<p>Hey everyone! I basically get 33-34's in every section except Science. I am stuck at a 27-29. I seriously need advice. What can I do to change that? What do I study.. If I could get science upto a 30 (consistently) I would be golden. Any help would be appreciated, thank you.</p>
<p>Don’t read.</p>
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<p>I got a 34 on science and this statement is correct. Just look at the graphs and tables. I had minimal understanding of what the passages were about</p>
<p>Most of the information needed to answer the questions are located in the tables, graphs, and diagrams. Try to get really good at glancing over them and gleaning information from them.</p>
<p>You’re going to have to undergo a little bit of trial and error. I can’t do well on the science sections without skimming the passages for about 20 seconds first, and I got a 35 on the September test. I would try a couple of sections where you try to skim the passage and do the questions, and a couple where you don’t. Just see which one you feel more comfortable with.</p>
<p>Try doing the 5 question passages first, 6 question passages second, and 7 second passage last</p>
<p>*7 question passage last</p>
<p>Try only doing 3-4 questions on the conflicting view point passage. The ones focusing only 1 argument, but dont read both or more arguments.</p>
<p>What I do is solve the passages that suit my taste. I always get all the questions for biology right so I start off with those questions first. The catch is that if you don’t like any of the sciences that come out on the ACT, then you’re stuck I guess… Oh what the guys before me have said is completely right</p>
<p>@Nekogami - agreed. I do think that skimming is imperative on the science portion, except for the passage on the viewpoints, where you must read the passages in order to answer the questions.</p>
<p>The biggest thing is practice the timing. I got a 29 on science first time through with little to no studying, but I took 3 science practice tests the week before my 2nd test, got the timing down, and knotted a 36.</p>
<p>I tried the “don’t read” strategy on my second ACT (I took my first ACT without much studying - and none at all for science), and it did NOT work for me. My score actually decreased by 3 points (30 to 27), even though I practiced a lot. </p>
<p>Try that strategy out, it does work for many, but it doesn’t always work. Know what makes you “click”. This strategy works for most because timing is crucial. I, on the other hand, am not bothered by time - but it really stresses me out if I don’t understand what it’s asking or don’t know the answer immediately. So following that strategy was an awful idea. </p>
<p>So really my point is not to blindly follow advice. It didn’t work for me. Figure our what your weaknesses are and center a strategy around that. If timing is your issue, the “don’t read” strategy will help you, but if timing isn’t an issue don’t bother with it. Find something that addresses your personal weakness.</p>
<p>I’d amend the above statement to don’t read MOST of the passages. There will be one passage that will require you to read the introduction and the explanations of some of the setups to answer the questions. At least, that’s what I’ve noticed.</p>
<p>On another note, I just finished the 2009 ACT released practice exam, and I did rather badly. I got a composite 33 with a math score of 31. For those of you who took the 2009 pracACT, did you feel it was harder than the other released exams?</p>
<p>Be smart when you go about it. Don’t kill time and do passages that you understand or just move on. :)</p>