<p>I'm taking the ACT in September and I'm worried. I have my time down on the English, Math, and Reading sections, and I'm able to score fairly well on those in my practice tests. The science section for some reason always messes me up. I have trouble finishing it on time and though the questions aren't hard I have to spend time understanding the passage before answering them. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to raise my score/improve time for ACT Science? Are they're any good books or good methods to use on this section?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Don’t really spend time reading the charts and tables. Just go the questions.</p></li>
<li><p>If the questions are the passage ones, with Scientist 1 and Scientist 2, then read both of them carefully and underline any important info.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I agree with brownman23. I usually skim the diagrams and the blurbs just to see what they’re testing on, then I go straight to the questions. Usually the questions that come first are ones that ask for data interpretion, which is easy. Don’t waste time reading things that don’t matter. </p>
<p>If you have taken all of the typical science classes, like bio, chem, and physics (maybe enviro sci) then that would definitely help. Maybe you can take some time to familiarize yourself to some common labs in those subjects.</p>
<p>My strategy (I scored a 33 in Science, and am hoping to retake) is I glance at the introductory paragraph super-fast (don’t read everything) to see what the problem is about. Then, I read the question carefully. Usually, the question will refer to a trend in the graph or table. I then analyze the graph and choose the correct answer. If the answer’s in the reading passage, I’ll skim the passage for “keywords” from the question. This strategy definitely helped me save time in this section.</p>
<p>hey I read on some threads that there’s a “xiggi method” to approaching ACT science…where is this thread I can’t find it anywhere!</p>
<p>Hi, I was concerned with the science timing as well. The only preparation I did was a practice test the night before. When I took the ACT, I skimmed the passages/information. I then worked all of the questions pertaining to each chart. For example, I would work each question related to Table A, and then those related to Table B. Doing this helped me stay focused on the particular graph instead of jumping around. I got a 36 on science. I don’t know if this is the most effective method, but it sure helped me.</p>
<p>At first I was skeptical about posters suggestions to not read the passage, but I’ve tried your strategies and my I can finally finish the science sections on time…this strategy only trips me up when the experiment is more abstruse. Thanks for the help!</p>