The science section on the ACT is one of the exam’s four required portions. In it, students have 35 minutes to answer 40 questions.
To best prepare for this portion of the exam, high school students must first understand its composition. For students who aren’t sure where to begin or are feeling a bit nervous about mastering science content, here are three key facts to know about the science section of the ACT.
[Read: 3 Keys for Success on the ACT Science Section.]
Basic familiarity with multiple science subjects is required. The ACT science section includes content in biology, chemistry, Earth/space sciences — such as astronomy — and physics. So students should have some knowledge of each of these areas before taking the ACT.
However, only a basic understanding of the sciences is necessary for success on the ACT. This portion of the exam is most concerned with your ability to understand science practices and skills, not whether you have advanced knowledge of each of the science subjects.
There are numerous strategies students can use to broaden their scientific knowledge. For example, you can regularly browse scientific magazines like Science, review exams from your previous high school science classes and create concept flashcards as you complete practice ACT science questions.
Understanding the scientific method is crucial. Before sitting for the ACT, you should have a firm grasp of the scientific method. This will enable you to interpret and assess an experiment’s outcome and usefulness.
Aim to familiarize yourself with both the order of the scientific method’s steps and what each one involves.
A simple model includes five steps: observation, where the researcher observes a phenomenon or situation; hypothesis, in which the researcher creates a hypothesis about the phenomenon or situation; prediction, in which the researcher makes a prediction about whether the hypothesis is correct; experiment, where the researcher tests the hypothesis and records data; and conclusion, in which the researcher decides whether the hypothesis is correct based on gathered data.
To learn the steps of the scientific method in the correct order, create a mnemonic device that will resonate with you. Absurd or comical mnemonics can work especially well in jogging your memory. For instance, you could use Old Horses Prance and Eat Carrots for O, H, P, E, C, which corresponds with the steps above.
[Read: How to Tackle ACT Science Conflicting Viewpoints.]
In addition to practicing with your mnemonic, you should understand exactly what each step entails. This extends beyond merely memorizing prewritten descriptions of the steps.
To truly absorb the meaning of the various steps of the scientific method, try analyzing previously completed experiments. These may be experiments that you tried in last year’s chemistry class or ones that are documented in scientific magazines. It does not matter if the experiments seem juvenile or if they fail to confirm the author’s hypothesis. The idea is to be able to identify the steps even when the author does not explicitly label them.
Another study technique is to design your own experiments. The imaginative, hands-on nature of creating an experiment, whether or not it has a practical application, can be a helpful way to solidify your knowledge of the scientific method.
Data interpretation and manipulation skills are critical. Data interpretation questions, which are accompanied by charts, graphs and tables, account for 45-55 percent of the questions in the ACT science section.
Though you may feel rushed on the exam, it is important not to answer these questions too quickly. Take a moment to think about the visual before you read the questions that follow.
[Read: Improve Interpretation of Visuals for ACT Math, Science Success.]
Let’s apply this idea to a sample question from the ACT website. Glance at Table 1 in Passage III, and ask yourself what you notice. Do you observe any trends? You may recognize that longer storage periods generally resulted in a higher number of germinated seeds. You may also note that the lowest and highest temperatures had less germination success.
Now read question No. 1 and its answer choices. Which possible answers align with your observations? Both B and C might work. After reviewing the table once again, you can confidently choose B.
To succeed on data interpretation questions, train yourself to draw your own conclusions based on the data, and then look for answer choices that mirror your predictions.
Students should work to improve both their scientific knowledge and their science-related skills when preparing for the science portion of the ACT. To do this, fill in your general knowledge gaps, get comfortable with the scientific method and hone your data interpretation skills.
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3 Key Facts About the ACT Science Section originally appeared on usnews.com
