Science Content on the ACT

ACT prep is stressing me out a bit, especially the science part. What kind of science content is on the ACT? Is it more chemistry and physics, or ecology and life sciences? Thanks in advance!

The ACT Science section is essentially a test of your critical reading and data interpretation skills, applied to scientific scenarios. Rather than focusing on specific scientific knowledge or concepts, the ACT Science section primarily tests your ability to read charts, graphs, and studies, and interpret and analyze data.

However, the ACT Science Test does sometimes require you to remember some foundational knowledge in three broad categories:

1. Biology: Basic knowledge of cells, DNA, and life processes such as photosynthesis and respiration can be useful.

2. Earth/Space Sciences: This includes topics like geology, astronomy, and meteorology. You might want to review the basics of these subjects, such as the layers of the Earth, or the life cycle of stars.

3. Chemistry/Physics: Understanding of fundamental concepts in these areas can help. For chemistry, you might want to review the basic structure of atoms, chemical reactions, and the periodic table. For physics, look over laws of motion, energy, force, and the basics of electricity and magnetism.

But remember, even for these more content-heavy topics, the ACT will usually give you all the information you need in the passage, and it’s up to you to interpret it correctly. Additionally, the knowledge you need is typically what you'd find in a standard high school science curriculum, nothing too advanced or specialized.

Therefore, when studying for the ACT Science section, your focus should primarily be on honing your data interpretation and critical reading skills with science passages, rather than reviewing specific scientific concepts or facts. Keep practicing with actual ACT science passages, and you'll get the hang of it!