<p>I'm having a hard time with the ACT science section. On the sept test, I got a 23 on the science section. I want to bring this up to at least a 33 by october test. What is your best advice??</p>
<p>Practice all the science parts from guide books and review them again and again.</p>
<p>DO NOT read the passages. Go straight to the questions and fine the answers in the tables/graphs as fast as you can. I got a 26 on science on the first ACT I took and then on my second ACT I got a 32. And like knifey said, practice, practice, practice!!!</p>
<p>Also, try to cut your time 5 minutes short when you practice. This way the extra time on the real test will definitely help you.</p>
<p>I'd have to disagree with the not reading part, unless you're a really slow reader. In June I got a 34 on the science without reading and in September, I got a 36 just by reading what I could in the time that I was alotted. I really didn't notice a huge difference in difficulty between the two tests.</p>
<p>Then again, the science section just comes naturally to me, so I don't know, maybe my opinion just isn't valid for your situation.</p>
<p>Well the only reading I would recommend is the fighting scientists. Those types you need to read to do well. The rest depends on whether or not you have time, like Kentric said.</p>
<p>which book is the best for practicing?? and thanks for a advice. :-)</p>
<p>My strategy (and I only got a 34, but with 7 minutes left) is to read peer reviewed journal articles. You become a master at understanding science outside of your educational background.</p>
<p>Graphs and figures and charts become child's play.</p>
<p>I would say The REAL ACT Prep Guide obviously has the most accurate tests. After that would probably be the Princeton Review (they have some good strategies as well).</p>
<p>"My strategy (and I only got a 34, but with 7 minutes left) is to read peer reviewed journal articles."</p>
<p>I don't think this is a good piece of advice. You do not need to be able to read scientific journals to get a 36 on the ACT science! To do so would be overkill.</p>
<p>It wouldn't hurt Amber.</p>
<p>Knifey, it also wouldn't hurt to be a Nobel prize laureate in Physics, but it's not realistic to ask people to learn how to understand scientific journals in order to prepare for the ACT.</p>
<p>I disagree that you should do the questions without reading first, though. I don't agree with this method for the SAT or for the ACT (or for any other test.) It's inefficient and will leave you confused and lost in a sea of meaningless charts and tables.</p>
<p>LOL ^this post is full of contradiction. First you say that it isn't realistic to to understand scientific prose by reading journals, but then you mention how you strongly suggest reading before looking at the questions. Outside reading will enhance a student's ability to read and familiarize scientific prose; therefore, READING ARTICLES IS NOT OVERKILL, instead it is beneficial. If you detest science, I would understand why you'd be against it, but even so, it will help you.</p>
<p>Knifey, thanks for getting my back.</p>
<p>But in all seriousness, examine the nature of peer-reviewed science articles. </p>
<p>They are most frequently in subjects that a lay student would not be familiar with. In practicing reading journal articles, such a student would be gaining an ability to comprehend scientific areas in which they do not have a strong background.</p>
<p>Science journal articles have graphs, figures, and charts: all seen on the ACT Science section. Reading articles allows you to go from cold to knowledgeable, without a course. This honed skill will allow a student taking the ACT to become more acclimated to "new science," so if he does not have background knowledge in a subject, he can still rock that section.</p>
<p>I have been doing research at the local state school (UAriz) going on three years, and a major part of that is reading articles to get up to snuff in an area that you have not studied, so you can research it (ie Neurobiology, BioChem). This has helped me more on the ACT than all 4 AP Sciences.</p>
<p>"LOL ^this post is full of contradiction. First you say that it isn't realistic to to understand scientific prose by reading journals, but then you mention how you strongly suggest reading before looking at the questions. Outside reading will enhance a student's ability to read and familiarize scientific prose; therefore, READING ARTICLES IS NOT OVERKILL, instead it is beneficial. If you detest science, I would understand why you'd be against it, but even so, it will help you."</p>
<p>Are you kidding? So in order to prepare for the SAT math, should we ask kids to study Multivariable Calculus? Of course not. Just because we need to read the science info (yes, don't skip that stuff!) doesn't mean we need to be able to read scientific journals! How many scientific publications have you read? They are ridiculously far above the level of the ACT science. You do not need to be able to read a science paper to read the ACT science section. The best way to practice reading ACT science is by doing the practice tests in review books or by doing old tests, not by looking at professional science journals full of highly specialized papers written by post-doctoral researchers. ACT science is HIGH SCHOOL science, at worst perhaps on the level of the 1st year of undergraduate education.</p>
<p>Do not read the whole sets of samples. Go straight to the question and find out what the question is asking. That way you can save yourself some time from reading the passage. When I took it, I never read any of the directions, finished all the questions in the nick of time, and scored a 36 on it. Good luck to you!</p>
<p>Sorry Amber, but i strongly agree with adam and knifey
I suck at those astrology (relating to stars and planets and crap) and physics, and I think reading sci journals, esp on those subjects, would help me improve my strenght in those sections. plus, if they have graphs and charts and stuff, it would help to practice skim reading them to help timing.
I haven't tried this strategy yet, but I think it will be beneficial.</p>
<p>And to the OP: skim over the charts/graphs first, if you don't understand them just breifly look over the questions and if you can't answer any, then i woudl recommend reading the passages. otherwise, really no need. except for fighting scientists...</p>
<p>Nikki, you may think so, but as you said, you haven't ever read a scientific journal before and you don't understand what they are. I would be surprised if you (or anyone else in this thread) could get past the first paragraph of an astronomy publication. Those are written for people with doctorates in their respective fields, not for high school students. They are miles above the level of high school science textbooks. Take it from me -- I have a lot of experience reading research publications (not in astronomy, but in my own area of research) and after two years concentrated in a specialized field, i still struggle with them sometimes.</p>
<p>Remember people, it's just her bias.</p>
<p>Im going to have to agree with knifey. The first time I took the ACT I got a 25 on the science, this was with skipping the passages and answering all of the questions. The second time I took the ACT I got a 30. </p>
<p>What helped me was that every two weeks I would take time out to goto Barnes and Noble and read scientific magazines. I would usually read Scientific American, or the Scientific American: Mind. I know SCIAm is probably not on the same level as a standard research paper, but the magazines showed me that it is easy to understand scientific research even if you have no previous knowledge.</p>
<p>which ones are the best?
Nature?</p>