Key Takeaways
- If you took the ACT or SAT and feel like you didn’t perform your best, there are a few options to manage your scores.
- You may choose to cancel your test entirely, which means it will not be scored, so no score will be generated for you or potential colleges to see.
- You can remove the colleges you originally selected to receive your scores, so that you still get your results, but your top colleges will not.
- If you receive a score you are not happy with, you are able to request a complete deletion of your test record. This is a permanent decision and should be considered carefully.
Not many students know this, but you can actually cancel your ACT/SAT scores. Yes, that’s right—there are ways to delete your results, so they aren’t sent out to the colleges you initially provided. If you’re wondering how to take back ACT scores, there are three ways to do so: cancel your test score, remove your listed college recipients, or delete your test entirely. We’ll explore each of those options below and what they entail.
Option 1: Canceling Your ACT or SAT Scores
If you decide to cancel your ACT or SAT score, this means that your test will not be graded, and no score report will be generated. It will be as if you never took the test, though you will still have to forfeit all the fees you paid for the test.
How Can You Cancel Your ACT or SAT Scores?
The ACT and SAT have slightly different methods and deadlines for canceling results.
Canceling Your ACT Scores
If you’re wondering how to take back ACT scores, you’ll need to request a cancellation of the score on your test day. Before leaving the testing center, inform the proctor that you would like to cancel your score. If you do, your test won’t be scored, so neither you nor any colleges will receive your results.
Canceling Your SAT Scores
SAT scores can only be canceled before 11:59 pm EST on the Thursday following your test date. Scores cannot be canceled or deleted after you receive your SAT results. However, you can cancel your scores right at the registration center, minutes after you complete the test.
How Many Times Can I Cancel My Scores?
You can cancel your scores as many times as you need. However, you won’t get your money or the time back that it took to take the test. If you’re not 100% sure about your performance on a test, you should NOT get the test scores canceled. You may have performed better than you thought and could be in for a pleasant surprise.
Why Would Someone Cancel Their ACT/SAT Scores?
The main reason why students decide to cancel their ACT or SAT scores is that they feel they didn’t do well and don’t want a low score to hurt their chances of getting accepted into their dream schools. Maybe you just have a gut feeling the test didn’t go your way. It could be because you felt sick, didn’t get enough sleep, were super nervous, or just weren’t as prepared. Things happen—and this is why you have options!
Another reason students cancel their scores is if they’re applying to a college that requires every test result. Even though many colleges are now test-optional, some still require you to submit all of your standardized test scores, good or bad. If this is the case for you, it might make more sense to cancel your score than risk a rejection.
Option 2: Removing Your Listed College Recipients
This is a great option if you’re not feeling confident about how the test went but still want to see your scores. It allows you to still receive your test scores without them being sent to your potential schools. This way, if you end up receiving a score you are proud of, you can still send it to your top colleges later on.
If you miss the deadline to cancel your ACT or SAT score, your results will automatically be sent to your listed colleges. If you don’t want this to happen, you’ll need to log into your ACT or SAT accounts and delete the colleges you selected at registration.
It’s important to note that if you wish to re-add these schools or others after you receive your test results, you will have to pay additional fees. It may be more expensive in the long run, but it may also give you peace of mind and help you relax while you wait for your test scores.
Option 3: Deleting Your Test Entirely
If you choose to wait to cancel your score until you receive it and end up being unhappy with the result, you can delete your test entirely. To delete an ACT or SAT score from your record, you’ll need to contact customer care for the ACT or log in to your mysat.collegeboard.org for the SAT.
Note that this is a permanent deletion, and you won’t have access to your scores ever again. While you may request deletion anytime for your ACT scores, you only have until the following Thursday for your SAT scores.
Should I Cancel My ACT or SAT Scores?
Canceling your ACT or SAT scores should not be taken lightly. Once you cancel, it can’t be undone, so it’s worth taking some time to think it through. While it might be tempting to cancel after a tough test day, just know that you always have at least a few days after you take the exam to think it over and discuss it with others. It might be better to wait until you see your score and then decide from there.
Remember, most colleges don’t require you to submit every test score. If you are worried that you did poorly, you have the option to simply remove any college recipients before your scores are sent. This gives you the opportunity to still see how you did, and if it’s not what you were expecting, you can start preparing to try again!
Whether you’re about to take your ACT/SAT or are waiting on your results, you can use our College Match tool to see what other students who were accepted to your dream school received on their tests.
