The Science section is unqiue to the ACT:

Here's what you need to know:

1. Only 1-4 questions per test on the science section require knowledge not given to you in the text.
These are basic questions like what is cyctoplasm or how does electricity move thru metal or what is
water made of.
2. Every answer (except those above) can be answered with ZERO scientific knowledge, although it does
help.
3. Roughly 30 of the 40 questions refer to graphs. All you have to do is read the question, match to the
graph, and get your answer.
The science section consists of 7 passages. 3 five questioners, 3 six questioners, and 1 seven questioner.
5ers are the easy one. You should almost never need to read anything but the graphs. 6ers are a little bit
more difficult being roughly 70% graphs. 7ers are 0% graphs and all reading comprehension.
Now that you know the break down, simply count the questions for each passage before starting. If it
has 5 questions do not look at the passage. If it has 6, only read the passage if the questions calls for it.
Read the entire 7 question passage focusing on the first and last sentences of each scientist viewpoint.
When taking the test, complete the passages in this order: 5ers, 6ers, 7er. If this means skipping around,
DO IT! This is very important. It lets start on the easy questions letting you rush through those. Next you
can go relatively quickly on the 6ers. Lastly, you can take your time and read the conflicting viewpoints
passage (7er) fully. With some practice, you should be able to finish the test with 5 minutes to spare to
review questions you were unsure of.
While taking the test, if you do not quickly know the answer to a 5er or 6er, mark the question and go
on.
The ACT Black Book is excellent. It teaches strategy as well as the required knowledge for the english
and math sections. Definitely get it.
ACT and SAT do differ, as in they appear different. However, fundamentally, they are the same. They are
both standardized which means that they have weaknesses that can be exploited to help you ace the
test. ACT is historically the knowledge test while the SAT is historically the reasoning test. They both test
the same math skills and the same sentence or english skills. The SAT also has the same reading
comprehension tests, although many people think it is harder than the ACT's. The tests' main difference
is that the SAT has vocabulary and the ACT has graph interpertation (Science.)
You may want to take a practice test of each test to see which you like better and do better at. Different
people prefer diiferent tests and do well at different ones as well.

Take the writing test only if you know you college will require it. Many do, many do not. If you need a
guide to the essay as well, there are plenty of in depth ones on CC as well as an excellent one in the
Black Book.
Math: Just know your basic highschool math. Every math question can be solved in under 30 seconds.
However it is hard to find the fast routes. You must know basic trigonometry (Sin,cos,tan,csc,sec,cot). All
volume and area equation are given on the test. Math is straight forward.
Reading: Find the strategy that works for you. I like to read the passages first. I spend 2.5 minutes
reading and then i answer the questions. The black book is an incredible guide to reading.
English: Know how to use a comma and you can practically ace the test. Know not the accepted form of
english but the CORRECT form of english. Don't get too interested in the passage and it's practically the
math section for words.
Analyze scores and questions missed for trends in your strengths and weaknesses. This step is difficult
and time consuming. However, if you truly want to increase your scores, you MUST do this. There's
recently been studies showing just how much self analyzing can improve you.
For an example, I'll use my scores. After I had taken 5 practice tests, both real and fake, I did the
following:
a. Totaled all my missed questions
b. Added the numbers together per section.
c. Catorgorized missed questions.
I sorted using titles like these: For English: Passage Analysis, Sentance Sorting/adding, Comma Rules
For math: Sin/cos/tan, graphs, etc.
Reading: Passage analysis, details in passage, inference
Science: Details in passage, details in graph, science knowledge
I also added a "dumb mistakes" catagory to all sections
After doing this, I was able to view my weaknesses on a practical level. I found that of all missed english
questions, 27% were passage analysis mistakes and 27% were dumb mistakes. These were the biggest
percents.
For math, I found that at 46%, my biggest errors were dumb mistakes.
For reading, I found my biggests mistakes were again passage analysis
For science, it was dumb mistakes.
Now that I knew my weaknesses, i could fix them. For dumb mistakes in English, I made myself slow
down. For the passage analysis questions, I followed these guidelines: The sentance added must
completely fit with the preceding sentance and the one after it. I was able to effectively fix my mistakes.
Here's another good guide http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/act-preparation/1071765-jeandevachesguide-to-the-act.html