*OFFICIAL* September 2012 ACT Science Section Discussion

<p>that’s a dumb way to curve a score. How can you determine a curve before the student’s take it? You have to see how well all the students perform on it, don’t you? How else are they making up this “curve” then because it still varies from test to test</p>

<p>Does anybody remember the one about the question that was like if the age becomes 13 ___ (whatever the unit of age was), then what would it be closest to? it looked like it was asymptotic but it the choices were either like 34.5 or 35.5 (or something like that), and the asymptote looked like it was about 34.9? I went with 34.5…(or whatever the smaller one was). I wish I remembered the problem better…</p>

<p>i went with 34.5 too!</p>

<p>sammywinchester
I put in the same answer as you!</p>

<p>hwjwill
For number 3, i think ‘no’ but with the same explanation. Did I remember the question wrong?</p>

<p>i actually think the question talking about locomotion and aggression, the answer was locomotion because it was referring to figure 2: if the bees fell or not.
Good lord i’m hoping for a 35 but science probably screwed me over and i got a 34</p>

<p>I thought it was for figure 1 and he was trying to distinguish the bees. He didn’t cut the whole wing off but rather only a corner of it off.</p>

<p>I know that I’m a little bit late on the discussion of how difficult this section was…but oh my god my friends and I are still mindf***** and confused and yeah. It was so. freaking. hard. It didn’t compare at all to the one I took in June, or the practice tests I took, or anything. It was so much more difficult!</p>

<p>Hello!</p>

<p>Just curious, is ACT allows the discussion of questions right after the test? I also have some questions regarding to the Science section, but I am afraid of possible intervention by ACT on CC…</p>

<p>How did you guys do on Science. It is really my strongest subject, so I had no problem. </p>

<p>ACT claims that NO background knowledge is needed for the Science section, but I really do not believe that statement! I took AP Biology and AP Chemistry, and I swear that knowledge I acquired from those classes really hepled me to answer good numbers of questions. </p>

<p>ACT should change the description of Science section into “No background knowledge is needed, but Is Recommended.”</p>

<p>^totally agree-___- the test is not fair…</p>

<p>I had a 35 on science last time around but this time I had to guess on five. The arguing scientists passage was ridiculously hard especially since I was fighting against the clock.
On the bright side, seeing as most of us did rather poorly, I assume there will be a rather lenient scale. Maybe 36: 39-40, 35: 38, 34:37-36, 33: 35.</p>

<p>Science buried me. I was fairly confident with the first three sections and even the first few passages of Science, but the last two (three) were like… mind-blowing (not in a good way). I had like five minutes left for the final section, which I spent by randomly bubbling in the last 7 questions lol </p>

<p>Hoping for a 33+ but honestly feel like I got a 25-28.</p>

<p>When I sat down to take the test I did not realize how hot it was – probably about 92 degrees outside.</p>

<p>The proctor closed the windows and closed all the doors, there were probably 40 of us in a small room. She went to the back of the room and tried to turn on the air conditioner, but instead, turned on the MAXIMUM heat. I was sitting by the heat vent.</p>

<p>We took two sections and got a three minute break. Then we started the last two sections. By this time my shirt was soaking wet and sweet was running down my face to my booklet. I was literally drying off the booklet with my palm.</p>

<p>Finally one student yelled out, “Please can you turn the heat off?”</p>

<p>The proctor giggled, and answered, “Oh, I wondered why it was so hot in here.”</p>

<p>There was no clock in the room.</p>

<p>She causally walked to the front of the room and says “oops forgot to give you the five minute warning. You now have three minutes left.”</p>

<p>I felt like my life was over when I had three minutes to answer the ridiculous DNA passage.</p>

<p>You absolutely needed prior knowledge to answer that question. ACT should do a study. How did students do on that passage who had taken AP Bio compared to those who had never taken biology. Statistically they would prove themselves wrong. Dead wrong.</p>

<p>I hate to be cynical but follow the money. They have a monopoly.</p>

<p>As for me I’m going back to the SAT…care to join me?</p>

<p>The point of having a standardized test is so that everyone has a fair chance to succeed. If I were in that test center I would have wanted to rip my hair out.</p>

<p>Roman, just complain to the act. They will 100% refund you and I’m sure give you a ticket to the next test</p>

<p>Imdad1,</p>

<p>What people mean by the curve is predetermined is that they base the curve on the way the test was previously taken.</p>

<p>Say that this test was given like September 2010 or something as the first time, then this test will be based off that curve.</p>

<p>So basically it should be near the same thing; however, this test seems to be a first-timer so they will probably have a new curve - hopefully a good one.</p>

<p>Hey guys, if you want to see past ACT Science curves, I found this old thread with a few of them on it: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/act-preparation/1161797-past-act-science-curves.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/act-preparation/1161797-past-act-science-curves.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>That sucks that you guys thought it was hard. I thought is one of the more easier science tests I had taken. The DNA conflicting views question was super simple because it was just textbook case biology AP experiments. If you had any background in chemistry, then the ammonia passage should have been cake as well as the pressure chamber question. Also, if you knew anything about physics, the musical passage about frequency shouldn’t have been too tough.</p>

<p>I’m expecting a fairly solid score within the range of 34-36, especially if the curve is generous</p>

<p>@jt16882</p>

<p>What did you put for the forward reaction question? Did the forward reaction go faster and then they both stayed the same?</p>

<p>Also, what about for the locomotion question?</p>

<p>Cheers</p>

<p>^im sure that its forward reaction go faster and then both stay the same</p>

<p>yay i hv trouble with locomotion question also… for second last question, is the answer B (with a word “locomotion” in)? i always leave the fighting scientists for the last so i hv no much time to read it…</p>

<p>also for number 40, does test tube 1 counter both hypothesis?</p>