<p>Are there any good prep books for the science section of the ACT. Apparently, the Barron, Princeton, Kaplan, and the Real ACT Book don't help. I scored 28-31 on every1 of those practice tests, but on the last 2 national tests, I scored a 24... I really want a 30+ composite, and my science score is preventing me from getting that.. please help..</p>
<p>dont read the experiments just go straight to the questions</p>
<p>Not reading the instructions is definitely the key. The preliminary material has virtually nothing to do with getting the answers. Just read the questions and look at the graphs. Son's performance on science went up three points by that one simple change without any additional practice.</p>
<p>hm.... how about ways to improving the conflicting the viewpoints and experiments questions?</p>
<p>i tried not reading the experiments and stuff and just straight going to questions... didn't help at ALL</p>
<p>well i think that it is important to learn how to do well and skip reading the experiments it gives u double the time</p>
<p>I got the like one-week Kaplan guide or whatever, studied for the science section and learned techniques in about an hour before test day and got a 33 on Science.</p>
<p>ditto with kcirsch. I used the kaplan, looked over their tips, and pulled a 32 in oct. on science. Actually, I didn't do well at all on the practice tests in kaplan, I kept getting 27/26. I wouldn't advise skipping all the reading, but read through what you understand and don't spend time trying to comprehend everything; that was my mistake the last time I took the ACT. Skim over the reading, get a general gist, and mainly rely on the graphs and tables. Best of luck! Hope it works out for you :)</p>
<p>I think that after glancing at the graphs first, if you understand how the graph works, then go straight to the questions. If not, read the passage to get the gist of how to use the graph. I was too stupid to realize this at first, I read an entire passage on Punnett Squares when I already knew how to use them, thus I wasted a LIFETIME! </p>
<p>I wish I would have thought of this before I took it in OCT. (22) :(</p>
<p>thanks. Since I've used most books already, should I just redo them with you guys' suggested techniques?</p>
<p>why not, give it a shot</p>
<p>i wouldnt try the "non-reading" method... a lot of the questions are based on information provided in the little packets of sentences they put in there- only do that if your goals are somewhat lower.</p>
<p>If you're shooting for a 25-29 tops, go for that technique, but if you want a very good score (~32-36) then get good at reading FAST. remember that 99% of the act is an insult to your intelligence- the main problem people have is the time, and this is especially true for the science section. Practice working fast without losing accuracy; all the information you need to get EVERY problem correct is there, it's just a matter of having the skills to work fast enough to find them, so if you want my honest opinion i would work on working more quickly.</p>
<p>When i was studying for the ACT i did the first method- looked at the questions then went straight to the graphs and charts and figures, trying to figure out what they meant... the ACT does a good job at making graphs somewhat confusing to look at if you don't know what the experiments are about. (Not to mention that this method ending up taking me A TON more time than going through the whole passage,). The highest i got with the 'non read' method was 27-30. </p>
<p>Before the test day (Oct. 22) i worked on trying to work faster while reading the passages. What made this method successful for me was that although it took time to read the passages, the questions went a lot faster because i knew exactly what the experiments referred to, where to look for the answers, etc. I ended up doing better than any practice tests i took (34).</p>
<p>In the end it's what works best for you, I'm just throwing in my two cents about my opinion. GOod luck</p>
<p>on the contrary i tried to read everything the first time, ran out of time and ended up with a 31 and then on the second try went right to the questions and got a 36......i think you should try both ways and see which way works best</p>
<p>With reading first- 32
Without reading first (referred back to graphs/reading as i did each question)- 36
(No prep either time)
It may not work for some people, but that method works quite well for me!</p>
<p>Usually, three or four Qs will refer to one table/graph. So read those couple Qs, then go and read table/graph, and if you can keep things in your head straight, then it's a piece of cake. I got a 36 that way</p>
<p>I think that I'll be trying both methods. On Oct 22, I tried the "read everything" method, lost lots of time, couldn't finish the test, (ofcourse I guessed on the rest, about 8-9 questions.) and ended up with a 22. After reasearching a little bit I figured that if I had had enough time to finish, my score would have been around 31-33; considering my accuracy rate.
--just my 2cents</p>
<p>a lot of good advice. thanks. I'll try them all and see what fits me. :)</p>
<p>ok im taking the act in less then a month, i havnt done any prep what so ever. how can i get ready quick? is it even possible to do it? all im planning to do is take one practice act is that enough? the prob is ive been preping for the sat which is a week before the act. was that a bad idea?</p>
<p>i prepped for two days before the exam, took about 3 practice exams from all different books and thought they were HARD! .. so i went into the exam worried i didn't study enough... </p>
<p>the exam is a ton easier than all the practice exams you'll take so do those and you will just get a good idea of the format, style, etc. </p>
<p>but in general, the exam is pretty easy. I got like 28's on the practice exams and a 34 when i took the real thing</p>
<p>BlueDevil what is your tip for the science section? And I have the Real ACT Book w/ 3 practice tests...should I split up the sections and do them timed throughout the week and then use the last exam in 1 sitting? I also have Kaplan as a guide.</p>