Science ACT strategies
By: Sierra Holmes and Cameo Martinez
What's on the Science ACT test?
- The science test is passage based.
- 35 minutes to spend on 7 passages with a total of 40 questions
- Charts & Graphs
- Experiments
- Fighting Scientists
Charts & Graphs
There are 3 passages with 5 questions each.
- These passages always come with figures
- You'll see charts, tables, graphs, and illustrations
Experiments
There are 3 passages with 6 questions each
- These passages usually come with figures
- These passages will include more text than charts and graphs
Fighting Scientists
There is 1 passage with 7 questions.
- This passage sometimes comes with figures
- It involves much more reading than you'll need to do in other passages
How to approach the Science ACT
Use strategies such as:
- POOD (personal order of difficulty)
- Now, Later, Never
- POE (process of elimination)
POOD (personal order of difficulty)
Look through the passages and decide which passages may be easier for you.
Do the passages that are easiest first.
(If you feel as though you're spending too much time on a passage, skip it. Move on to the next one.)
Now, Later, Never
Look through the passages and decide the order of easiest to hardest.
- The easiest should be labeled as "Now"
- Harder ones should be labeled as "Later"
- Label at least one passage as "Never"- this passage should be saved until the very end if you have time to complete it
POE (process of elimination)
Eliminate answers that absolutely cannot be right first.
Then if you're not sure on the answer, guess.