How to Prepare for theACT Science Test

The reporting categories and the approximate percentages devoted to them are:

This part will require you to assess the validity of scientific information, draw conclusions on that basis, and possibly make predictions using it. For example, you may be asked to decide the best explanation for a scientific phenomenon on the basis of new data. The scientific information can be presented in one of three ways:

Data representation (25-35%)

Here you will be faced with graphs and/or tables and will be expected to recognise relationships within the data they contain, extrapolate, interpolate, and perhaps put the data into graphs. 

Research summaries (45-60%)

This type of question demands more reading time as it is text-based. It will describe one or more related experiments, each with hypotheses. It will likely include data presented in graphs and/or tables, and it is important to understand the purpose, method and results of each experiment, as well as how these differ from, or compare to, each other. All the necessary information will be contained in the stimulus or the questions.

Conflicting viewpoints (15-20%)

This is another text-based section, but it will not have any tabulated or graphic data. It takes the form of differing views or hypotheses, usually from two scientists, about the same scientific phenomenon and how or why it occurs. The views presented are often based on competing premises or incomplete data and will diverge from each other. The questions will ask you about how the scientists’ views compare and contrast.

With 40 questions to answer in 35 minutes, time is certainly of the essence! You can’t afford to spend too long on each question as this will jeopardise the time available for other questions. If you find you’re stuck on one question in particular, move onto the next and come back to it; remember all questions are worth the same number of points.

• With so little time available, there is a temptation just to skim-read passages and data. This can sometimes lead to misreading or misinterpreting what you see. This is a particular problem when dealing with figures and units.
  
  
• Read the passage before answering the question. You don’t have to understand everything about it, but make sure you know you are certain of the experiments’ details, variables, chronology, purpose, and methodology. It is helpful if you highlight key words in the passage as that will help to direct your thinking when reading the questions.
  
  
• Make sure you are certain of the experiments’ details, variables, chronology, purpose, and methodology. Underlining or highlighting always helps!

• It is easy to rush through presented data as you may feel you have understood at first glance what you see. It is important to consider the background context of the data (relate it to the experiment under consideration).
  
  
• Ensure you have understood which axis is which, the units being used (you may need to do conversions), the general patterns or trends visible in the data (including no discernible trend).
  

• You will understandably feel overwhelmed by the amount of information provided to you in the time available. This is normal. Everyone feels like that. The important thing is not to focus on each minute detail individually (unless you think it is relevant) but to draw conclusions based on the bigger picture.
  

• It is vital that you can filter information for its relevance and think strategically when analysing it – not all information will be relevant to everything all the time. When dealing with correlations, you should make sure pieces of information are meaningful and are related to each other in some way. You should also try to predict future outcomes or trends based on the information and data you receive.

Online resources can be an effective way to maximise your preparation. With the proliferation of resources available, try to ensure that you focus on trusted sources. The official ACT site is a good place to start.

Working with a tutor can be an effective tool to help you to target the weak areas that you notice in your preparation. The specialist tutors at A-List have lots of experience in delivering tuition with a proven track record of improving success outcomes. Following a 25-hour tuition programme, the majority of our students improve their ACT score by 7 points, while the top 25% increase by 9 points. 

A-List also has intensive 5-day ACT courses for students who prefer group training.

• On the day, remember that you need to strike a balance between managing your time efficiently during the exam and doing justice to the questions (and yourself!) by focusing on the information given.
  
  
• It’s not helpful to put arbitrary numbers on the time you should spend on any one question or passage as everyone’s different; some will understand something straight away and others will take a bit longer. That’s fine, and it’s for you to determine your own working strategy and what you find simple or more difficult. This only comes through practice, so make sure to do as much of that as possible.
  
  
• Remember to read the passage carefully before looking at the questions. If you find yourself spending too long on any one question, it’s worth moving onto others as you don’t want to miss the chance to gain further marks from questions you find simpler.
  
  
• If you come back to a question and you still can’t work out the answer, then it helps to eliminate what you feel cannot be the answer and determine it through a process of elimination. If you’re still stuck and time is ticking, then it’s best to guess than not answer at all as you won’t be penalised if it’s wrong (you just won’t get those marks) and there is a chance it will be right!
  

• Review your answers. It’s vital you understand why you got something wrong and why the answer is what it is. It’s also important to consider why you got something right. Don’t dwell too much on incorrect answers as that can be dispiriting – remember it’s better to get things wrong now than in the real test, and this is how you learn and improve.
  
  
• The ACT science test likes patterns and trends. You should therefore be a master at identifying these. Apply this to yourself! See where you’re slipping up and if it’s on the same type of questions each time. Try to identify your strong and weak areas by reviewing your performance across several tests and drawing some conclusions (this is practice in itself!).
  
  
• Keep in mind that the test won’t be quizzing you on your scientific knowledge as such, so time spent revising several sciences in great depth won’t help. Keeping on top of what you’ve done at school, including revising differences between variables, constants, units, etc. will help, as will reading scientific studies and their results. This will help to train your eye and brain for detail.
  

So… where does that leave us? Well, you should now have a good idea about how best to prepare for the ACT Science Test, including what to do and not do before and during it. Preparation is key, so the earlier you start the more proficient you’ll become. If you’d like further support then get in touch with A-List Education for a whole range of guidance, practice materials, and tuition. You can also contact the Client Service team to schedule an ACT diagnostic test, which will help you to pinpoint your strong and weak areas, and you’ll receive a complimentary testing report. 

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For each subject area, we train our students in a thorough grounding of foundational to advanced content, stretching them with material beyond past papers and drills to produce articulate, well-rounded thinkers.

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