Hi everyone I took the act last september got a 31. My english and math were 33 my reading was a 31 and my science was a 26. Every time I take practice I can never seem to get it above a 29 does anyone have any tips for this section or even the whole test in general?
Thanks
Of all the sections, I found science to have the most time pressure. I have taken the ACT three times. On science, I scored 36, 29, and 36 again. On the middle test, I ran short of time.
I have two pieces of advice. Do some practice tests and work very fast. That way, on test day you are prepared to move quickly.
Secondly, there is one set of questions on science that differs from the rest. This particular passage is called fighting scientists by Princeton review (or whichever review book I was using last year). In this section, two sets of data are provided. The suggestion from Princeton review is to skip this passage because it takes longer and come back to it at the end. All of the other passages present one set of data so the questions don’t take as long and are a little easier. If you run out of time, you would rather have a few of the harder questions left than more of the easier ones.
I’m transitioning from the SAT to the ACT and took some sample tests. I got a 29 and 34 on my first and second tries. What I did differently: Always go to the questions first, and never look at the experimental details (the long paragraph introduction to the study). Always refer to the graphs and not the paragraph for your answers. If a question asks something from the experimental details, read it then. Also, skip the long one with Hypothesis 1, Hypothesis 2, etc… I had 10 minutes left on my 34 science section to go back and finish the long section.
Agree with the above comments. I would add three notes:
- Take as many practice science tests as possible. You'll get familiar with the question types, how to read the graphs, the commonly tested topics, etc.
- Whenever a graph/figure/chart question is asked, always take your pencil and make sure you are looking for the right thing. (i.e. Figure 3, Trial 2, Female ages 40-49, @7PM. That way you won't miss easy points by reading the wrong line or looking at the wrong graph.
- Taking science classes helps a lot! Many people don't think this is true. And they're (partially) correct: by itself, the ACT only has 1-2 questions on the test that actually test scientific knowledge. However, being familiar with the topics, like pH, gravity, etc., really helps. You're more likely to know the answers and what they're looking for, and you can save time (which is very important for science).