There are two particular skills you need to cultivate in order to improve your ACT science score. Mainly, it is your 1) reasoning skills and 2) analytical skills. Must master the identification of data presented in graphs, tables and maps and the logical interpretation of questions. If you are interested enough, you will find that most of the problems on the ACT Science test actually provide more information than is necessary for you to answer the test items correctly.
Contrary to what many students believe, their knowledge of the branches of science such as Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science, and Physics will not be directly assessed in the Science section of the ACT. Not that you have to be well versed in all the scientific concepts that have also been covered in high school classes. What you should prioritize to improve your score in Science is your ability to reason accurately and solve certain problems using scientific methods.
Your scientific reading comprehension skills will be put to the test in the test. You must be meticulous in analyzing and drawing conclusions from graphs, charts, tables, and experimental processes. But you don’t have to worry because the science test passages contain all the information you need. Here are some tips to help you improve your ACT science score:
Helpful Tips to Improve Your ACT Science Score
- Familiarize yourself with the types of questions and passages found on the test. There are 3 types of passages that are presented on the ACT Science test: 1) Conflicting Points of View (7 questions); 2) Research summaries (6 questions) and 3) Data representation (5 questions). These passages can be presented in a different order, but generally test takers are required to find 3 sections of five questions, along with 3 sections of six questions and a single section consisting of 7 questions on the test.
- Stay calm when taking the test. Don’t worry so much if you haven’t reviewed each and every science concept taught at your school. You don’t actually need to memorize them on the ACT Science test. Remember primarily to hone your skills in interpreting and analyzing scientific problems, and you will be fine.
- Learn proper time management. Note that you must deal with 7 passages and 40 questions in the Science section in 35 minutes. The time element is therefore your biggest obstacle. It also means that you have to be quick to answer the questions if you want to finish the section on time. Be systematic and avoid 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 now while you answer the easier ones. Come back to these tricky items when you have time left.
- Cultivate your test-taking skills by taking practice tests. A reliable way to improve your ACT Science test score is to take real science tests and solve real science problems. Similar to the actual ACT test scenario, take the time to take the ACT Science Practice Tests. At the end of this task, analyze your wrong answers and figure out why you got them wrong.
- Enlist the help of a tutor, mentor, or fellow testers. You can study on your own for the Science section of the ACT test, but getting help from someone more authoritative on the subject or from your peers can make a big difference in improving your ACT Science score.
