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Improving your ACT Science score can help you achieve a higher ACT composite score and become a more competitive applicant. Read on to learn more about improving your score!
The ACT is one of two entrance exams colleges accept to gauge your academic aptitude and college readiness. The SAT and ACT both have reading, writing, and math sections, but the ACT also has a science section.
In this article, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about the science section, including how it’s scored, the average scores, and how to improve your ACT Science score to improve your overall test grade.
The ACT Science Test consists of 40 questions from seven passages covering biology, chemistry, earth/space sciences, and physics. On Test Day, the Science Test is the fourth test, with 6-7 passages and 5-8 questions each. You have 35 minutes to answer these questions.
Scoring on the ACT Science Test is based on four categories, each reflecting different aspects of scientific skills. Here's the breakdown:
Interpretation of Data
Scientific Investigation
Information Validity and Conclusions
Overall ACT Science Score
Don’t worry: you can score higher than the national average with enough practice for the ACT Science Test. High ACT Science scores can help boost your composite score and show colleges you have the foundational knowledge needed to excel through a more challenging curriculum.
With our top tips, you’ll be breezing through the ACT Science Test in no time.
Now that you know what types of passages and information you’ll see on the ACT and which categories make up your overall score, it’s time to get familiar with the format. You know you have 35 minutes to answer 40 questions, but the ACT Science Test has six or seven passages with five to seven accompanying questions.
It can ease the minds of some students to know that not all questions require their own passage, which makes answering all 40 questions in the established time of 35 minutes for the ACT Science sound a lot more manageable.
Application: Schedule regular practice sessions where you take timed ACT Science sections. This helps you get used to the pace and format. Use official ACT practice tests to simulate the test environment as closely as possible.
A target score is essential. Target scores help you identify a measurable goal to strive toward instead of just saying, “I want to do well.” An excellent way to come up with a target score is to take an initial practice test before you begin reviewing or studying further.
This way, you’ll know your starting point, how much time you have to prepare for the test, and whether or not your target score is feasible based on the time you can allot to practice. Remember, it’s possible to boost your initial score with practice substantially!
Application: Before you dive deep into studying, take a full-length, timed ACT practice test to establish your baseline score. Research the average ACT scores of admitted students to your target colleges and set a realistic score goal that challenges you.
The ACT Science Test is a little misleading. While you should be familiar with content relating to biology, chemistry, and more, you really only need a basic understanding to set yourself up for success.
The purpose of the ACT Science Test isn’t to evaluate your advanced knowledge of science subjects but rather your ability to think like a scientist and understand scientific methods and skills.
It might serve you well to think of this section as an extension of the ACT Reading Test that focuses on different content. Although the ACT Science Test is filled with science-related questions, “it is more so a test of students’ reading skills than it is of their science class retention.”
If you want to improve your ACT Science score, brush up on your critical reading skills.
Application: Devote time to improving your critical reading and data interpretation skills rather than memorizing scientific facts. Read scientific articles and studies during your study sessions to get comfortable with scientific language and data analysis.
The ACT Science Test requires quite a bit of reading, so you’ll need to identify a strategy that works best for you. Some test-takers like to skim the passage first and then look at questions or look at the questions first to help guide their reading. Or you can use a hybrid of these two strategies depending on the question.
Following one of the ACT science tips mentioned above may help you be better prepared to answer them, but your methods are entirely up to you.
Application: Experiment with different strategies for the ACT Science test, like reading the questions before the passage or vice versa, to see what works best for you. Try to improve redundancy in your writing and speak clearly and concisely.
Marking up keywords can help you focus your reading. While you’re reading, you can underline or circle information you think is relevant to the questions below.
Application: Practice active reading by highlighting or underlining key information in passages and questions during practice tests. Develop a system of symbols or shorthand notes to identify important data and hypotheses quickly.
You know you’ll have 35 minutes to complete 40 questions on the ACT Science Test. However, you might want to quickly scan the six to seven passages given and work out which you want to do first.
If you know you’re typically faster at answering questions with visual information, direct your attention to these before tackling the rest of the passages.
Remember, you can choose which order you want to complete questions. If you feel stuck or a passage or accompanying questions look intimidating, feel free to leave it until the end.
Application: During your practice sessions, start with the passage types you find easiest to build confidence and momentum. Save the more challenging ones for later, ensuring you maximize your score potential within the time limit.
Another helpful tip on how to improve your ACT science score is that sometimes, the questions point you to where you’ll find your answers in the given data. If a question says to look at “Figure 1,” don’t waste your time looking at Figures 2 and 3. Remember that not all paragraphs in the passage may be relevant to the questions: it’s your job to figure out what information is crucial to your answer and what isn’t.
Application: In your practice, specifically target data representation questions. Practice going directly to the referenced figure when a question points to it.
Just because you don’t need a lot of advanced scientific knowledge to do well in the ACT Science Test doesn’t mean you shouldn’t brush up on some of your science knowledge. Studying some general concepts can help you feel more confident about the test.
For example, you should probably know about terminology relating to cells, DNA, formulas like respiration, and more. You’ve likely covered all the topics in your high school science courses you’ll see in the test. Don’t stress out too much, but hold on to all your science notes before the test! By taking practice tests, you’ll be able to more accurately gauge how much background knowledge you need.
Application: Review basic concepts in biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science. Use flashcards for key terms and concepts. Focus on understanding rather than memorization, as the test emphasizes the application of knowledge.
Research Summary passages make up 45-55% of the test, so you’ll need to be familiar with the scientific method, its steps, and what each step involves. The simplified model includes just five steps:
In addition to the scientific method, ensure you understand frequently used vocabulary like:
Knowing what these terms mean can help you answer questions efficiently.
Application: Create a study guide outlining the steps of the scientific method and familiarize yourself with common experimental designs. Apply this knowledge by identifying these elements in practice test passages.
Taking ACT science practice tests at home is an excellent way to prepare for the ACT Science Test and gauge your progress.
However, you’ll want to ensure you’re testing under the same conditions as the actual day. So, rather than having a huge meal while testing in your pajamas, you’ll want to keep the room quiet, silence any distractions, wear comfortable clothes similar to what you’d wear on test day, and keep what you need to do the test.
Application: Mimic test day conditions by finding a quiet, well-lit space for your practice tests. Stick to the actual test timing, avoid distractions, and take only the allotted breaks to build stamina and focus.
The best thing you can do to prepare yourself adequately is to time your test at home. If you realize it’s taking you an hour to complete all the questions in front of you, you know you‘ll have to work on your speed to answer all questions on test day. While accuracy is more important than speed, you should strive to be just as fast as accurate.
Application: Regularly time yourself while taking practice sections to monitor your pace. Work on strategies to gradually increase your speed without sacrificing accuracy, such as quickly eliminating obviously wrong answers.
The ACT is a difficult test: you don’t have to prepare alone! Seeking an ACT tutor’s help can ensure you have the tools and strategies at your disposal to do well on the entire test, including the science section. An ACT tutor can help you develop a study strategy, understand areas to improve, and ensure you perform your best on the actual test.
Application: Reach out to a tutor and incorporate their lesson learning into your study session. Use this time to effectively focus on your weaknesses to drastically improve your chances of getting your intended score.
Approximately half of the ACT Science test focuses on graphs and data interpretation. It's essential to know how to analyze and draw conclusions from the data presented in them. Developing these skills can significantly improve your performance on this section of the exam.
Application: If you're presented with a line graph showing the temperature changes over a week, first identify the X-axis (which might represent days) and the Y-axis (which could represent temperature). Notice any trends, such as temperature increases or decreases on specific days.
The average ACT Science score is 19.5 out of 36. This falls just under the benchmark of 20, which gives students a 50% chance of earning a B or higher in a first-year college biology course. The average is based on 1.4 million students who took the test.
The ACT has College Readiness Benchmarks. These are scores used to help determine the ACT section score needed for a student to have a 50% chance of earning a B or higher or an approximate 75% chance of earning a C or higher in “the corresponding credit-bearing courses.”
When setting your goals, you should aim for a much higher ACT Science score than the national average. A realistic goal should fall within the 75 percentile or around 27 out of 36 if you want to earn admission to Ivy League schools.
To familiarize yourself with the ACT’s format, it’s important to take practice tests with ACT sample questions. With our interactive ACT pop quiz down below, you can get used to the style of ACT science questions in no time.
You may still have questions regarding the ACT Science test. Below, our goal is to answer each question so that you’re ready to ace the exam.
Unfortunately, you don’t have much choice when you can do the ACT Science Test on test day. The section will always be the fourth one you do.
When practicing for the ACT Science Test, make sure to follow these steps:
The ACT Science Test can be difficult if you’re unfamiliar with the scientific method or reading isn’t your strongest skill. However, whether or not you find the ACT Science Test hard depends on your scientific skills.
The only way to answer questions faster is to become more familiar with the material. If you’re taking practice tests at home and notice you’re going a little slower than the test allows, don’t beat yourself up about it too much.
First comes familiarity and accuracy; second comes speed. The more practice tests you take, the quicker you’ll be able to answer questions.
Your composite score is calculated by taking an average of all your section scores. The composite score is essential: colleges assume high ACT scores mean you’re ready for the rigorous curriculum schools have to offer.
If you perform well on the ACT Science Test, you can easily bump up your composite score.
The average ACT Science score is 19.5. If you’re basing a “good” score solely on averages, anything above that would be considered a good ACT Science score.
If you’re applying to competitive schools, you’ll want to aim much higher than the average at about the 75 percentile.
The best way to prepare is to become more familiar with the types of questions you’ll see in the ACT Science Test. Remember to brush up on scientific terms and methods and practice reading ACT Science materials and questions.
No, the ACT Science Test is mandatory. If you choose to take the ACT, you’ll need to do the science test.
There are 40 total questions on the ACT Science test, all to be answered within 35 minutes.
The ACT Science Test assesses your scientific skills, but you thankfully don’t need to possess advanced scientific knowledge to perform well. Your ACT Science score will reflect how much you’ve studied before your exam.
Remember to brush up on your general science topics, identify your target score, and mark up passages and visuals to make it easier to pull out the most critical information. With the above ACT science tips and tricks in mind, you’re sure to do well in the ACT Science Test!
