<p>Perhaps the most important thing to know about the science test is that it requires no science knowledge. Take a look at the first passage in the science test that begins on page 42 of this booklet:
<a href="http://actstudent.org/pdf/preparing.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://actstudent.org/pdf/preparing.pdf</a>
It's about replication of plasmids and transfer of genes from one bacterium to another. But all the information is given to you; if you're pretty smart, you could figure out all the answers without ever having heard of bacteria, plasmids, or genes before. What this section is really testing is your ability to read, understand, and apply moderately complex information, both in paragraph form and as tables and graphs. That's not to say that a strong science background won't help you: science courses give you a lot of practice in this kind of problem-solving. But don't panic if you haven't had physics or chemistry or bio yet.</p>
<p>I think a lot of people get slowed down on the science test by worrying too much about things that don't matter. It is often not necessary to understand what the passages and graphs mean. For example, look at Passage II. Every single question can be answered just by looking at the graphs, and the paragraphs in between not only don't make it any easier but are full of extraneous information. You don't even need to know what the studies are about, or what allotropes are, or what reflectance and wavelength mean.</p>