My daughter class of 20 took the test back in October and got a 33 but only 26 on the Science part. I have been reading on here it’s been a lot of kids lower score. At first she wanted to do retake it but changed her mind. She has to take the SAT in April(mandatory in Illinois). She has shown interest in Case Western, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan. She had interest in Northwestern and Washington University but thinks she has no chance there. My wife and myself think she should retake it. Should she?
What is her intended major? If she isn’t pursuing a STEM field, a 33 composite seems pretty competitive for Wisconsin, Minnesota, CWRU, or Illinois, and the low Science subscore shouldn’t be too much of a concern. If she is pursuing STEM, that is a different story. Northwestern and Wash. U. have such low admit rates these days that they are long shots for everyone, as you are no doubt aware.
Did she prep at all for the first one? If not, targeted prep would likely bring up the science score. If time is an issue, get her an ACT appropriate watch and have her work on her timing as well. After having two kids prep significantly for the ACT my favorite prep book is the big red Official ACT practice Guide (has numerous practice tests with explanations for all the questions.)
Does only the composite matter? If so, don’t torture her with more test prep to raise her science score. See how she does on her mandatory SAT. If that is great I see no need for a second go around with the ACT. My impression is testing is not a matter of knowledge but of thinking skills. Test prep may be useful in better understanding of how to think, useful in life.
It’s possible to raise the science score once you get used to the section. A 33 ACT means that she’s a strong tester overall. So don’t rule out her prepping a bit with a math/science book such as Barrons 36 or similar and re-taking.
Amend to add: looks like the rest of her ACT averaged to 35? That means 34 - 36 on the remaining sections. As stated earlier in this post, she’s a strong tester.
The ACT science section trips a lot of kids up as they spend way too much time reading the passages. Almost all of the answers are in the graphs and figures according to my daughter - who scored a 36 on that section.
^ ditto post #5. My kid went from a 26 to a 35 in science on the next ACT simply by understanding how to “do” that section. My oldest got a 33 science score in a one-and-done after scoring 28’s in practice simply because she stopped focusing on the passage and started focusing on the graphs. And you don’t need to be a scientist either (neither is a STEM kid). It’s possible. As stated earlier, OP’s daughter is a very strong tester so the potential to leap to a better score is there. Take the SAT, sure. But don’t rule out retaking the ACT.
^ ditto post #5 & #6. My son went from a 27 to a 35 one week apart on practice tests on the Science section and a 36 Science section score on the real test. The only thing he did differently is look at the graphs before reading the section. He noticed that if he had enough time, he would never miss anything on that section and looking at the graphs 1st increased his speed.
I hate that the ACT science section is such a game. What does that tell colleges about a student? That they can figure out the tricks? My kids weren’t interested and decided to focus on the SAT.
Her intended major is Psychology though it might change. She doesn’t particularly like the SAT though the PSAT she got a 1390 back in October. As for time on the Science I don’t think that was the problem but did think she did better than the 26.
4. Her other three scores were 36,35,35
I would definitely have her retake it.
@homerdog, it’s just a matter of learning the best way to take the test, just like kids do with the SAT.
@suzyQ7 I’m not sure that’s true. There are no tricks on the SAT. You have to know your stuff. On the ACT science, specifically, its set up to trick kids. Why would they make a test where you don’t even read the passage and closely analyze the graphs? The only way to move fast enough is to go right to the questions and pounce on the graphs. That doesn’t show you know anything except you learned to go fast. I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before on other threads but we had a LOT of 36s at our school this last year. I’m a tutor but I tutor mostly math. A friend of mine is an ACT and SAT tutor and she said she spends a lot of time teaching ACT tricks and not concepts. I don’t know. I just don’t like it. Standardized testing is bad enough but, at least with the SAT, kids show they can read more complex material and do some non-multiple choice math. And they get more time per question so going super fast doesn’t come as much into play.
I think more kids do better on the ACT because the test is easier to improve on with practice. The SAT (at least the reading section) really depends on how much the student has been reading and analyzing texts over the last few years. One can practice the SAT but it’s still more about learning the actual concepts in the questions instead of learning how to use the tricks to move faster on the ACT. Our S19 has maybe ten friends who scored between 1520-1570 on the SAT. Most took the ACT as well and they ALL got 36s. It’s an easier test if you know the tricks.
So can someone improve their science score in a big way? Yes. Do not read the paragraphs. And don’t worry if you don’t even understand what’s going on. Look at the graphs quickly and go right to the questions. Again, I don’t know why that talent would be important to a college. If learning the tricks can gain you 10 points then it’s not showing you’re better at science.
I disagree that the ACT is set up to “trick” students. I’m a science person. Knowing HOW to think is very important, especially since the facts can change. Reasoning ability, ie knowing how to interpret things, use logical thinking processes et al comes through in the ACT when being able to use graphs et al.
33-R
32-E
31-M
25-S
Science was my downfall!