<p>I always run out of time and miss around 10 questions on both of these sections. My other two section grades are pretty high, but my composite is getting dragged down by Reading and Science. Any tips on how to read faster? :/ (I'm taking it again next Saturday)</p>
<p>Don’t read. </p>
<p>Go straight to the questions. Find the questions that refer to a specific line/experiment (for science) answer those first. While you answer those you’ll start to know the passage and you’ll find the answers to other questions and then you answer those and by the end you’ll know the passage much better than you would just reading it. Then you answer the main idea/ overall picture questions. Note this applies more to reading but you can use it in science too but for that section I’d at least look at the experiment. Its much easier to understand the experiment though when you know what the questions are asking you for. Doing this you should have more than enough time in reading (I usually finish with 5-10 minutes to spare) and a couple of minutes in science. I got a 35 on both sections.</p>
<p>Both the science & reading sections have a wide array of methods implemented by test takers. There is much room for individual preferences. </p>
<p>For the reading, you could try reading the segment at a decent pace, not too fast & not too slow, in order to get a broader picture of what the author is trying to say. Font read the questions ahead of time because it will only slow you down. Think of it this way: if you spend 3.5-4 minutes reading a section instead of 2, then your detainment of the specifics & general feel of the writing will be better than just skimming or reading quickly & you could be able to answer each question without going back through. You could also try the above poster’s idea and see how that works. Just remember, everyone has different styles & reading speeds, so try to find what works for YOU, and you’ll have better luck than attempting to implement a method for the first time. </p>
<p>As for science, my advice would just be skip to the questions & use the graph/charts to find the answer. In the science section, and all of the ACT, the answer is always provides to you…somewhere. It’s just a matter of finding it, and being able to justify your answer in your mind. What trips most people up is timing, especially in the science section. Even though College Board says that you don’t need every science class known to high school students, which is correct (do you still remember those rates of catalysts or effective mass of antibiotics used in some arcane experiment?), but having a broad understanding of basic concepts will have the possibility of helping you by shorteking the amount of time necessary to answer each question. For example, in the April 2011 test, there was a debating scientists page regarding age based on…telomeres, oxidations reactions damaging DNA, and something else. You never had to know ANYTHING about genetics to answer each question, but having a firm basis for biology allowed me to finish the typically longest section of the science section in about 25 seconds. Speaking if which, try to save the fighting/debating scientists for last since it will usually take up the most time. Same as reading in regards to the flexibility of each testing method. Good luck on your test and with the rest of your year.</p>
<p>Hey! I was having a problem with reading too ( I kinda still am lol). So I took the june ACT with one week of preparation and got a 34 on reading. The stress when you’re taking the test really helps me focus and i notice that when I’m taking practice tests my mind wanders. And also, don’t skim too fast! or you’ll end up basically rereading the passage when trying to answer the q’s. Experiment and find the fastest reading pace where you’ll comprehend 80-90% of the passage. I’m taking the act again on sat… and I didn’t study all summer 
so hopefully things turn out well for us both!</p>
<p>Thanks for the tips! I skimmed around on Reading and read the hardest one second to last so that I could get two over with and leave an easy one to rush at the end. I finished right when time was called! (I don’t think I missed too many…) I finished on time for Science too by skipping the reading (except for biology sections that don’t have graphs/tables). Thanks! :D</p>
<p>For all subjects but Reading I was able to finish with some time left, so I think I did well on those subjects. But for reading I only finished 3 passages before I had to randomly circle answer choices. I saved Prose fiction for last and just started from the end of the test and worked my way to the beginning. </p>
<p>And for Science I just went directly to the questions, understanding the experiment is not important for doing well on the test apparently. Of course I had to read the debate between the scientists.</p>