How to Prepare for the Science Section of the ACT

Four sections compose the ACT. The science section includes 40 questions, and you have 35 minutes to complete them. The purpose is to measure your skills in the natural sciences. Follow these steps to ace this portion of the test.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Basic reading skills
• Practice ACT test
• Stopwatch
• Basic knowledge of reading graphs and charts
• Tutor (if needed)

1. Preview the section. Do this quickly. The science section has less text and more data and graphics than the reading section.
2. Examine the data and graphics. All questions are related to these.
3. Evaluate graphs. Look for extremes such as maximums and minimums, and for radical changes in data or lines.
4. Recognize variables in a graph and how they relate to each other.
5. Understand the way things are measured. Sometimes the test writers put things in the wrong units. Make sure you know the correct units.

Tips & Warnings

• Most graphs on this test are line graphs; however, expect bar graphs and one pictorial presentation as well.
• Some questions are based on facts and some on opinions. A fact question can be answered T for True or F for False. An opinion question means some people might believe the statement to be true.
• Some answers involve estimates, so you may not find a point on the graph exactly where the answers lies. Guess the closest one.
• Not all science questions involve a graph; some list data in tables. Interpret the tables carefully.
• Review major scientific terms prior to testing. You do not have to memorize every formula, but it helps to review the main ones.
• Do not forget the process of elimination. Do not consider answers that are way out of range. Guess if you are not sure.
• Remember the x-axis is the independent variable and the y-axis is the dependent one. In other words, y varies as x does.

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