3 Tips to Improve Your ACT Science Score

Everyone has certain subjects they excel at and others they struggle in. If you’ve never been much of a science buff, you might be worried about how you will do on the Science section of the ACT.  Or, maybe you’ve already taken it and want to know how you can earn a better score. 

Luckily, even if you find science to be one of the hardest subjects in school, there are still ways that you can do well on the science portion of the ACT!

Here are three tips we recommend for anyone looking to boost their score: 

Study Strategically 

While it goes without saying that studying will improve your score, many students don’t know where to start when it comes to ACT preparation. This is the most important part of doing well on the test. There are many different ways to study, so you’ll need to figure out how you learn best. Invest in high quality study materials, take timed practice tests, and figure out what questions stump you. By learning what mistakes you’re making, you can learn how to fix them. 

You can also figure out how well you really need to do to get the score you want. The science ACT has 40 questions on it, so if, for example, you were aiming to get at least a 28 composite score on the test as a whole, you’d need to answer 33 of the science questions correctly. If you have 28 as your target score going in, you’ll know that you can get up to 7 questions wrong and still get the score you’re aiming for. This knowledge can help you relax if you come across a few questions that leave you confused. Keep your target score in mind when practicing, as realizing that you don’t need to get every single question right to do well on the test can help you understand what you should be focusing on when studying. 

Think Reading Comprehension, Not Science

If science isn’t your forte, you might be nervous about this section and worry that you don’t have enough content knowledge to do well. The good news is, the topics covered on science in the ACT are pretty basic, and most of the content will relate to something you’ve learned many times before, like the scientific method and data comparison. You also won’t be tested on your knowledge of the subject, but on your ability to make interpretations based on evidence and conclusions based on information that is provided to you in the question. If you are confident handling the reading section, you already have many of the skills necessary to excel on the science section. Hopefully, this will make the test a little less scary!

Know What You’re Up Against

The ACT is a structured test. If you figure out how it’s pieced together, answering the questions will be easier, even if you aren’t too familiar with the subject. You will run into three different types of passages on the science ACT: conflicting viewpoints, data representation, and research summaries. Within these, you’ll see a few different types of questions as well. While you’re studying, learn what these are and mark them so you can see how frequently they appear, and which ones you have the most difficult time answering. Remember, you learn from your mistakes by understanding why you made them. If you are able to identify the handful of different question types on the ACT, you can figure out the approach the test wants you to take to answer them correctly. 

Understanding the way that the test functions will give you a much better idea of what to expect on game day, and as a result, your score will show significant improvement. 

Want individualized help on the science section? Reach out to Morris here to schedule a tutoring session!