Most colleges let you choose which ACT dates to send. A smaller set asks for every sitting. If a school is all-scores, a weak first attempt will appear next to your best one—so plan the first official date more carefully. Score Choice is ACT's default. All-scores is the college's rule.
All-scores vs superscore vs Score Choice
- Score Choice: you pick which dates leave MyACT.
- All-scores: you must send every date, even a sick February.
- Superscore: the college builds a best-section mix after it has the reports. That can coexist with all-scores. How superscoring works.
Schools that have required all scores recently
Policies move. As a planning starting point—not a 2026 promise—some highly selective campuses and a few specialized programs have asked for every SAT or ACT sitting in recent cycles. Georgetown has long been the example students cite. Yale, Stanford, and others have flipped between all-scores and choice. Treat any named school as "look it up this year."
Required-testing is a different list: colleges that require the SAT or ACT.
How this changes your calendar
If even one all-scores school is on the list, do not use a cold official sitting as a diagnostic. Take the first real test after a timed practice score is close to your target. A disaster date can still be explained, but you would rather not write that paragraph.
If you already have a weak date
Send the full file if the school requires it. Use Additional Information only if something concrete happened (illness, a scoring irregularity), not to narrate nerves. For optional schools, leave the weak date off: should you submit.
The bottom line
Assume Score Choice unless the college says otherwise. If it wants every sitting, confirm it in writing this cycle and treat the first official ACT as a real application document.
Start practicing
Start with a free diagnostic, then drill your weak spots with 15-question quizzes and track how you're doing across Reading, English, and Math. Compare plans whenever you're ready to go further.
This article offers general ACT prep guidance. The ACT can change from year to year, including its format, scoring, policies, test dates, and fees, so always confirm the latest details on the official ACT website at act.org before you make decisions. ACT® is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc. thirty-six is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by ACT.