadline in the table above, or ACT cancels your registration. If you update your software after passing, run the check again.
- Power: arrive fully charged and bring your charger. ACT warns that the test center may not be able to give you an outlet.
- Mouse: a wired mouse is recommended. Bluetooth accessories are not authorized.
- No laptop, no test: test centers are not required to have spare computers, so forgetting your device most likely means you cannot test that day.
Calculator, Watch, and Snacks
Calculator. A calculator is optional and allowed on the Math test only. Four-function, scientific, and graphing calculators are fine unless they have a computer algebra system, which rules out the TI-89, the TI-Nspire CAS, and the HP Prime, among others. Our ACT calculator policy guide has the complete prohibited list and the changes some models need. Put in fresh batteries the night before.
Watch. Not every room has a clock you can see, so a plain watch helps you pace the 35-minute English test and the 50-minute Math test. It cannot have an alarm, and ACT wants it on your desk. Smartwatches and fitness bands are treated like phones and are not allowed.
Snacks and water. You get one short break after the second test (Math). Eat and drink then, outside the testing room. You may not leave the supervised area during the break, which means no trip to your car. If you are taking the optional Writing test, you get five more minutes before the essay.
What Not to Bring to the ACT
The banned list is short, and the penalty is harsh. If a prohibited device is accessed or goes off, ACT says you will be dismissed, your test will not be scored, and the device may be confiscated. That applies during the break too.
| Leave at home or in the car | Why |
|---|
| Cell phone | Must be off and out of sight the whole time, including the break. A phone that buzzes can end your test. |
| Smartwatch or fitness band | Counted as electronic devices. Wear a plain watch instead. |
| Earbuds, tablets, and anything with Wi-Fi or recording | No devices are allowed except an approved calculator, a watch, and your BYOD laptop. |
| Textbooks, notes, and scratch paper | Not permitted. Online testers get scratch paper from the test center. |
| Highlighters, colored pens, mechanical pencils, correction fluid or tape | Only No. 2 pencils are allowed. |
| Books, magazines, or other reading material | Not allowed in the room. |
| A dictionary | Only an ACT-approved bilingual dictionary is allowed. |
| Tobacco in any form | Prohibited. |
Arrival Time and the Night-Before Plan
Be inside the test center no later than 8:00 a.m. Late arrivals cannot be admitted. Aim to park by 7:40 so you have time to find the room. Our guide to what time the ACT starts walks through the full morning timeline and every ending time.
| When | Do this |
|---|
| Earlier in the week | Upload your photo if you have not, check your ID, and run the BYOD device check if you are testing on your own laptop. |
| Night before | Print your admission ticket. Pack ID, ticket, pencils, calculator with fresh batteries, watch, snack, and water. Charge your laptop if you need one. |
| Test morning | Eat breakfast, dress in layers, turn your phone off, and leave early. |
| By 8:00 a.m. | Be inside the test center for check-in with your ID and ticket. |
| At the test center | If you registered for Science or Writing and have decided to skip it, tell staff so they dismiss you at the right time. ACT does not refund the add-on. |
Two more things worth knowing. Once your test begins, you cannot ask for a test date change. And if you finish and do not want the test scored, you have to tell staff before you leave. Otherwise your answers are scored.
If you miss the test because of illness, a late arrival, or an ID problem, you can pay for a test date change in MyACT. The change fee is $49 on ACT's fee schedule. The next national test date after October 17 is December 12, with a regular registration deadline of November 6. See all the ACT test dates for the rest of the year.
Taking the SAT this fall as well? The packing list is different, since the SAT is fully digital and taken on a laptop or tablet in the Bluebook app. Use our SAT test day checklist for that one. And if test morning nerves are the bigger worry, these ACT test anxiety strategies are worth ten minutes tonight. For the last days of studying, see how to study for the October ACT.
Frequently Asked Questions About What to Bring to the ACT
What do I need to bring to the ACT?
An acceptable photo ID, your printed admission ticket, sharpened No. 2 pencils with erasers, and a permitted calculator. A watch with no alarm and a snack for the break are optional. Online testers using their own device also need a fully charged laptop and charger.
Can I take the ACT without my admission ticket?
Yes. ACT says you can still be admitted without it as long as you have acceptable photo ID. On the paper test, missing ticket information may delay your scores, and online testers use the ticket's launch code, so bring it if you possibly can.
Can I use a school ID for the ACT?
Yes, if it is a current, original school ID on a hard plastic card with your photo and a name that matches your registration. Paper IDs, photocopies, and digital IDs on a phone are not accepted.
Can I bring my phone to the ACT?
You can bring it to the building, but it must be powered off and out of sight in the testing room and during the break. If it is accessed or activates, you will be dismissed and your test will not be scored. Leaving it in the car is the safest choice.
Can I use mechanical pencils or pens on the ACT?
No. ACT allows only No. 2 pencils with erasers. Mechanical pencils, pens, highlighters, and colored pencils are not permitted.
Can I bring water and snacks to the ACT?
Yes. Snacks are allowed during the break, outside the testing room. There is one short break after the Math test, and a five-minute pause before the essay if you take Writing.
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