tl;dr: In this ACT Science Guide, we'll break down the question types and give you some strategies to make sure you get that 36 on the exam! We'll cover the two types of ACT Science questions: data-based passages and conflicting viewpoints passages. With practice, you'll be able to conquer the science section in no time! Good luck with your exams!
Welcome to the ACT Science Guide! We'll break down the question types and give you some strategies to make sure you get that 36 on the exam! π
When you sit down to take the ACT exam, you will have 4-5 sections on the test, depending on whether you choose to take the essay section! π The ACT sections are:
After the reading section of the test, you'll dive right in to the science section of the ACT! π€©
The science section is the 4th (and possibly last, if you're not taking the essay!) of the ACT standardized test. You will answer 40 questions in 35 minutes. This works out to be around 53 seconds per question, so this section is fast-paced! β
The ACT science section is actually a lot like the reading section! You will be presented with passages that are often accompanied by tables, charts, data points, etc. π and will be asked to answer a variety of interpretation questions.
About 3-5 of the questions you'll see on the ACT science exam may require some outside knowledge from your science classes. π« However, the rest of the questions will ALL be able to be answered using just what's in the passage! π
Quick interpretation of data is very important, and as you practice more and more, you'll get better!
βScience Standards Tested
With AP exams, you often have a "course/exam description" that gives you all of the standards that'll be tested on the AP exam. ACT has a somewhat similar document that outlines the science standards tested on this section of the exam. The three standards are listed below:
Learn more about each of these standards. These standards are meant to align with college readiness standards, so they may be more helpful after you have received your score. These standards do provide a very rough outline of what you will be tested on, however!
Before we go any further, we need to address the scientific method! The scientific method is tested on every single question on the ACT science section, either directly or indirectly. Let's go through the steps in the scientific method!
Because you are limited in the amount of time you have to answer each question, it's important that you maximize the time that you do have! This means that reading the entire passage first is likely not wise. π€
The "look and find" strategy will allow you to effectively answer the questions on the ACT science test. π
First, you want to LOOK π for keywords in the question that will help you FIND π information in the passage quickly.
Here are some location keywords πΊ to look for. They'll help you find WHERE in the text you can find more information:
Here are some task keywords to look for. They'll help you find WHAT TO DO once you get to the location in the text.
Let's look at a few example questions:
Before we even look at the passage, let's see if we can identify where the answer to this question might be. LOOKing π for location keywords, you'll probably notice that the question starts with "According to Figure 1." This tells you that you will be able to FIND π more information in Figure 1 of the results.
That was pretty easy, right? Now, let's see if we can figure out a task keywordβ . You'll notice that "mass of cheese remaining at 4hr" is pretty important! That will guide us when we get to Figure 1.
Now that we've LOOKED π for keywords, it's time to carry out the task and FIND π the information needed for the question. Skimming π is necessary on the ACT science section, especially since you may not have time to read the entire passage.
If a question refers ONLY to Figure 1, then it's likely your answer is ONLY in Figure 1! π Don't waste time looking at Figures 2, 3, 4, etc. if there is a specific location keyword in the question!
Now, you need to be able to interpret and analyze graphs and tables correctly! That's what we'll cover next!
Interpreting Tables (Level 1 Questions)
When interpreting tables, you should carry out 3 steps to make sure you're answering the question correctly. π€
Tables - Practice Level 1 Question β
Make sure you recognize that the table represents percentages and not whole numbers!
PRACTICE LEVEL 1 QUESTION ANSWER π€
LOCATION keywords: Table 1
TASK keywords: MORE than 100 mg β> for which foods?
You know that 200 mg was put in for each food, and you're finding how many foods had MORE than 100 mg water. 100 mg is 50% of 200 mg, and since the table displays percents, you're looking for values MORE than 50%. That would yield cat food (66.2) and ham (57.1). Your answer is G!
Now, let's look at graphs! Graphs all have several similar components that you should pay attention to.
Based on the above graph, the AXES are time (x) and mass of food remaining (y). The UNITS are hours for time and milligrams for mass of food remaining. The LEGEND/KEY can be found on top of the graph! π
Here are some tips specific to the type of graph you're looking at:
Line Graph π
The line graph is one of the more common graphs on the ACT. There are several questions that you may be asked about the line graph that we'll go over below.
Scatterplots π·
A scatterplot is the other type of difficult graph you may encounter. A scatterplot is DIFFERENT from a line graph because there are no lines - just data points! Scatterplots demonstrate correlational relationships.
On the graph above, the line of best fit is drawn in red. If this graph was attached to a question, you might have to predict the average number of decayed teeth for a person if the average sugar consumption was 60 g. π¬
You would then draw a line UP from 60 on the x-axis until you meet the line of best fit. Then, draw a line horizontally until you get to the y-axis. The value on the y-axis would be your answer! π
Let's go through a couple of important definitions you should know that relate to this topic:
Questions that have to do with this will be asked in this format:
The Process: For this question, let's look at the two variables that we're analyzing. π
1. "4 foods in order of the % by mass of proteins"
2. "mass of food remaining at 28 hr"
3. Put it together!
Therefore, the correct answer is B!Interpolation and Extrapolation Questions ππ
This is another type of question that you'll see with tables. These are best explained through examples! Let's look at one together.
With this question, you can see that we're trying to determine the time required for the voltage across the capacitor to reach 7.6 V. π Based on the table in question, you can see that a value of 7.6 V is nowhere to be found on the table. You have 0 V at 0 secs, and 8.4 V at 12 secs. β‘
However, you DO know that 7.6 V is between 0 and 8.4 V. Since 7.6 V is between 0 and 8.4 V, it would also make sense that the time would be between 0 and 12 secs based on the table. β
Therefore, your answer would be F!
Now, let's try the following question:
In Experiment 1, the time constant of the circuit was the time required for the voltage across the capacitor to reach approximately 11.4 V. The time constant of the circuit used in Experiment 1 was.
If we use the same table and answer choices from the previous example, you'll notice that 11.4 is between 10.9 V (at 24 seconds) and 11.7 V (at 36 seconds). Therefore, the correct answer would be H - between 24 and 36 seconds. π‘
Those are the basic skills you need to conquer the ACT data-based questions. Keep in mind that a lot of these skills need to practice to develop. For example, you might be asked to apply the interpolation and extrapolation strategy we discussed for tables to a graph. ππ
Keep practicing, and you'll do awesome!
The conflicting viewpoints passage of the ACT Science section is often viewed as the hardest of the ACT science. However, you can master it if you just remember a few tips! π‘
The conflicting viewpoints passage generally has people offering opposing views on the same topic - whether that's different scientists, students, or researchers. π¨βπ¬π©βπ¬ This passage normally does not have visual stimuli that accompany the text. π
This portion of the test often takes the longest amount of time, so keep that in mind!
These passages will all be structured in the following way:
1. Make sure you read the introduction! The introduction will often serve as an important source of information as you go through the questions. π
2. ANNOTATE as you read each of the perspectives. It's super important that you're interacting with the text as you read the different viewpoints - this part of the test is a lot like the reading section! β
3. Consider having different markings for similarities and differences. π
4. Read the viewpoints first. On most of the science section, you can get away with not reading the entire passage! However, it's super important that you read the viewpoints first on this section. π
This is what a conflicting viewpoints passage might look like:
You can see that in this passage, the "viewpoints" are those of students. Each student has a different opinion on the relationship between an object and its mass, volume, and density, and those perspectives are presented in the passage!
That's it for our ACT science guide! π§ͺ Remember that we have guides available to help you with ALL sections of the ACT so you can get an amazing scoreπ. Check out our other ACT Section study guides!
Looking for even more ACT prep? Check out out compilation of some of our best resources!
Good luck with your exams! π
