Deadline March 9 for next ACT test

College-bound high school students can register by March 9 for the next national ACT test date. The test will be administered nationwide on Saturday, April 14.

Students who miss the March 9 deadline can do a late registration for an additional fee. The late registration deadline is March 23. Students can register online at www.actstudent.org or they can get registration materials from high school counselors.

The ACT is accepted by all colleges and universities that use admissions tests in their application process. It's an academic achievement test covering four subject areas: English, reading, mathematics and science. Students can choose to take the ACT with or without the optional writing test.

The ACT costs $29 without the writing test and $43 with it. The majority of colleges don't require a writing score, so students should check with the colleges they're considering before registering for the test. The late registration fee is $19.

With the ACT, students can choose not to report any scores automatically to colleges. Later, after receiving their scores, students can decide to test again before reporting scores.

Colleges only see the scores that students choose to report. Many juniors take the ACT, check their scores and then retake the test as seniors.