1. ACT Prep
Mrs. Lang

2. ACT Science Section
The 40-question science section must be completed in 35 minutes.
This section determines your understanding, ability to analyze, reason, and solve issues in the natural sciences through graphs, scientific research data, and conflicting hypotheses.

3. Science Reasoning
The ACT Science Reasoning Test is the section of the ACT that evaluates your ability to understand and apply scientific information.
You'll tackle questions on science topics that include biology, physics, chemistry, and earth science.

4. Science Reasoning
The section is 'Science Reasoning.' It isn't really about science. It's about interpreting information. Think reasoning, not recall.
Even if science as an academic subject isn't your forte, you can still do a great job on the ACT Science section

5. The Basics
Like all the other sections on the ACT, the Science Reasoning Test is scored on a scale of 1-36, with 36 being a perfect score. In 2014, the national average was a 20.8, with a range of 18.7 to 23.3.

6. The Basics
You'll earn points for answering questions correctly. If you answer incorrectly or if you skip a question, you get no points - you're not penalized for wrong answers. Every question counts toward your score just as much as every other question, regardless of question type or difficulty level.

7. The Basics
Calculators are not permitted on the test, but don't worry - all the numbers are set up to be easy. If you ever need a calculator, it's a sign that you're on the wrong track.

8. Some of the questions are easier, and some are more difficult, but they're not organized in order of difficulty. Instead, they're grouped around several short passages. The passages all present you with some kind of information to read and analyze in one of three different formats.

9. Three different formats
Data Representation: These passages give you information in a graph, table, or other visual format.
Research Summaries: These passages describe one or more experiments.
Conflicting Viewpoints: These passages present the conflicting opinions of two or more scientists on the same topic.

10. Regardless of what type it is, each passage will be followed by several questions about the information presented.
Some of the questions just ask you about very basic facts. For example, on some questions, you might just have to find a piece of information in a chart.

11. Other questions are more difficult and in depth; they ask you to infer information from the passage or even make predictions about related experiments based on the results.
But even on the more involved questions, the answer is always in the passage.

12. You don't need to bone up on a lot of facts to do well on the ACT Science Reasoning Test.
For every question, you'll have all the information you need right there to look at when you want it. So don't waste your time studying complicated formulas.
Instead, practice your skills at interpreting information, especially information presented in different graphic formats, like charts and tables.
or memorizing a lot of information

13. Summary
On the Science Reasoning section, always remember that reasoning beats recall.
You're not being tested on how much you've memorized. You're being tested on your ability to interpret and analyze data.

14. Summary
Don't go crazy trying to absorb every fact in all your textbooks; a smarter way to prepare is to practice with real ACT questions so you can get used to the kind of analysis you'll need to do on the test.
With enough solid prep time, even students who aren't the world's greatest scientists can crack this test without a lot of pain.

15. Bottom Line
If you are able to read and interpret graphs, charts, and tables, analyze differing opinions, and understand the scientific method and study design, you will do well on ACT science.
As you practice for this section, focus on how well you are able to quickly read and understand data and experiments. Also make sure you are able to compare different viewpoints and find similarities and differences.
Doing specific ACT preparation and using practice questions will help you see if your scientific reasoning skills are strong enough to do well on this section.

16. The ACT format hasn't changed for over a decade, so tests released in 2005 are just as good as tests released in 2015.
Let’s practice one of them! 

18. 3 paragraphs—2 article summary, 1 reaction
MLA Style Periodical Citation: Author. "Title of Article." Title of Magazine Date: Page(s). EXAMPLE: Milton, Katherine. "Diet and Primate Evolution." Scientific American August 2013:

19. Science Strategy
To understand how to approach the ACT Science test, first you have to understand what makes the test hard. It's not because you have to memorize a lot of facts, and it's not because you have to be a science whiz. The two big challenges of the ACT Science section are time and tables.

20. The test moves very fast, and a lot of the information is presented in graphic formats that are designed to be confusing. That's what makes it so hard. But with some smart test-taking skills, you can beat both of those challenges at their own game.

21. Saving Time
On the ACT Science test, you have to read around five to seven passages and answer 40 questions about them in just 35 minutes. That's a lot of work in not a lot of time.
You can save some time by avoiding a very common mistake: don't get caught up on the passages. The passages are long and dense. If you wanted to completely understand each passage, you'd probably have to take ten minutes to read it.

22. You don't have ten minutes, and, you don't need it
You don't have ten minutes, and, you don't need it. You don't need to completely understand each passage. You just need to know enough to answer the questions - that's what you get points for, not reading the passages. Your goal is to spend minimal time on the passages and move on to the questions as fast as possible. If you need anything later, you can always go back and find it.

23. Instead of pouring over each passage trying to understand everything it says, skim each passage and go straight for the good stuff.

24. Read the first sentence of every paragraph
Read the first sentence of every paragraph. Read all the first sentences, to get a quick feel for what the topic of the passage is. Is it talking about animals, weather, seeds in test tubes, outer space? You don't have to really have to understand what's going on; just get a feel for the topic.

25. Focus on the titles and units of graphs or charts
Focus on the titles and units of graphs or charts. Don't waste time looking carefully at the individual data points; just get an idea of what each graph or chart is measuring.

26. Another time-saving trick is to go from question to question
Another time-saving trick is to go from question to question. The questions on each passage aren't in order of difficulty; easy and hard questions are all mixed together. If you get a question that's too difficult, just go on to the rest of the questions in that passage. You'll probably find something easier, and easier means quicker, which means more points.

27. On the other hand, don't skip from passage to passage
On the other hand, don't skip from passage to passage. This just wastes a lot of time in rereading the passages over and over. Do as well as you can with each passage and then move on.

28. Managing Tables
How do you interpret all the tables, graphs, charts and diagrams?
First, pay attention to units and labels. Make sure you're very clear on what the graph is representing before you try to get anything out of it. A few moments spent figuring out a graph will save you a lot of time.

29. Look for trends. A trend is the general pattern shown in a graph or table. Think of 'zooming out' to see the big picture. For example, in the graph shown, the trend is that global temperature is increasing over time. Sure, there are a few places where the pattern isn't quite perfect but the big picture is clear.

30. Identifying trends in the visual information on the ACT Science test will help you a lot with questions that ask you to extrapolate or make predictions.

31. A third strategy that helps with graphs is to preview the passage
A third strategy that helps with graphs is to preview the passage. You don't have to do the science passages in any specific order, so if graphs and charts are a challenge for you, peek at the graphical information in each passage before you commit to it. If it looks too crazy, just go on to the next passage, and do the easy parts first. You can come back to the hard charts later if you have time.

32. Summary
The ACT Science test is not easy. It's very fast-paced, and it throws a lot of information at you in deliberately confusing ways. To reach your goal score, you'll need to practice crunching through the passages efficiently and working with a wide variety of different charts.

33. Skim the passages.
Skip around within passages.
Pay attention to units, titles and labels.
Look for trends.
Preview the passages.

34. All of these tips will help you save time and make sense of the complicated charts on the science section. Keep them in mind as you're working on practice questions, to build good habits so that when test day comes, you'll be ready to go.

35. Today Finish if you haven’t
Pick up a lap top and try a different area of questions:
Math or English at ACTstudent.org

37. Data Representation
There are three types of passages on the ACT Science section. We'll focus on the data representation passages.
In this lesson, we'll focus on just one of those types: the data representation passages.

38. As their name implies, these passages are all about the data - and that's what makes them hard. You have to sort through a whole lot of information very fast and then figure out how to apply it in the questions.

39. The Passage
Data representation passages give you some data on a scientific topic and ask you to analyze it. Typically, this includes a few paragraphs of text together with one or more graphic presentations, like charts and tables. The topic of the passage can be almost anything, as long as it is science-related.

40. Here's a sample passage. You can see the typical structure here: a couple paragraphs of writing, and then some data laid out in a graphic format. In this case, you've got one table and one bar graph. But you don't have to read all that information. In fact, you shouldn't. You're only going to get a few questions on this passage, and you'll only need a small fraction of the information on the page. So, why would you waste your time reading all those facts you won't even use?
A better strategy is to first quickly get a road map of the passage. Look for the first sentence of every paragraph and titles and axes of graphs and charts. These are the most important parts of the passage because they tell you what information is where.
For example, in this one, we can see that the passage is about water fluctuation in wetlands. The table shows fluctuations in some specific wetlands, and the chart shows average fluctuations for wetlands in general. Now you can save time because you don't have to read any useless information. As you approach each question, you can use your road map to know where in the passage you'll find the answer. You can zoom straight to the relevant information and ignore the rest.

41. Question Types
All the questions ask you about the data in the passage, but they ask you about it in different ways.
Now let's take a look at the types of questions you'll see attached to all this data. On a typical ACT Science passage, you'll get around five to seven questions.

42. First up are the questions that just ask you to go find something in the passage. You could call them treasure hunt questions. There is no analysis, no head- scratching; just go find the information and bubble the answer. These tend to be easy and quick! For example, one may just asks you to go to the table and find a number.

43. Next are the questions that ask you to somehow infer information from the passage, draw conclusions based on two parts of the passage, or make a prediction based on a trend; connection questions. These are a little trickier, but the answer is still right in the passage. Instead of finding just one piece of information, you'll need to find two, and you also need to relate a specific data point to a general trend. But still, it's all in the passage.
Here, you can see that

44. Some questions add a layer of difficulty with the format
Some questions add a layer of difficulty with the format. They're designed to look really confusing. These would be puzzle questions.
We'll call them puzzle questions. You might need a minute on this one to figure out what's going on with the 2-column answer choices. But you can see that it's really just asking about the same information in the passage, and you can solve it by looking at the same charts.
Finally

45. Some other puzzle questions bump up the difficulty by putting charts in the answer choices or by various other tricks. The ACT test writers are really good at making your life difficult. But they're all basically asking you the same thing: find some information in the passage and interpret it.

46. These three question types aren't presented in any kind of order, but knowing them can help you decide which questions to tackle first. In general, doing the straightforward treasure-hunt questions first is a good idea. Then move on to the connection questions, and save the really tough puzzle questions for last.

47. Question 1
Some of the questions on the Data Representations passages ask you to just find facts in the passage, and others are a little more involved. First, we'll tackle a straightforward fact-finding question.
In which of the following wetlands was the water level fluctuation the smallest? (A) Wetland 1 (B) Wetland 3 (C) Wetland 5 (D) Wetland 6

48. In which of the following wetlands was the water level fluctuation the smallest? (A) Wetland 1 (B) Wetland 3 (C) Wetland 5 (D) Wetland 6
Here's a sample passage. You can see the typical structure here: a couple paragraphs of writing, and then some data laid out in a graphic format. In this case, you've got one table and one bar graph. But you don't have to read all that information. In fact, you shouldn't. You're only going to get a few questions on this passage, and you'll only need a small fraction of the information on the page. So, why would you waste your time reading all those facts you won't even use?
A better strategy is to first quickly get a road map of the passage. Look for the first sentence of every paragraph and titles and axes of graphs and charts. These are the most important parts of the passage because they tell you what information is where.
For example, in this one, we can see that the passage is about water fluctuation in wetlands. The table shows fluctuations in some specific wetlands, and the chart shows average fluctuations for wetlands in general. Now you can save time because you don't have to read any useless information. As you approach each question, you can use your road map to know where in the passage you'll find the answer. You can zoom straight to the relevant information and ignore the rest.

49. Now let's try a more involved question.
Judging from Table 1 and Figure 1, Wetland 4 is most likely… (A) A temporary wetland (B) A seasonal wetland (C) A semipermanent wetland (D) Surrounded by grassland
Here's a sample passage. You can see the typical structure here: a couple paragraphs of writing, and then some data laid out in a graphic format. In this case, you've got one table and one bar graph. But you don't have to read all that information. In fact, you shouldn't. You're only going to get a few questions on this passage, and you'll only need a small fraction of the information on the page. So, why would you waste your time reading all those facts you won't even use?
A better strategy is to first quickly get a road map of the passage. Look for the first sentence of every paragraph and titles and axes of graphs and charts. These are the most important parts of the passage because they tell you what information is where.
For example, in this one, we can see that the passage is about water fluctuation in wetlands. The table shows fluctuations in some specific wetlands, and the chart shows average fluctuations for wetlands in general. Now you can save time because you don't have to read any useless information. As you approach each question, you can use your road map to know where in the passage you'll find the answer. You can zoom straight to the relevant information and ignore the rest.

50. Summary
These passages are fairly straightforward. They usually include some text and a few charts or tables. Because they're so dense, it's better to skim for the important parts at first, instead of trying to understand the passage as a whole.

51. Summary
The questions on the data representations passages all ask you about the information in the passage, not about what you learned in science class. Some are very straightforward fact-finding questions; others are a little more involved and require some critical thinking on your part. These questions aren't arranged in order, so it's up to you to spot the easy ones, and go for those first.

52. General Strategies Plan your Attack—Easiest Passages first
Do not preview item stems before reading a passage
Underline key words and phrases
Pay attention to what is there, not what isn’t there

53. Pay attention to differences
Watch for assumptions
Look for trends
Transcribe answers in groups

54. Answer the question that is being asked
Work out the answer first
Make notes to clarify viewpoints

55. Remember Science portion—reasoning All you need to know is there.
Work efficiently
Skim passages—choose
Skim questions within passage-choose
No penalty for wrong

56. My aim Provide you with time to practice test
Read—articles once a week
Keep your mind active
Your choice!

57. MLA Style Periodical Citation:
Author. "Title of Article." Title of Magazine Date: Page(s).
EXAMPLE:
Milton, Katherine. "Diet and Primate Evolution." Scientific American August 1993:
3 paragraphs—2 article summary, 1 reaction