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scoop
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| Joined: | Wed Oct 4th, 2006 |
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Posted: Sat May 10th, 2008 08:04 pm |
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| D just started prepping for the ACT. She took a first try at the science reasoning subtest without time limits. She got all but two questions correct which seems pretty good but it took her a VERY long time. Any suggestions for time manangement on this subtest? Should she be skipping questions that seem to take too long, even though she could probably get the correct answer? Thanks very much.
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DesperateDad
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| Joined: | Tue Mar 14th, 2006 |
| Location: | California USA |
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Posted: Sat May 10th, 2008 08:50 pm |
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The science is all about reading & interpreting graphs and charts -- all the info needed to answer the questions is available right on the pages, and prior science knowledge is not necessary. But, the real key is that science is a speed-reading test, with a capital S. And, of course, science is always last of the ACT sections, when fatigue starts to set in.
Skipping questions really depends on the score your D is aiming for -- obviously, she needs to answer them all to score high. But, suggest she skip the 'dueling scientists', which is typically the most complex, and get comfortable with the other questions first. Once comfortable with the style of of the other passages, the dueling scientists comes more easily. Instead of taking a full 40 question, 35 minute test at one time, she could do just one a passage at a time, under a timer. For example, if the first science passage is a 8 questions, then have her try to finish it in 6-7 minutes. After several of these, her brain will start to keep its own pace.
I found this link from a science teacher, and they are worth a look, IMO.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLBT7nCcLEk&feature=related
fwiw: For scoring well in math & science, I prefer Barrons, particularly the exersices.
Good luck.
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WestrnMom
Super Moderator
| Joined: | Fri May 26th, 2006 |
| Location: | West Coast, USA |
| Posts: | 1213 |
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Posted: Sat May 10th, 2008 09:33 pm |
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The ACT is based on speed over difficulty. The more familiar she is with the test, the better. Suggest that she take as many practice tests as she can to build up her speed.
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Descartes
Super Moderator
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Posted: Sun May 11th, 2008 12:40 am |
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As I recall, there is no strong ordering to the questions (i.e., difficult questions are not necessarily last) on the ACT, and the easy questions count exactly as much as the harder ones. In a speed test, it is important to do triage: ascertain the difficulty level of the question quickly and come back to it if it will take too long. Its even better to estimate how difficult it is so you can prioritize which ones to come back to first.
It can really help to come back to those 5-10 difficult questions knowing that half the test time is left to answer them.
There is a small risk incurred: she should take care to bubble correctly. If she's off by one... .
The method your D is using - practicing untimed first - is best. She should make sure she reviews all solutions, even correctly answered ones, at this stage. Do this a couple/three times and then move on to timed tests. Finish with a test or two that is shorted time.
Last edited on Sun May 11th, 2008 12:43 am by Descartes
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scoop
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| Joined: | Wed Oct 4th, 2006 |
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Posted: Sun May 11th, 2008 01:29 pm |
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| Thanks. I like the ideas of timing individual passages. The possibility of making a bubbling mistake is a concern. The practice book suggested not bubbling your answers in as you do them. To save time, they suggested circling answers in your test book and then going back to the answer sheet and filling in sections. It was supposed to save time going back and forth. D did not care for that idea since she is used to the back and forth thing.
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