{"id":4507,"date":"2021-12-09T10:45:39","date_gmt":"2021-12-09T10:45:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/grockit.com\/blog\/collegeprep\/?p=4507"},"modified":"2025-10-10T21:48:01","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T21:48:01","slug":"8-must-know-act-science-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/act\/8-must-know-act-science-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Must-Know ACT Science Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The ACT Science Test can be a lot more manageable than you think (after all, it\u2019s basically an open book test, just like the Reading Test!). Even if your knowledge of Science is limited, you can still get better scores through discipline and hard work.<\/p>\n<p>On Test Day, the ACT Science Test will always be the fourth test you\u2019ll take. It will have 6-7 passages with 5-8 questions each; you\u2019ll have 35 minutes to complete them.<\/p>\n<p><strong>[ GOOD TO KNOW:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/study\/act\/top-10-tips-for-act-english\/\">Top 10 Tips for ACT English<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<strong>\u2022<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/study\/act\/10-must-know-act-math-tips\/\">Top 10 Tips for ACT Math<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<strong>\u2022<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/study\/act\/10-must-know-act-reading-tips\/\">Top 10 Tips for ACT Reading<\/a>\u00a0<strong>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>What&#8217;s actually tested on the ACT Science Section?<\/h2>\n<div  class='avia-video avia-video-16-9   av-lazyload-immediate  av-lazyload-video-embed  '   itemprop=\"video\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/VideoObject\"  data-original_url='https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LbiFlEitrPo&amp;feature=youtu.be' ><script type='text\/html' class='av-video-tmpl'><div class='avia-iframe-wrap'><iframe title=\"ACT Science: What&#039;s Actually Tested on the ACT Science Section? | Kaplan SAT &amp; ACT Prep\" width=\"1500\" height=\"844\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LbiFlEitrPo?feature=oembed&autoplay=0&loop=0&controls=1&mute=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><\/script><div class='av-click-to-play-overlay'><div class=\"avia_playpause_icon\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div  style=' margin-top:30px; margin-bottom:4px;'  class='hr hr-custom hr-center hr-icon-no  0  avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_video  el_before_av_iconlist '><span class='hr-inner  inner-border-av-border-none' style=' width:50px;' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<h2>ACT Science Tips<\/h2>\n<div  class='avia-icon-list-container   avia-builder-el-2  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_sidebar '><ul class='avia-icon-list avia-icon-list-left av-iconlist-big avia_animate_when_almost_visible avia-iconlist-animate'><li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue812' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  ><strong>ACT Science Tip #10: Know the passage types.<\/strong><\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><ul>\n<li>Research Summary\u00a0(3 of this type): presents a series of experiments<\/li>\n<li>Data Representation\u00a0(2 of this type): presents information about a topic<\/li>\n<li>Conflicting Viewpoints(1 of this type): discusses multiple theories about a single topic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li><li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue812' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  ><strong>ACT Science Tip #9: Adopt a strategy for each of the three formats.<\/strong><\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p>ACT Science Test passages come in three forms:\u00a0Data Representation, Conflicting Viewpoints,\u00a0and\u00a0Research Summaries. You will need to modify your approach slightly for each one.<\/p>\n<p>Data Representation focuses mostly on charts, graphs, and tables, so you will need to practice identifying variables, units, and trends. The Conflicting Viewpoints passage typically has no diagrams and is more like the paired passage you will encounter on the Reading Test. Research Summaries describe one or more experiments. You will need to understand the Purpose, Method, and Results for each experiment and know what the similarities and differences are between them. Don\u2019t treat these 3 formats all the same; they are each quite unique.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li><li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue812' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  ><strong>ACT Science Tip #8: Mark up the passage.<\/strong><\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p>As you are reading, do not hesitate to underline, circle, and make small notes in your test booklet. This type of note-taking is an efficient way to help you stay focused and on target with your pacing. \u00a0Noting similarities and differences between multiple experiments will help you when it comes time to deal with the questions.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li><li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue812' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  ><strong>ACT Science Tip #7: Know the ACT Science question types.<\/strong><\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><ol>\n<li>Interpretation of Data\u00a0\u2014 examine tables &amp; graphs<\/li>\n<li>Evaluation of Models, Inferences, and Experimental Results\u00a0\u2014 make judgments about theories, data, and other scientific information<\/li>\n<li>Scientific Investigation\u00a0\u2014 understand the reasons behind an experimental setup<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li><li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue812' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  ><strong>ACT Science Tip #6: Practice your timing.<\/strong><\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p>Don\u2019t wait until two weeks before your test to get started. You will only have about 5 minutes per passage, so you may want to start by only doing 5 passages, allotting 7 min per passage.<\/p>\n<p>Once you can confidently do 5 passages with reasonable accuracy, work your way up to 6 and then 7. If you have a limited time to study and your accuracy significantly drops after 5 passages, just stick to 5 on Test Day. Better to do 5 really well and\u00a0use your \u201cLetter of the Day\u201d on the last one than to do all of them haphazardly.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li><li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue812' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  ><strong>ACT Science Tip #5: Always refer back to the passage.<\/strong><\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p>You won\u2019t be able to memorize the information presented in the passages; it\u2019s too overwhelming. Read the passages to understand the gist and the data that is presented, but also move back to the passage to locate the information you need to answer the questions. Memory alone will not suffice. You may find it helpful to jot down a few short notes on each passage. Drawing arrows and circling important info is also a great idea.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li><li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue812' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  ><strong>ACT Science Tip #4: Trends continue.<\/strong><\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p>When asked about a data point that is not explicitly shown on a table or graph, you can assume that the trends presented in the passage will continue. Use this to extend the line or to estimate the value of the new point. Don\u2019t be afraid to draw in your test booklet!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li><li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue812' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  ><strong>ACT Science Tip #3: Know commonly-used terms.<\/strong><\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><ul>\n<li>Independent variable: the variable that scientists change on purpose<\/li>\n<li>Dependent variable(s): the variable(s) that the scientists are measuring<\/li>\n<li>Constants: parts of the experiment that the scientists keep the same<\/li>\n<li>Direct relationship: As the independent variable increases or decreases, the dependent variable does the same<\/li>\n<li>Indirect relationship: As the independent variable increases or decreases, the dependent variable does the opposite<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li><li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue812' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  ><strong>ACT Science Tip #2: Have an overall exam strategy.<\/strong><\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p>When tackling the ACT science section, ask yourself:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>What did the scientists study and how did they do so?<\/li>\n<li>Why is the experiment set up this way?<\/li>\n<li>What is measured? What is controlled by the scientists?<\/li>\n<li>What did the scientists find? What are the patterns?<\/li>\n<li>What are the similarities? What are the differences?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The halfway mark is at about 17 minutes, so you should be done with at least 3 passages and about 20 questions at that point.<\/p>\n<p>Circle detail words in the question stem, such as \u201cNOT,\u201d \u201cExperiment 1,\u2033 or \u201cTable 1.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li><li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue812' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  ><strong>ACT Science Tip #1: Master your timing.<\/strong><\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p>Set a timer the next time your work on an ACT Science practice test, and see if you can stick to these checkpoints.<\/p>\n<p>This is the ideal timing for the actual exam:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>:00 \u2026 Set the clock and begin!<\/li>\n<li>:06\u2026.Finish gridding in the answers for Passage 1<\/li>\n<li>:12\u2026.Finish gridding in the answers for Passage 2<\/li>\n<li>:18\u2026.Finish gridding in the answers for Passage 3<\/li>\n<li>:24\u2026.Finish gridding in the answers for Passage 4<\/li>\n<li>:30\u2026.Finish gridding in the answers for Passage 5<\/li>\n<li>:35\u2026.Finish gridding in the answers for Passage 6<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If there are 7 passages in the section, you\u2019ll want to spend about a minute less on the shorter passages with fewer questions to bank time for the extra passage.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<h2>ACT Science Practice Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n<div><div class=\"op-interactive\" id=\"635016da0b6a0a3acd566ac2\" data-title=\"ACT Science Practice Questions\" data-url=\"https:\/\/kaplannorthamerica.outgrow.us\/635016da0b6a0a3acd566ac2?vHeight=1\" data-width=\"100%\"><\/div><script src=\"\/\/dyv6f9ner1ir9.cloudfront.net\/assets\/js\/nloader.js\"><\/script><script>initIframe('635016da0b6a0a3acd566ac2');<\/script><\/div>\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The ACT Science Test can be a lot more manageable than you think (after all, it\u2019s basically an open book test, just like the Reading Test!). Even if your knowledge of Science is limited, you can still get better scores through discipline and hard work. On Test Day, the ACT Science Test will always be [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48853,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[58],"tags":[60,67],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4507"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4507"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49354,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4507\/revisions\/49354"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}