One of the most frustrating experiences for a student is seeing a disappointing test score but not knowing which questions were wrong. As humans, we crave the ability to learn from our mistakes, but many students don’t have the ability to do that after an official ACT. The score report you receive from the ACT doesn’t necessarily provide much in the way of feedback. What many families don’t realize, though, is that the ACT offers several test administrations in a year that permit test-takers to order a copy of their test and answers. (NOTE: As of March 2024, the SAT no longer makes available a student’s test and answers in the Question and Answer service.)
The ACT refers to this service as a “Test Information Release” (TIR). This service provides students with the actual test questions they completed on test day, as well as their answers and the correct answers. Typically, these documents also include scoring information about how students achieved their scale scores (ACT 1-36). This service does cost a fee, and it can only be ordered from specific test day administrations. Here’s a breakdown of what the ACT TIR offers:
| ACT Test Information Release | SAT Question and Answer Service | |
| Fee | $32/ ordered before testing $40/ ordered after testing | NA |
| Format | Access to the full test booklet in pdf format in the student’s MY ACT account | NA |
| Period | Up to 6 months after the test date | NA |
| Test Dates | April, June, December (not in April or June of 2025) | NA |
| When will my test arrive? | 6-8 weeks after taking the ACT | NA |
| Essay included? | You can receive a copy of the writing prompt, the scoring rubric, and both 1-6 scores assigned to the essay. | NA |
| The difficulty level of test questions? | Not included | NA |
| More Information | More ACT Information | NA |
| Order Form | Order Form Link | NA |
Because the TIR is only provided for specific test administrations in a year, it’s crucial to consider how important this option is when registering for a specific test date. Students who order the ACT’s TIR don’t just receive the correct answers and a list of their own answers but also a PDF copy of the ACT test booklet. It’s important to note, though, that students do not receive their actual test booklet, but rather a clean new copy of the test. You can order your TIR while registering for your upcoming test date or during the 6 months after your test date. For anyone who’s taken an ACT in the past 6 months, you can order a copy of your ACT TIR in your online ACT portal. Please note that the ACT charges more for TIRs ordered after the test to $40.00.
The table above lists the dates for which you can order a TIR, but it’s important to note that these are for the national test dates offered in those months. Now, what is a “national test date?” These are tests administered in the United States on the official national Saturday test date. The only exceptions are the Non-Saturday ACT Testing in April.
Now what’s the benefit of ordering a TIR? Students can carefully review exactly what they got right and wrong afterward. We highly recommend that students review their TIR with an experienced tutor who can walk them through what they’re seeing on their test. Because this test access is not your actual booklet from the test day, you cannot check your work, but this new clean copy does allow you to go back and re-do any question from the test. This can be an excellent tool for test preparation. Be careful, though, because these services can take up to 6-8 weeks to receive, so do not expect to receive them before the next test’s registration deadline. The ACT has recently begun uploading the PDF of the TIR test and answer sheet to students’ ACT accounts 2-3 weeks after they receive their scores.
At Seeley Test Pros, we highly recommend taking a test administration that offers a TIR, and we are happy to offer our assistance in making sense of your score report. For any student taking an upcoming TIR, consider purchasing this add-on service if you want the opportunity to review in pursuit of an even better score on the next ACT.
