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table of contents<\/h2>\n
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- you don\u2019t have to know the backstory: the least you should know about act science<\/a><\/li>\n
- cut to the chase: timing on the act science test<\/a><\/li>\n
- “it’s what you do that defines you”: scoring on act science<\/a><\/li>\n
- don’t overthink it: choosing to take act science<\/a><\/li>\n
- the finer points of the science don’t have to make total sense: skills tested on act science<\/a><\/li>\n
- you always fear what you don’t understand: question types on the act science test<\/a><\/li>\n
- picking ourselves up: common act science test struggles<\/a><\/li>\n
- take the law into your own hands: a guide to raising your act science score 2, 4, or 6 points<\/a><\/li>\n
- ninja training never hurts: how to get a perfect 36 on the act science test<\/a><\/li>\n
- assemble your bat cave: where can i find more examples\/resources?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
mastering these ten skills are the key to rocking act science. so what are you waiting for? to the batmobile (where we will be reviewing some basic drivers’ ed lessons before proceeding, thank you very much)!<\/p>\n
how to use this post<\/h2>\n
the best way to use this post will depend entirely on where you are in your act prep. if you’re just at the beginning and act science is totally new to you<\/strong>, i suggest starting with the least you should know about act science<\/a>\u2014or, if you aren’t even sure that you’ll be taking the act test<\/a> at all (maybe the science section <\/a>is putting you off?), check out act science and the sat<\/a>.<\/p>\n
on the other hand, if you’ve been studying for a while now<\/strong> and want to get your score as high as possible, but just can’t seem to break through to the next level, check out common act science test struggles<\/a>, a guide to raising your score on act science<\/a>, or even how to get a perfect 36 on the act science test<\/a>.<\/p>\n
if you’re an old hand at act science and are just looking for a refresher, check out our act science quiz<\/a> to see how well your preparation has set you up for the test itself. then, head on over to more examples and resources<\/a> for guidance on what your next steps should be!<\/p>\n
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\n<\/a><\/p>\nyou don\u2019t have to know the backstory: the least you should know about act science<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nmaybe, like me, you started watching the batman trilogy with the dark knight or even the dark knight rises. guess what? you could still follow it. it’s great if you started with batman begins, but even if you didn’t, the backstory is basically: childhood fear of bats, parents die, ninja training. and you don’t even need to know that to follow along.<\/p>\n
the same holds true for act science. you don’t need to be a nobel prize-winning physicist to do well (or even get a perfect score) on the test. you just need enough to master what’s presented to you in a limited time frame.<\/p>\n
with no further ado, here’s the act science section in brief: it’s the fourth section on the act and the last multiple-choice section. after this, you may or may not go on to the essay<\/a>! unlike the essay, however, act science is a required part of the act.<\/p>\n
you’ll encounter 40 multiple-choice questions corresponding to up to seven passages (the act reserves the right to give you seven, but recent tests have featured six). these questions focus extensively on scientific reasoning; only a handful will test scientific facts. however, even though this scientific reasoning will sometimes require basic calculations, it’s important to note that you cannot use your calculator on the act science test.<\/p>\n
if i just told you everything you ever wanted to know about act science and you’re headed out now, that’s awesome, but just one quick thing before you go: you may have heard from other sites and materials that act science gives you the following distribution of question types:<\/p>\n
- \n
- 3 data representation passages with 5 questions each<\/li>\n
- 3 research summaries passages with 6 questions each<\/li>\n
- 1 conflicting viewpoints passage with 7 questions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
this is outdated information!<\/strong> yes, the act science test does still use these three passage types, but be prepared to encounter any mixture of the above. however, you can rest assured knowing that research summaries and data representation appear the most, trailed by conflicting viewpoints<\/a> (for more on this, see question types<\/a> below and our post, “has the format of the act science test changed?”<\/a>).<\/p>\n
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\n<\/a><\/p>\ncut to the chase: timing on the act science test<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\non the act science test, you’ll face 40 problems in 35 minutes. that’s not quite such a time crunch as, say, the math section<\/a> (where it’s 60 problems in 60 minutes), but it’s still a feat to accomplish! given that you’ll also have passages to read, this can make timing even trickier.<\/p>\n
what to do? be like batman, of course! that is to say, don’t overthink it before diving into the (metaphorical) car chase. you can approach the act science test in a variety of ways: start with your favorite kind of passage, whether by subject or by question type; start with the question types you find easiest; in the end, there are a lot of ways to approach act science, but the best way will be the one that helps you manage your time best<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/a><\/p>\n“it’s what you do that defines you”: scoring on act science<\/h2>\n
“it’s not who you are underneath; it’s what you do that defines you.” \u2013 rachel dawes, played by katie holmes in batman begins<\/em> and by maggie gyllenhaal in the dark knight<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n(*on the act, that is. let’s just clarify that in life, who you are is also<\/em> important.)<\/p>\n
act science, like the other act multiple-choice tests, is graded on a scale from 1-36. it is listed separately on your score report, and also averaged with the other multiple-choice sections for your overall, or composite, score.<\/p>\n
what is a good act science score? a lot of it (just like with a good act score overall<\/a>) depends on what your goals are.<\/p>\n
however, one way of determining if your act science scores are where you want them to be is to look at them in the context of the larger pool of test-takers. percentiles<\/strong> help you do this. your percentile on any given act test describes how many students out of 100 scored lower than you did on that test.<\/p>\n
so without further ado, here are the most recent act science percentiles:<\/p>\n
act science percentiles<\/h3>\n
- cut to the chase: timing on the act science test<\/a><\/li>\n
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