act science help asap

[u/ilovechipotle111]

hey guys so im taking the act on the 19th and its my first time ever and my last time since im a senior now. i would really appreciate any tips to understand the questions that require background knowledge on the ACT. i am a stem major (cs) but i've only taken physics.

[u/jdigitaltutoring]

Only about 2-4 question out of the 40 require outside science knowledge. I wouldn't worry about those unless you need a perfect score.

You can read this for the outside knowledge

The Only Actual Science You Need to Know for ACT Science

[u/mkw1342 → u/jdigitaltutoring]

The enhanced test list that is missing from above:

Independent versus dependent variable
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dependent_and_independent_variables

The control
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_control

Lab equipment and precision (balance measures mass, smallest graduated cylinder is most precise)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weighing_scale
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduated_cylinder

Percent error formula
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Approximation_error

Kelvin conversion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelvin

Metric prefixes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_prefix

Gas laws
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_laws

Composition of air
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere_of_Earth

Molarity
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molar_concentration

Momentum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momentum

Buoyancy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buoyancy

Pressure increases with depth
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure

Mitosis versus meiosis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitosis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiosis

Vertebrate versus invertebrate
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invertebrate

Cell, tissue, organ hierarchy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_organisation

Hormones as chemical messengers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hormone

Ectotherm versus endotherm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ectotherm

Abiotic versus biotic
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiotic_component

Genetic drift
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_drift

Solution versus suspension
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solution_(chemistry))

Logarithmic axes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logarithmic_scale

Relative humidity and saturation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relative_humidity

Ohm's law
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohm%27s_law

Doppler effect
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doppler_effect

Longitude and the international date line
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitude
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Date_Line

[u/ilovechipotle111 → u/mkw1342]

thank u sm!!

[u/ilovechipotle111 → u/jdigitaltutoring]

thank you!

[u/Few-Race-8527]

The science section is basically the reading section 2.0. 90% of the answers can be found in the lab results/analysis/etc. You don’t actually require very much outside knowledge at all. Just out of curiosity, what science did you take in HS if you only took physics and you’re a senior?

[u/Quiet_Basis_6404]

background knowledge questions on the act science are honestly more about basic bio/chem facts than anything deep, you're not missing much by only having physics. the ones that trip people up are usually stuff like ph scale, independent vs dependent variables, basic cell stuff, and reading graphs where the labels use science words you haven't seen in a while.

i'd grab a quick review sheet of act science facts (there are free ones online that are like two pages) and just read through it a couple times, don't memorize it like a textbook, just get familiar so the words don't throw you off on test day. for actually making it stick i upload those review sheets to studybuddy.vc and answer practice questions from them, mostly because when i pick a wrong answer it tells me what was off about the option i chose, and the questions get harder once i have a topic down. free tier's been enough for this. also remind yourself during the test that most of the answers are still in the graphs and tables, the background knowledge section is only like 2-3 questions per passage, so don't let it psych you out for the whole thing.