The ACT Science Section: Strategies for Success

The ACT science section is often feared by high school students who worry that they did not pay close enough attention in science courses to get a good score. The great thing about the ACT science section is that it doesn't actually measure concrete scientific knowledge, but rather reasoning abilities. There are several strategies students can employ to help raise their scores on the ACT reading section.

Understand the ACT Science Section

The ACT science section consists of 40 multiple choice questions, and you have 35 minutes to complete it. There are three formats of information you will encounter on the ACT science section: research summaries, data representation, and conflicting viewpoints.

Research summaries are focused more on the gauging your understanding of the scientific method, and usually consist of descriptions of experiments, including the hypothesis, research method and results. Each research summary if followed by 5-7 questions designed to test your understanding of the research presented.

Data representations are graphs, diagrams, tables, and charts. The data representation format is followed by 5-7 questions designed to test your ability to interpret visual representations of data.

The conflicting viewpoints sections present two expert opinions on one topic that differ in some way. This format is also followed by 5-7 questions, which test your ability to draw conclusions and make inferences about what the authors are suggesting.

Scientific principles from biology, physics, earth and space sciences, and chemistry are used in the different formats.

Interpret the Graphs on the ACT Science Section Correctly

Many students are confused about what the questions on the ACT science section are actually asking. Much of the confusion stems from the extraneous information provided in this section. In the other sections of the ACT, you will use most, if not all, of the information given to you. Not so on the science section. You should certainly read the text given on the research summary and conflicting viewpoints formats, but much of the written information on the data representation format is useless. Look at the graphs and interpret them alone. The information you need is all there. The other information is just background information, and most questions on the ACT science section don't require you to know this. If a question does address background information, a quick skim for keywords is all you need. Anything else is just wasting your time.

The key to interpreting graphs on the ACT science section lies in realizing that all graphs, no matter what format they are in, are simply representations of data. Break the graph down into a format you can easily understand, if graphs and tables are not your strong suit. Take notes in the margins to help you interpret the graph. If graphs intimidate you, take some time to familiarize yourself with the different types of graphs and tables that are present on the ACT science section.

Don't Be Intimidated by Scientific Jargon

Often the ACT science section is loaded with technical terms and scientific jargon. This intimidates many students. Don't get hung up on the content of the questions and the words that are used. It doesn't matter if a graph is about a concept that you've never studied, it only matters that you can interpret it. So, don't waste time trying to figure out what "mitosis" means if you don't know. Just look at the graph and the questions, and determine the key words. What those key words mean is usually beside the point. Once again, remember that the ACT science section is not testing your knowledge of scientific concepts, but rather your ability to reason.

Guess Wisely on the ACT Science Section

On the ACT there is no punishment for guessing. For this reason, you should never leave an answer blank. If you are sure you don't know an answer, or you are nearly out of time, guess!

Though guessing may seem completely random, there are ways of increasing the likelihood that you'll get an answer right by guessing. The most important thing to do when guessing is to eliminate the answers you know are wrong. If you can reduce the number of options to two, you have a 50 percent chance of being correct. Eliminate any answer that doesn't seem right, and your odds of guessing correctly will increase.

Never pick a letter at random, and never leave an answer blank.

For more ACT advice, check out my article on ACT Reading Section Strategies.