The test is done — you are not done yet

The October 7 PreACT 9 Secure sitting is finished, but the admissions cycle is not. Chicago families now have about four weeks — until November 13, 2026 at 5pm — to complete their GoCPS application, review school rankings, and attend any remaining open houses. Treating the test as the finish line is the most common mistake made at this stage.

Two things will happen in the next few weeks that are worth tracking: scores will appear in the GoCPS portal before the application deadline, and the window for school open houses will close. Both happen inside the same November 13 deadline.

If your child is a current CPS student, they took the test at school during the school day — the testing logistics were handled for them. But submitting a GoCPS application and ranking schools is a separate action that families must complete themselves. Taking the test and applying are two different steps. A student who sat the exam but never submitted a school ranking will receive no offers in February.

When scores appear in GoCPS

Per the GoCPS calendar, PreACT 9 Secure scores are posted in the GoCPS portal in early November, after makeup testing concludes and before the application closes on November 13. You will receive a notification through GoCPS when the score is available — keep your GoCPS login accessible and the email address on the account active.

The score report shows each section (English, Math, Reading, Science) on the 1-32 ACT scale. The CPS admissions composite is the English + Reading + Math average multiplied by 10, for up to 320 test points. Science appears in the report but does not add admissions points. Adding those test points to the grade points (7th-grade GPA × 80) gives the total out of 640.

One important caution: no cutoff scores on the 640-point scale exist yet. CPS will publish the first 640-scale cutoffs after February 2027 results are released. Any 'target score' you see quoted today is either a guess or a historical figure from the retired HSAT 900-point scale. Use your score to calibrate realistic versus stretch schools — do not compare it to a phantom cutoff.

How to adjust your GoCPS school rankings

If you submitted your GoCPS application before the test, you can log back in and adjust your school rankings any time before the November 13 deadline. The application stores the ranking that exists at close — not the one you submitted first. There is no penalty for editing your list up until 5pm on November 13.

With a score in hand, you can do the math more concretely. Calculate your total composite: add your test points (English + Reading + Math composite × 10) to your grade points (7th-grade GPA × 80). Compare that total to the historical HSAT-era cutoffs published on this site, keeping in mind they are on a different 900-point scale and are useful only for relative ranking between schools — not as exact targets for the new system.

The GoCPS algorithm gives each student one offer based on the highest school on their list where they qualify. List schools in genuine preference order, from most to least preferred. Do not leave ranking slots empty, and do include some realistic matches below your stretch programs — a student who lists only high-cutoff schools and does not qualify for any receives no offer.

Open houses: the window is almost closed

Most CPS Selective Enrollment open houses happen in September and October. A handful extend into early November. As of mid-October, you likely have a narrow window left for any schools you have not yet visited — check each school's website directly in the next few days, not next week.

If you have already attended the open houses for your top choices, you are in good shape. If you have not visited any schools and cannot before November 13, most SEHS programs post recorded presentations and virtual tours on their school websites, and many will arrange a brief phone call with an ambassador or staff member for families who cannot visit in person.

Visiting a school does not affect admission — CPS Selective Enrollment is decided entirely by the composite score and tier, with no interview or demonstrated-interest credit. But a visit helps you rank accurately, and the ranking you submit is consequential. The GoCPS algorithm locks in your ranking at the November 13 close and makes one offer accordingly.

Your pre-November 13 checklist

Log into GoCPS and confirm your application has been submitted, not just started. A draft in progress does not count. If you have not submitted, do it now — the portal gets congested in the final days before the deadline, and technical problems the morning of November 13 will not be accepted as an excuse for missing it.

Once your score posts in early November, revisit your rankings. Check the CPS tier lookup at gocps.org if you have not already — your tier determines which pool your child competes in for 70% of seats at each school, and the tier changes the realistic target range.

Complete any remaining school visits if slots are still available. Attend the open house if you can, or request a virtual alternative. Confirm that any IEP, 504, or EL accommodation paperwork has been processed — if something was missing on test day, follow up with the school now, before the cycle closes.

What happens after November 13

Once the GoCPS application window closes at 5pm on November 13, 2026, CPS processes all applications through the winter. Selective Enrollment offers are released on February 12, 2027 through the GoCPS portal. That is roughly three months of waiting, with no intermediate results or rolling admission — everyone is evaluated together after the window closes.

The February offer is a single offer from your highest-ranked school where you qualify. You will have a limited window to accept or decline. If you receive no offer, you will be entered into the waitlist process and can also rank neighborhood, magnet, and charter options through the same GoCPS portal during a second-round process.

Until February, the application is locked. There is nothing to do and nothing to monitor — resist the urge to look for signals or second-guess the ranking. The work is done once the application is submitted.

Common questions at this stage

Can my child retake the PreACT 9 if the score was disappointing? No. CPS administers the test once per admissions cycle, in October. There is no retake, no makeup for unsatisfactory performance, and no provision to submit a score from a different test. The score from October is the score CPS uses.

What if scores are not posted before November 13? Scores are published before the deadline specifically so families can adjust rankings with the score in hand. If there is a technical problem with your score not appearing, contact the CPS Office of Access and Enrollment directly — do not wait until November 12 to discover a missing score.

My child is not happy with their score. What can we do? Focus on what is still open: confirm the GoCPS application is submitted, rank a realistic list that includes matches and not just reach schools, and look into whether the grade points from 7th grade offset the test result. A student with strong grades and a moderate test score can still land at a solid Selective Enrollment program, especially in lower tiers where cutoffs are meaningfully lower.