<p>How do you do well on the science section?
i usually do well on everything BUT the science section.</p>
<p>Me,too. My</p>
<p>Briefly skim the charts/graphs, read the question, then look for the answer. You do not want to actually read everything, quite a bit of the descriptions are fluff. You simply want to locate the information, then answer what they ask.</p>
<p>How much science do you actually have to know for the science section? Is it mostly interpretation of charts, or does it test specific knowledge?</p>
<p>It would be good to know some terms but other than that its reasoning. You do not have to know that much science at all. You do however need to look at some practice questions before you take the test because if not, you'll freak out on the actual ACT.</p>
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How much science do you actually have to know for the science section? Is it mostly interpretation of charts, or does it test specific knowledge?
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<p>It's mostly interpretation of charts, graphs, and diagrams. It requires very little knowledge of science at all, if any. I agree with dfriedm1, take a couple of practice tests to see how the questions are formatted.</p>
<p>Well, there's definitely something that separates it from the reading test, otherwise people scoring 30s+ on the reading wouldn't be bombing out on the science, and it doesn't seem to be a simple matter of tactic either.</p>
<p>The last science class I took was in 7th grade, in contrast to the other high school subjects which I took most credits in. For comparison, on the last test I scored a 35 in English compared to a 24 in Science. I consider myself to be a very logical thinker and good at logical reasoning, and in fact, science happens to be my favorite subject, but I fall short on the science test every single time.</p>
<p>My main issue is time. Yes, it's possible to figure out nearly all of the questions by referring to the charts/passages, but when you're on a time constraint of only about 50secs per question, there's very little time to do that, especially when you haven't the slightest idea what the passage means. </p>
<p>You can't argue that having at least a vague understanding of the material being talked about/tested in the passages does not help your speed tremendously. If you're like me and you don't have a clue when it comes to the science topics being tested, you nearly always have to spend time thoroughly reading every passage and chart to make sense of it, things that many test takers are able to skip. At the very least, a solid knowledge of science vocabulary is bound to help matters some...</p>
<p>A lot of the science section is luck. I have a friend who got a 22 on the science section and just totally bombed it, but she went and took the ACT next time it was offered again and got a 33 on the science, with no prep. Besides that its just keeping your cool and not thinking too hard about it. Just see through the blarble.</p>
<p>Geeze! There have to be someway to prep for it. Any genius here know?
BEGGING</p>
<p>Not really, you just have to know how to read and interpret data
thats all i did, and i got a 36</p>
<p>Congrats!
I see. But I am good at science stuff, too. Confused</p>
<p>I agree with war chant that you don't have to know all the science the test asks about. However, knowing what they mean when a question about cholorofluorocarbons pops up or an application of Kepler's Laws was very helpful for me. It brought a smile to my face to see a circuit on an ACT test. I ended up with a 33, but I just finished my junior year with AP calc bc, ap physics b, and ap chem. math-36 (calculus didn't help, but i'm not complaining)</p>
<p>just a side note at what quantum leap said, calculus doesnt help with the math. It's funny that all the AP Calculus students are scoring in the 20's and the other math students are hitting the 30's...</p>
<p>I didn't mean that it helped, just that it certainly can't hurt knowing more math then they test because you'd at least (i'd expect) have more experience with the material. Also, i thought the kids in higher level maths like precal and calculus averaged higher than other students.</p>
<p>i agree...i'm in cal 3 right now and geometry is a pain because it's been so long.</p>
<p>Can someone tell me if its normal to score a 26 in th real act guide but then score an 18 in the princeton review book?</p>
<p>Yes, I've taken all the AP/Honors science courses that my school has to offer including Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental, etc. and I feel that at least some background to the topics covered does indeed help. </p>
<p>Usually individuals that score well on English and Reading have trouble with the science section as it requires a more analytical thinking instead of inference. For these people, I recommend doing the Scientists/Hypothesis passage first on Science as it is most comparable to the ACT reading section. As you have just completed the 35 minute reading section, your mind may still be in a "Reading" mode. Also, the Charts/Graphs questions (Consisting of 5 sections per passage) are generally the easiest and require you to simply refer back and find any patterns / extrapolate data. This should be the next type of science passage that you try to do. </p>
<p>Lastly, the Experiment quesitons are the ones that trip up people the most as they are entirely random and deal with complex topics in particular science fields. Try to figure out exactly what they are testing first, and recognize the variables/controls within the experiment. The graphs that accompany the section are the BEST indicators of this. Information in paragraph form that precedes the experiment bears no significance in answering the questions, however, this could potentially help you if you are unfamiliar with the topic. </p>
<p>What many people also do not realize is that if they spend more time on questions that they know how to do, they could potentially maximize their score by simply guessing on the ones that remain at the end, instead of rushing through everything and attempting to finish within the time constraints. Hope this helps. I usually score 34+ on each section except reading where I'm lucky to break 31. So if anyone has tips for that please feel free to private message me.</p>
<p>I am real doubtful on some of the Science scores. I received a 22 on the last one i took, and I was confident on 95% of my answers, yet a friend of mine said he guessed on all and he got a 33. Also, back in February, everyone was saying Science was their best section score wise eventhough when they took it they thought they bombed it. That is a bit fishy.</p>
<p>sk0116 i completely disagree with you. 33 english, 34 reading, 33 science and science is by far my worst subject in school. the science section is more about reading and inferring than it is the actual scientific specifics.</p>
<p>I suppose it's just left as a matter of opinion, unless there are people out there who have almost no knowledge of science whatsoever like me who can honestly say they've gotten 36's on the ACT Science. (or higher 30s even, compared to my 24)</p>
<p>I believe we can all agree that you don't need to have gotten straight As through science class to score high on the science test. The question is whether or not being familiar with the material improves your speed, which coming from my point of view is a definite yes...</p>
<p>I think nearly everyone here has taken a solid 3-4 years of HS Science, so their belief that no former knowledge of the topics at all is necessary to score high on the test might be a little skewed. Just my thoughts on it though. I'd be delighted if someone could prove me wrong, as it would mean that i've got a good chance of bringing my score up merely by changing some tactics rather than spending an inordinate amount of time studying all of the related material.</p>