ACT Registration Pitfalls: 6 Mistakes Every DFW Family Should Avoid

Six emails. All marked CRITICAL. All in my spam folder. By the time I checked, the ACT had cancelled my registration — and the standby deadline had passed too. No exceptions. No refunds.

I run a test prep company. I’m the president of the National Test Prep Association. And I still got dinged before test day. The hardest part of the ACT happens before you walk into the testing center.

Here’s every ACT registration pitfall I’ve seen in 13 years of sending students to take the test — and exactly how to avoid each one.

Pitfall #1: The Photo Upload Deadline (My Story)

I dutifully signed up for an early-spring ACT in late November, well before the regular deadline and the late deadline. When I went to print my admission ticket (required for check-in), the page shouted at me:

YOUR ACT REGISTRATION HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

I hadn’t uploaded a photo to my ACT student account by the photo deadline. Could I test standby? Nope, that deadline had passed too. You will not test. No exceptions. No refunds.

They had to have given me notice, right? Sure enough, there were five emails from ACT in my spam folder over the previous month, each more urgent than the last:

I’ve sent thousands of students to take the ACT since, and I’ve watched almost every kind of registration mistake happen. Here are the ones to avoid.

Pitfall #2: The Spam Folder

ACT communications routinely land in Gmail’s “Promotions” tab or in Outlook’s spam folder. Action: add noreply@act.org and actstudent@act.org to your contacts the moment you register. Check your spam weekly until test day.

Pitfall #3: Showing Up at the Wrong Test Center

Your assigned test center is on your admission ticket. Don’t assume it’s the closest one to your house — ACT can assign you to a center 20-30 miles away. Map the route the night before, screenshot it, and leave 30 minutes earlier than you think you need to.

Pitfall #4: Forgetting Required Materials

You will not be admitted to the test without:

• Printed admission ticket (yes, paper — phones don’t count)
• Acceptable photo ID (school ID, driver’s license, or passport — same name as registration)
• Approved calculator (TI-84 family is safest; check the ACT calculator policy)
• #2 pencils (mechanical pencils are not allowed)
• Watch without an audible alarm

Pitfall #5: Missing the Late Registration Deadline

If you miss the regular deadline, you have about a week to register late (with a fee). Miss the late deadline too, and your only path is standby testing — which is not guaranteed.

Pitfall #6: Misunderstanding Standby Testing

Standby is not a backup plan — it’s a last resort. You pay a fee, show up to a test center hoping for an unfilled seat, and risk being turned away. Even if a seat opens up, your test materials may not be ready. Use standby only when there’s no other option.

What to Do Right Now

1. Verify your registration at my.act.org — make sure the test date, test center, and photo are all confirmed.
2. Whitelist ACT emails in your spam settings. Check spam weekly.
3. Print your admission ticket as soon as it’s available (~2 weeks before the test). Keep a backup copy.
4. Map your test center 48 hours before. Drive the route if it’s unfamiliar.
5. Pack the night before — ticket, ID, calculator, pencils, watch, water, snacks.

The ACT is hard enough without giving away points to logistics. Don’t let registration cost you a test date.

Once your test date is locked in, the hard part is finding study time. Here’s how student-athletes carve out ACT prep around practices, games, and a full course load.