Tag Archives: ACT test

Interpreting Evidence Correctly on the ACT and SAT

In all three types of ACT Science passages, you will need to be able to understand how evidence is presented and be asked to answer questions based on the evidence. These are a bit like Reading questions.

To interpret evidence correctly, you need to focus on the results. Draw logical conclusions based on the presented data, and actively read the information in the accompanying passage. It’s important to know the difference between direct and inverse variation.

To answer Interpreting Evidence questions correctly, ask yourself these 3 questions: – What is the evidence presented? – Whose position is supported by the evidence? – What does the evidence suggest?

Interpreting evidence for Data Representation and Research Summaries ends up requiring more Data Analysis skills, since data is a large component of those passages. For Conflicting Viewpoints, interpreting evidence is a matter of keeping the two theories (two scientists) straight. Watch this video for a strategy on how to do this!

This video describes how to answer “Inference” questions on the SAT and ACT Reading Test. You may wonder what this has to do with ACT Science, but sometimes interpreting evidence is a LOT less scientific than it sounds, and a LOT more like reading comprehension. Remember that you can only make an inference BASED on something directly stated. Incorrect answer choices are frequently “out of scope.”

 

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Learnist: Point of View in ACT Science questions

The key to better scores on the ACT Science Test Conflicting Viewpoints passages is to hunt down each author’s point of view. As you read each passage, look closely for keywords that help you identify the author’s opinions.

If there are multiple paragraphs, remember that the scientist or student usually uses the first few sentences to introduce his topic and start a discussion of the main idea. The final paragraph wraps up the discussion and reinforces the Main Idea. If you are having trouble finding what the overall point of view is for the passage, go back to the very beginning and the very end.

Don’t feel like you need a big background in Science to get Point of View or other Science questions correct. These are very close to Reading Test questions! Use these three tips:

  • Don’t Be Confused by the Extraneous Information
  • Cut Through the Scientific Jargon
  • Never Leave an Answer Blank

Try a few practice questions on this ACT Science: Point of View learnboard!

How to Pace Yourself on the ACT Reading Test

The ACT Reading Test is 35 minutes long and contains 40 questions (10 questions on each passage). This means you’ll have slightly less than 9 minutes to spend on each of the 4 passages, so pacing yourself is essential.

One way you can focus your timing is to briefly flip through the entire test BEFORE you begin. You will always see 4 passages and you must always answer all 40 questions, but that doesn’t mean you have to approach them in the order in which they are presented on the test. As you practice, you will start to realize which passages are easier and which are more challenging for you.

For example, if Prose Fiction is your strong point but Natural Science passages make you nervous, it may make sense for you to do the Prose Fiction passage first and save the Natural Science passage for last. Just because the Natural Science passage is first, doesn’t mean you’ve got to do it right away. If you do decide to skip around, make sure you are still bubbling in your answers into the corresponding numbers on the answer grid. You don’t want to lose points because you bubbled incorrectly!

Another way you can pace yourself appropriately is by practicing your active reading skills. Do you find yourself getting lost in the details or are you someone who tends to read too quickly and miss some of the important information? For the ACT Reading Test, you’ve got to strike a balance between reading for the author’s point of view and for the function of each paragraph and also noting the location of important details in case you need to come back later. Make sure you underline anything that seems significant to you – look for words and phrases that reveal the author’s opinion or summarize or give the main idea of each paragraph. Practice with an egg timer. If you are spending more than 3 minutes reading and marking passages, you are risking not being able to finish all of the questions on test day.

Once you feel confident in your Reading skills and strategies, it’s important to practice before your test day by taking a few full-length practice reading sections. Full-length practice tests are available in ACT practice books at local bookstores, at your local library, and are even downloadable online. Find a quiet place where you can take the practice session and clear off the table or desk. Try and eliminate any distractions and do the best your can to mimic your test-day environment. Keep a clock or timer in front of you so you can periodically check and see how you are doing. You may want to set the timer to go off every 9-10 minutes. If it does and you are still on the same passage, it may indicate to you that you need to practice your strategies in order to get through the test. Don’t rush, but make sure you can move confidently from one passage to the next and answer ALL questions in the time allotted.

Remember there is no wrong answer penalty on the ACT test so you need to make sure to bubble in something, even if you are running out of time!

Learnist: Basic Algebra on the ACT and SAT

Expert Katie Cantrell over at Learnist offers a great look at the fundamental algebra concepts on the ACT and SAT exams. Refresh how to isolate variables, solve basic equations, and apply the order of operations on Test Day!

This video in particular covers several ways to conceive of variables, how to solve linear equations with fractions, and how to check your work to ensure that you have found the correct answer.

ACT Science Test – where to start?

On Test Day, the ACT Science Test will always be the fourth test you’ll take. It will have 7 passages and you’ll have 35 minutes to complete them. Even if your knowledge of Science is limited, you can still get a great score!

Pacing is by far the most important aspect of the ACT Science Test. Don’t wait until two weeks before your test to get started. You will only have about 5 minutes per passage, so you may want to start by only doing 5 passages, allotting 7 min per passage. Once you can confidently do 5 passages with reasonable accuracy, work your way up to 6 and then 7.

Check out more information about the ACT Science Test and try some practice questions on your own on this Learnboard!

Learnist: Biology on the ACT Science Test

Passages dealing with Biology on the ACT Science Test may feature some of these concepts: body systems, cellular biology, photosynthesis, ecosystems, evolution, and genetics. Everything you need to know about them is in the passage!

This video covers the basics of Biology on the ACT — the topics are wide-ranging as you can see in the video. Stop the video before it begins talking about Physical Sciences. You can check out the ACT Science: Physical Sciences Learn Board to focus more on that later on!
Scientists have acquired biological knowledge through processes known as scientific methods. You will see that the experiments described in the Biology passages tend to follow these 6 steps:

  • observation
  • hypothesis
  • experimentation
  • analysis
  • conclusion
  • theory/law

Looking for even more Biology brush-up so you feel more confident with the subject matter of the passages? These online Biology video lessons help students understand Biology concepts so that they can improve test and quiz scores and more easily complete homework for your high school science class! Basically every possible ACT Biology subject is covered here!

Learnist: ACT Science – Conflicting Viewpoints

In Conflicting Viewpoints passages, several different viewpoints or hypotheses will be presented on a scientific phenomenon. This is the least common of the three ACT Science passage-types.

The basic strategy for attacking this passage type is to:

  • Identify the phenomenon
  • Understand the basic theories
  • Circle the support

Unlike Data Rep or Research Summ passages, the Conflicting Viewpoints passage will not focus on data and results. This passage type is much more like RC. Keep the questions divided between the passages and don’t mix up the author’s opinions!

The main goal of Conflicting Viewpoints passages is to understand what the argument or conflict is about and what is different about each of the points-of-view.

Now that you know a little bit about the Conflicting Viewpoints passages, check out this sample passage and 4 questions. Notice the format of the intro paragraph, Scientist 1, then Scientist 2. On Test Day, you’ll be able to mark up the passages directly in the test booklet!

Learnist: 10 Tips to Rock the ACT Test this December 14th!

December 14th is the final ACT Test date of 2013. Planning to take the exam? Here’s how to focus your studies and rock the test!

Step 1 – Commit to a Study Schedule! To make sure you get the ACT test date and testing center you want, register early, at least 2-3 months before the exam. That way you can create a study schedule, working backwards from the test date. Be realistic with yourself? How much time can you commit each week to ACT practice questions? Work in 2-3 hour blocks maximum. It’s better to study 20-30 minutes a day than 4 hours once a week.

This site offers free 1, 2, or 3 month schedules! While the 3-month one is ideal, if you’re planning to take the December exam, you’ll want to modify the 1-2 month plans to fit your needs.

Step 2 – Focus on your weaknesses ASAP! Are you a slow reader? Is your ACT Math knowledge so-so? Grammar got you down? Know going in to your ACT test prep what areas need more work and plan to address them first. You’ll need more time for the weaknesses. Don’t put off studying for a section just because you dread it!

Luckily, the ACT SparkNotes website gives a great breakdown of what you’ll see on Test Day, so you can start to get a sense of what will need the most work.

Check out steps 3-10 on this Learnist board: 10 Tips to Rock the ACT Test!

Learnist: All About Data Analysis on the ACT Science Test

Data Analysis comes up in two of the three ACT Science passage-types: Research Summaries and Data Representation. Data can be presented in tables, charts, graphs, etc. Use these tips to rock these questions on Test Day!

The key to data analysis is fairly easy: actually take the time to analyze the data! Most people skip parts of the information and go straight to the questions, but you’ll need to know where to look for the correct answer!

Two variables are in “direct variation” with each other if the following relationship holds: whenever one variable doubles, the other variable doubles. Two variables are in “inverse variation” with each other if the following relationship holds: whenever one variable doubles, the other variable halves. Variables commonly have one of these two relationships on the ACT Science Test.

Data Analysis primarily is required for Data Representation passages, since they typically have more data than Research Summaries passages. For these, always identify the purpose, method, and the results. The data is usually in the form of the “results.”

For some instructional videos and practice questions dealing with Data Analysis on the ACT, check out the ACT Science: Data Analysis learnboard from Learnist!

All About the ACT!

Everything you need to know about registering, prepping for, and taking the ACT exam is on this learnboard! Some fast facts:

The ACT exam is made up of 5 independent tests:

  • English Test
  • Math Test
  • Reading Test
  • Science Test
  • Writing Test (optional)

The ACT is offered 6 times a year: September, October, December, February, April, and June. You can register for your test date online. You can print your admission ticket from the website. Make sure to bring it with you on Test Day!

The score of the ACT exam is based on the number of questions you answer correctly. There is no penalty for guessing! That means you should answer EVERY question! Your raw score for each section of the ACT is converted to a scaled score, which ranges between a 1 and a 36, with 36 being the highest possible score.

Most scores are available for online viewing within 2 ½ weeks after your test date. Your scores are not reported any faster if viewed online.

Learn more fast facts about the ACT, and take a free full-length practice test on this Learnboard!