Test structure

What is on the test?

On the ACT Science section, you have 40 minutes to answer 40 questions.

Most tests include six passages. Very rarely, a test may include seven passages. Each passage is different, and the questions mainly test how well you can find and interpret information in the passage.

There are three types of passages in the science test:

• Research summaries. Interpret results from a study using written descriptions and figures.
• Data representation. Read and interpret data from graphs and tables.
• Conflicting viewpoints. Compare and contrast viewpoints from multiple sources about a topic.

You’ll find a more detailed description of each passage type later in this textbook. There is a chapter dedicated to each one.

Topics tested

The ACT Science section draws from four fields of science:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Earth/Space Science
• Physics

You aren’t expected to have taken classes in all of these subjects. Chemistry and biology are the most common science classes nationwide, so you’ll be expected to remember many equations, processes, and details from these two fields.

Earth/space science and physics also appear on the test, but passages usually include enough background information for you to understand the key ideas. These topics rarely require you to know specific details or equations ahead of time.