There are two particular skills that you need to cultivate so that you can improve your ACT science score. Mainly, they are your 1) Reasoning skills, and 2) Analytical skills. You should be proficient when it comes to identifying data that are presented in graphs, tables and maps and in interpreting questions logically. If you are keen enough, you will find that most of the problems in the ACT Science test actually provide more information than what is necessary so that you can respond to the test items properly.
Contrary to what many students believe, your knowledge of Science branches such as Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science and Physics will not be tested directly in the Science section of the ACT. Not that you have to be well-versed with every Scientific concept that has been tackled in your high school classes as well. What you have to prioritize in order to improve your Science score are your abilities to reason accurately and solve certain problems using Scientific methods.
Your skills in Scientific reading comprehension will be challenged in the test. You need to be meticulous in analyzing and drawing conclusions from graphs, charts, tables and experimental processes. But you don’t have to fret because the passages in the Science test contain all the information that you need. Here are some tips to help you boost your score in the ACT Science test:
Helpful Tips To Boost Your ACT Science Score
- Familiarize yourself with the types of questions and passages found in the test. There are 3 types of passages that are featured in the ACT Science test: 1) Conflicting Viewpoints (7 questions); 2) Research Summaries (6 questions), and 3) Data Representation (5 questions). These passages may be presented in a different order, but usually, test -takers are bound to encounter 3 five question sections, along with 3 six question sections and a single section that is comprised of 7 questions in the test.
- Keep your calm when taking the test. Don’t worry so much if you haven’t brushed up on each and every Science concept taught in your school. You actually don’t need to memorize them in the ACT Science test. Remember to primarily hone your abilities in interpreting and analyzing Scientific problems, and you’ll do fine.
- Learn proper time management. Note that you have to deal with 7 passages and 40 questions in the Science section in 35 minutes. Time element is thus your biggest hurdle. It also means that you have to be quick in answering the questions if you want to finish the section on time. Be systematic and refrain from lingering on a certain passage. Be quick in your reading by extracting the main points and analyzing figures. Take note of the difficult questions and leave them for the time being as you answer the easier ones. Get back to these tricky items when you have remaining time.
- Cultivate your test-taking skills by taking practice tests. A reliable way of improving your ACT Science test score is to take real Science tests and solve real Science problems. Just like the actual ACT test scenario, time yourself when taking ACT Science practice tests. At the end of this task, analyze your erroneous answers and decipher why you got them wrong.
- Ask for the help of a tutor, mentor or your fellow test-takers. You can self-study for the Science section of the ACT test, but getting help from someone who has more authority on the subject or your peers can make a big difference for you to improve your ACT Science score.
