Students in grades 6, 7, or 8, can participate in an academic talent search program which requires taking the ACT at an early age. Many of these programs offer a one-step registration option that combines registering for the academic talent search program with registering for the ACT. For the ACT Talent search, participants may be required to register directly with the talent search program (see below) rather than using ACT online registration or an ACT registration packet.

For details about specific academic talent search programs, visit these websites. You can click on the names below:

• Belin-Blank Exceptional Student Talent Search (BESTS) at The University of Iowa
• Center for Talented Youth (CTY) at Johns Hopkins University
• Joseph Baldwin Academy (JBA) at Truman State University
• Northwestern University’s Midwest Academic Talent Search (NUMATS)
• Talent Identification Program (TIP) at Duke University
• Western Academic Talent Search (WATS) at Center for Bright Kids Regional Talent Development Center