Are you taking the ACT® soon and are wondering how you can cram in all the knowledge possible so that you’re ready for the ACT® science section? In this blog, we’ll go over some topics you need to go over when cramming for the ACT® science section and include our very own cheat sheet.
As some of you might know, the science section of the ACT® is mostly a test of process. Most of the time, you’re not required to know a ton of outside information in order to get the questions right but there’s one type of question that appears at least once or three times called the Outside Information Question, where you will need to know a little bit of information like basics and terminology. We will focus on those types of questions in this blog. Below are some topics to look out for, highlighted by Brooke, and followed will be the ACT® cheat sheet.
Environmental Science, Ecology, and Geology
Atmosphere and Gasses
– Layers of the Atmosphere
– Greenhouse gasses, acid rain, global warming
Astronomy
– Order of the Planets
– Gas giants/rocky plants
– Stars and meteors
Ecology
-Primary/Secondary/Tertiary Consumers
Geology
– Layers of Earth
-Weathering & Erosion
General Information
Scientific Method and Process
– Sample Experiment, Control & Experimental Variables, Control & Experimental Groups
Physics
General Concepts
– Distance/Displacement, Velocity & Acceleration, Law of Conversation of Mass
Energy
– Potential, Kinetic & Mechanical Energy
Thermodynamics
-Conduction, Convection, & Radiation
Circuits and Electricity
– Horizontal lines = Battery, Squiggly lines = Resistors, Basic Straight Lines = Wires in circuit
– Electric charges can be positive/negative, opposites attract and negatives repel
Waves
– Amplitude, Period & Frequency
Chemistry
-How to balance a chemical equation
– Reagents & Products
– Chain Reactions
Thermodynamics
– Freezing Point (0 C) & Boiling Point (100 C)
Solutions
– Solute, Solvent & Aqueous
Acids and Bases
– pH levels & acidity (7 neutral substance)
Biology
Genetics
– Genotype/Phenotype, Dominant & Recessive Alleles, Heterozygous/Homozygous
– Punnet Squares
– Chromosomes, chromatid
– DNA & RNA
Cellular Biology
– Cellular Respiration & Photosynthesis
– Parts of a Cell, Cellular Division
