Princeton Review ACT Science Prep: 4 Practice Tests + Review + Strategy for the ACT Science Section (College Test Preparation) (2022)

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ThePrincetonReviewPublishingTeamRobFranek,Editor-in-ChiefDavidSoto,SeniorDirector,DataOperationsStephenKoch,SeniorManager,DataOperationsDeborahWeber,DirectorofProductionJasonUllmeyer,ProductionDesignManagerJenniferChapman,SeniorProductionArtistSelenaCoppock,DirectorofEditorialOrionMcBean,SeniorEditorAaronRiccio,SeniorEditorMeaveShelton,SeniorEditorChrisChimera,EditorPatriciaMurphy,EditorLauraRose,EditorAlexaSchmittBugler,EditorialAssistantPenguinRandomHousePublishingTeamTomRussell,VP,PublisherAlisonStoltzfus,SeniorDirector,PublishingBrettWright,SeniorEditorEmilyHoffman,AssistantManagingEditorEllenReed,ProductionManagerSuzanneLee,DesignerEugeniaLo,PublishingAssistantThePrincetonReview110East42ndStreet,7thFloorNewYork,NY10017Email:editorialsupport@review.comCopyright©2022byTPREducationIPHoldings,LLC.AllrightsreservedPublishedintheUnitedStatesbyPenguinRandomHouseLLC,NewYork.TermsofService:ThePrincetonReviewOnlineCompanionTools(“StudentTools’)forretailbooksareavailableforonlythetwomostrecenteditionsofthatbook.StudentToolsmaybeactivatedonlyoncepereligiblebookpurchasedforatotalof24monthsofaccess.ActivationofStudentToolsmorethanonceperbookisindirectviolationoftheseTermsofServiceandmayresultindiscontinuationofaccesstoStudentToolsServices.SomematerialinthisbookwaspreviouslypublishedasMathandScienceWorkoutfortheACT,4thEdition,atradepaperbackpublishedbyPenguinRandomHouseLLCin2019.ISBN9780525570363EbookISBN9780525570400ACTisaregisteredtrademarkofACT,Inc.ThePrincetonReviewisnotaffiliatedwithPrincetonUniversity.Thematerialinthisbookisup-to-dateatthetimeofpublication.However,changesmayhavebeeninstitutedbythetestingbodyinthetestafterthisbookwaspublished.Ifthereareanyimportantlate-breakingdevelopments,changes,orcorrectionstothematerialsinthisbook,wewillpostthatinformationonlineintheStudentTools.RegisteryourbookandcheckyourStudentToolstoseeifthereareanyupdatespostedthereEditor:MeaveShelton,AlexaSchmittBuglerProductionEditors:LizDaceyandSarahLittProductionArtist:JenniferChapman,JasonUlimeyerCoverartbyllkaErikaSzasz-Fabian/AlamyStockPhotoCoverdesignbySuzanneLee|vv1StudyXY

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AcknowledgmentsThePrincetonReviewwouldliketoextendveryspecialthankstoCatherineEasonHealeyforhereffort,insight,andexpertiseincreatingthistitle.SpecialthanksarealsoduetoAaronLindh,EmilyBaumbach,GabrielleBudzon,SaraSoriano,JessThomas,andShannonThompson.ThePrincetonReviewalsoapplaudstheeffortsoftheProductionteam,fromtheeagle-eyedscrutinyofLizDaceyandSarahLitttothelayoutwizardryofJenniferChapman.Finally,specialthankstoAdamRobinson,whoconceivedofandperfectedtheJoeBloggsapproachtostandardizedtests,andmanyoftheothersuccessfultechniquesusedbyThePrincetonReview.—AmyMinsterContentDirector,HighSchoolPrograms+StudyXy

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ContentsGetMore(Free)ContentPartI:Orientation1IntroductiontotheScienceTestWelcomeFunFactsAbouttheACTStrategies2HowtoApproachtheACTOnlineTestPartlI:Science3TheACTScienceTestFunFactsAbouttheScienceTestPersonalOrderofDifficulty(POODNowPassagesPacingProcessofElimination(POE)TheBasicApproachLaterPassages4ScienceReadingStrategy5NowPassages6LaterPassages7ScienceReadingPassagesPartlll:SciencePracticeTests8SciencePracticeTest19SciencePracticeTest1:AnswersandExplanations10SciencePracticeTest211SciencePracticeTest2:AnswersandExplanations12SciencePracticeTest313SciencePracticeTest3:AnswersandExplanations14SciencePracticeTest415SciencePracticeTest4:AnswersandExplanationsPartIV:CollegeAdmissionsInsider

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1GotoPrincetonReview.com/prepandenterthefollowingISBNforyourbook:97805255704002AnswerafewsimplequestionstosetupanexclusivePrincetonReviewaccount.(Ifyoualreadyhaveone,youcanjustlogin.)3EnjoyaccesstoyourFREEcontent!Needtoreportapotentialcontentissue?ContactEditorialSupport@review.comandinclude:«fulltitleofthebook«ISBN«pagenumberNeedtoreportatechnicalissue?ContactTPRStudentTech@review.comandprovide:«yourfullname«emailaddressusedtoregisterthebook«fullbooktitleandISBN«Operatingsystem(Mac/PC)andbrowser(Chrome,Firefox,Safari,etc.)Onceyou’veregistered,youcan...«GetourtakeonanyrecentorpendingupdatestotheACT«Takeafull-lengthpracticeACT«Getvaluableadviceaboutthecollegeapplicationprocess,includingtipsforwritingagreatessayandwheretoapplyforfinancialaid«Ifyou'restillchoosingbetweencolleges,useoursearchablerankingsofTheBest388Collegestofindoutmoreinformationaboutyourdreamschool«Checktoseeiftherehavebeenanycorrectionsorupdatestothisedition+StudyXy

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LookForTheseIconsThroughoutTheONLINEARTICLESPROVENTECHNIQUESAPPLIEDSTRATEGIESOTHERREFERENCES

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PartIOrientation

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Chapter1IntroductiontotheScienceTest

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TheACTcanbeanimportantpartofcollegeadmissions.ManyschoolsrequireorrecommendtheirapplicantssubmiteitherSATorACTscores.It’sworthkeepinginmind,though,thattheimportanceofthesetestswillvaryamongthemanycollegesanduniversitiesintheUnitedStates.Ifyouhaven’talready,makesuretoresearchwhethertheACTisrequiredorrecommendedforadmissiontotheschoolsyouplantoapplyto.DuringtheCOVID-19pandemic,manyschoolswenttest-optionaltoaccountforthenumerousstudentswhoseSATandACTtestswerecanceled.Someofthoseschoolshavereturnedtorequiringtestscores,whileothershavenotyetbutstillmay.Forthemostup-to-dateinformationontheschoolsyouareinterestedin,checkouttheiradmissionswebsites.Formoreonadmissions,seeThePrincetonReview'sTheBest388Collegesorvisitourwebsite,PrincetonReview.comEvenifACTscoresareoptional,youmaystillwanttosubmitthemifyouthinkyourgreatACTscoreswillboostyourchancesofacceptance.Furthermore,ACTscoresareoftenusedforscholarships,soitcanbeworthputtingtimeintopreparingforthetestifyoucansaveagoodamountonyourcollegeeducationinreturn.Whencollegesrequirestandardizedtestscores,theywillaccepteitherSATorACTscores.TheexpertadviceofThePrincetonReviewistotakewhichevertestyoudobetteronandfocusyoureffortsonpreparingforthatone.Becauseyouboughtthisbook,weassumeyou'vealreadymadethedecisiontoboostyourACTscore.Thisbookprovidesastrategicandefficientwaytoimproveyourscores,specificallyontheSciencetest.Foramorethoroughreviewofcontentandexhaustivepractice,werecommendpurchasingthelatesteditionsofACTPrepandourACTPracticeQuestionsbook.TheACTisnothinglikethesciencetestsyoutakeinschool.AllofthecontentreviewandstrategiesweteachinthefollowinglessonsarebasedonthespecificstructureandformatoftheACT.Beforeyoucanbeatatest,youhavetoknowhowit’sbuilt.StructureTheACTismadeupoffourmultiple-choicetestsandanoptionalWritingtest.Thefivetestsarealwaysgiveninthesameorder.«English:45minutes,75questions«Math:60minutes,60questions+StudyXy

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«Reading:35minutes,40questions«Science:35minutes,40questions«Writing:40minutes,1Essaycheckoutourcompanionbooks,ACTReadingPrep,ACTEnglishPrep,andACTMathPrep.Scoring‘WhenstudentsandschoolstalkaboutACTscores,theymeanthecompositescore,arangeof1-36.Thecompositeisanaverageofthefourmultiple-choicetests,eachscoredonthesame1-36scale:IdeasandAnalysis,DevelopmentandSupport,Organization,andLanguageUseandConventions.IfyoutaketheWritingtest,you'llalsoreceiveanadditionalWritingscoreonascaleof2-12.TheWritingscoreisanaverageoffour2-12subscores.NeithertheWritingtestscorenorthecombinedEnglishLanguageArtsscoreaffectsthecomposite.Studentsalsoreceivesubscoresinadditiontotheir(1-36)compositeACTscore.Theseindicatorsaredesignedtomeasurestudentperformanceandpredictcareerreadiness,aswellascompetencyinSTEM(Science,Technology,Engineering,Mathematics)andEnglishlanguagearts.ACTbelievesthattheseadditionalscoreswillgivestudentsbetterinsightintotheirstrengthsandhowthosestrengthscanbeharnessedforsuccessincollegeandbeyond.Inadditiontothe1-36scoreforeachofthetestsandtheircompositescore,studentsnowseescorebreakdownsinthefollowingcategories:«STEMscore.ThisscorewillshowyouhowwellyoudidontheMathandScienceportionsofthetest.«ProgressTowardCareerReadinessindicator.TheACTwouldhaveyoubelievethisindicatormeasureshowpreparedyouareforacareer,butreallyitjustmeasureshowpreparedyouaretotakeyetanothertest:theACTNationalCareerReadinessCertificate™.«EnglishLanguageArtsscore.IfyoutaketheWritingtest,thisscorewillgiveyouacombinedscorefortheEnglish,Reading,andWritingtests.«TextComplexityProgressindicator.Thisscorewilltellyouhowwellyoufaredonthosehardpassagesthroughoutthetest.Thereisalsoasectiononthescorereportthatbreakseachsectiondownintocategoriesandtellsyoubothhowmanyquestionstherewereineachcategoryandhowmanyofthemyougotcorrect.Someofthesecategoriescanbeusefulinhelpingyouknowwhatyouneedtostudy:forexample,ifyoumissedalotofquestionsinthe“Geometry”category,youshouldbrushupyourGeometryskills.Butifyoudidpoorlyinthe“IntegrationofKnowledgeandIdeas”category,it’snotquiteas

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obviouswhatyouneedtostudy.Don’tworryaboutthesescoresthough—they’retherebecausetheyalignwithfederalacademicstandards,andschooldistrictsthatusetheACTforstandardizedtestingforalljuniorswantthosescores,butcollegedon’ttypicallylookatthemforadmissionspurposes.It’sAllAbouttheCompositeWhetheryoulookatyourscoreonlineorwaittogetitinthemail,thebiggestnumberonthepageisalwaysthecomposite.Whileadmissionsofficeswillcertainlyseetheindividualscoresofallfivetests(andtheirsubscores),schoolswillusethecompositetoevaluateyourapplication,andthat’swhy,intheend,it’stheonlyonethatmatters.Thecompositeisanaverage.Letthefullweightofthatsinkin.Doyouneedtobringupallfourscoresequallytoraiseyourcomposite?Doyouneedtobeasuperstarinallfourtests?Shouldyoufocusmoreonyourweaknessesthanyourstrengths?No,no,andabsolutelynot.Thebestwaytoimproveyourcompositeistoshoreupyourweaknessesbutexploityourstrengthsasmuchaspossible.ToimproveyourACTscore,useyourstrengthstoliftthecompositeYoudon’tneedtobearockstaronallfourtests.Identifytwo,maybethreetests,andfocusonraisingthosescoresasmuchasyoucantoraiseyourcomposite.Workonyourweakestscorestokeepthemfrompullingyoudown.Thinkofitthisway:ifyouhadonlyonehourtodevotetopracticetheweekbeforetheACT,spendthathouronyourbestsubjects.Single-SectionTestsandSuperscoringThepeoplewhowritetheACThaveannouncedtheirintentiontoallowstudentstotakeone,two,orthreeindividualsectionsinaday,asopposedtoneedingtotaketheentiretest.YouwillneedtohavetakenthefullACTbeforeusingthisoption,andsingle-sectiontestswillonlybeofferedonthecomputer.Unfortunately,planstooffersingle-sectionretestingweredelayedbytheCOVID-19pandemic,andasofthepublicationofthisbook,adatefortherollouthasnotbeenannounced.WeencourageyoutochecktheACTwebsite,www.act.org,forthemostup-to-dateinformationabouttheavailabilityofsingle-sectionretestingwhenitiseventuallyoffered.OnepieceofgoodnewsisthatACThasbegunSuperscoring.IfyoutaketheACTmorethanonce,ACTwillautomaticallytakeyourhighestEnglish,Math,Reading,andSciencescoresandaveragethemtogethertocalculateanew“Superscore”composite.

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Soundsgreat,right?Wethinkitis—thisgivesyoutheopportunitytoshowyourbestACTscoretoschools.Now,collegesanduniversitiesstillhavetheoptionastowhethertoaccepttheSuperscore,butfortheschoolsthatletyouSuperscore,thisisallpositiveforyou.ScienceScoresTheSciencetestcanbefrustratingforsciencefansandnon-sciencefansalike.It’snotunusualforstudentsthatexcelinscienceandmathatschooltofindthatMathisoneoftheirhighestscoresandScienceisoneoftheirlowestscores.Therearegoodreasonsforthis.TheMathtest,perhapsdeceptivelyso,resemblesschooltestsmorethantheotherthree.Sciencefeelsthemostdifferent,andmanystudentsareintimidatedbyboththecontentandformat.ManystudentsfindimprovingscoresontheSciencetesttobemoredifficultthantheothersections.UnliketheMathorEnglishtest,therearenorulesorcontenttomasterthroughrigorouspractice.TheSciencetestisdesignedtotestyourreasoningskillsusingpassage-basedinformation,nottapspecificoutsideknowledge.WhoknowswhatspecifictopicswillappearonthenextACT?Onthegoods-newsfront,however,ThePrincetonReviewcanteachyouasmart,effectiveapproachdesignedtomaximizeyourperformanceeverytime,regardlessofcontent.Itcanbetoughtochangeyourways,butdedicatedpracticewithastrategicmethodcanpreventtheSciencescorefrompullingdownthatcomposite.TimeHowoftendoyoutakeafinalexaminschoolthatgivesyouatmostaminuteperquestion?Probablynever.TheACTisn’taschooltest,andyoucan’tapproachitasifitis.Whilespeedandaccuracydependonindividualskillsandgraspofcontent,almostallstudentsstruggletofinishtheSciencetestontime.Themoreyoutreatthetestthesamewayyouwouldaschoolfinal,thelesslikelyyouaretofinish,muchlessfinishwiththegreatestaccuracy.ThePrincetonReview'sstrategiesareallbasedonthistimecrunch.There’sadifferencebetweenknowingsowtodoaquestionunderthebestofcircumstanceandgettingitrightwithatickingclockandgloweringproctorintheroom.STRATEGIESYouwillraiseyourACTscorebyworkingsmarter,notharder,andasmarttest-takerisastrategictest-taker.Youwilltargetspecificcontenttoreview,youwillapplyaneffectiveandefficientapproach,andyouwillemploythecommonsensethatfrequentlydesertsmanyotherswhentheypickupanumber2pencil.EachtestontheACTdemandsadifferentapproach,andeventhemostuniversalstrategiesvaryintheirapplications.Inthechaptersthatfollow,we’lldiscussthesetermsingreaterdetailcustomizedtoScience.

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PersonalOrderofDifficulty(POOD)Iftimeisgoingtorunout,wouldyouratheritrunoutonthemostdifficultquestionsorontheeasiestquestions?Ofcourseyouwantittorunoutonthepointsyouarelesslikelytogetright.Thetrickistofindalloftheeasiestquestionsandgetthemdonefirst.NowDoesaquestionlookokay?Doyouknowhowtodoit?DoitNow.LaterDoesaquestionmakeyougo,“hmm”?Ifyoucan’tfindawaytogetyourpencilmovingrightaway,considerleavingitandcomingbackLater.Circlethequestionnumberforeasyreferencetoreturn.TheBestWaytoBubbleIn‘Workonepageatatime,circlingyouranswersrightonthebooklet.Transferapage’sworthofanswerstotheanswersheet.It’sbettertostayfocusedonworkingquestionsratherthandisruptyourconcentrationtofindwhereyouleftoffontheanswersheet.You’llbemoreaccurateatbothtasks.Donotwaittotheend,however,totransferalltheanswersofthattestonyouranswersheet.Goonepageatatime.NeverTest-taker,knowthyself.Knowthetopicsthataremostdifficultforyou,andlearnthesignsthatflashdanger.Don’twastetimeonquestionsyoushouldNeverdo.Instead,usemoretimetoanswertheNowandLaterquestionsaccurately.LetteroftheDay(LOTD)Justbecauseyoudon’tworkaquestiondoesn’tmeanyoudon’tanswerit.ThereisnopenaltyforwronganswersontheACT,soyoushouldneverleaveanyblanksonyouranswersheet.WhenyouguessonNeverquestions,pickyourfavoritetwo-lettercomboofanswersandstickwithit.Forexample,alwayschooseA/ForC/H.Ifyou'reconsistent,you'restatisticallymorelikelytopickupmorepoints.Note:ifyouaretakingtheACTonacomputer,allofthequestionswillhaveanswerchoicesA,B,C,D(orA,B,C,D,EontheMathtest).Onthepaper-and-pencilACT,everyotherquestionwillhaveanswerchoicesF,G,H,J(orF,G,H,J,KontheMathtest).

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ProcessofElimination(POE)Inaperfectworld,you’llknowhowtoworkallofyourNowandLaterquestions,quicklyandaccurately,circlingthecorrectansweramongthechoices.TheACTisnotaperfectworld.Butevenwithatickingclockandanumber2pencilinyoursweatyhand,wronganswerscanbeobvious.SometimesPOEisagreatPlanB,butitisactuallythebestwaytofindthecorrectansweronmanyquestionsontheSciencetest.Andevenwhenyoucan’tnarrowtheanswerstoonlyone,usingPOEtogetridofatleastoneortwowronganswerswillsubstantiallyincreaseyouroddsofgettingaquestionright.ThePowerofPOEVeryoften,thequickestwaytothecorrectansweristoeliminatethewronganswerchoicesratherthanfocusingonfindingtherightone.PacingTheACTmaybedesignedforyoutorunoutoftime,butyoucan’trushthroughitasquicklyaspossible.Allyou'lldoismakecarelesserrorsoneasyquestionsyoushouldgetrightandspendwaytoomuchtimeondifficultonesyou'reunlikelytogetright.Tohityourtargetscore,youhavetoknowapproximatelyhowmanyrawpointsyouneed.Usetheentiretimeallottedwhereitwilldothemostgood.GoslowlyenoughtoavoidcarelesserrorsonNowquestions,butgoquicklyenoughtogettoasmanyLaterquestionsasyouneedtohityourgoal.OneachtestoftheACT,thenumberofcorrectanswersconvertstoascaledscoreof1-36.ACTworkshardtoadjustthescaleofeachtestateachadministrationasnecessarytomakeallscaledscorescomparable,smoothingoutanydifferencesinlevelofdifficultyacrosstestdates.Thus,thereisnotruthtoanyonetestdatebeing“easier”thantheothers,butyoucanexpecttoseeslightvariationsinthescalefromtesttotest.Thisisthescalefromthe2021-2022freetestACTmakesavailableonitswebsite,ACTorg.We'regoingtouseittoexplainhowtopickatargetscoreandpaceyourself.SciencePacing+StudyXy

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sn]IEAIISEEITERRSRIIEEIERERISRER

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TheSciencetesthaslargerswingsindifficultylevelsbetweentestadministrationsthantheothersubjects,sothescoringscalecanvarysignificantlyfromonetesttoanother.Asaresult,it’shardtopredictexactlyhowmanyquestionsyouwillneedtogetcorrecttoreachyourgoalscore.Here’soneexamplescenario.Let’ssayyourgoalscoreontheScienceisa24.Find24inthescaledscorecolumnandyou’llseethatonthetestthatthisscaleisbasedon,you'dneed26-27rawpoints.Thiscouldbedonebydevotingyourtimetothequestionsin5ofthe6passagesandguessingLOTDontheremaining6or7questions.Evenallowingfor4or5mistakesinthe5passagesyouwork,youcouldstillhityourtargetscore.However,iftheSciencetestyou'refacedwithiseasier,thenitcouldrequire29rawpointstogeta24.Ontheotherhand,ifthetestyou'refacedwithisharder,thenmightonlyrequire26rawpointstogetascalescoreof24.Thechartisusefultogiveyouageneralguidelineofhowmanyquestionsyouneedtoanswercorrectly,butkeepinmindthatitvaries.Ifyoufindyourselffacedwithaparticularlydifficultsetofpassages,youmightbedisheartenedthatyouareunabletogetthroughquestionsasquicklyasyouhadhoped.Don’tletthatdiscourageyouanddistractyoufromtheremainingquestions!Theimportantthingtorememberisthatifthetestisharder,thescoringcurvewillevenoutthedifference.YourjobistomakesurethatyouareusingyourtimewiselyandpickingthebestpassagesandquestionsforNow.Wewillfocusonthisstrategyinthelessonthatfollows.Ouradviceistobeaggressive.Spendthetimeneededontheeasiestpassagesfirst,butkeepmovingtogettoyourtargetedrawscore.Usethechartbelowtofigureoutapproximatelyhowmanypassagestowork.TargetScore#ofPassagestoAttempt20-234-5passages24-275-6passagesBeRuthlessTheworstmistakeatest-takercanmakeistothrowgoodtimeafterbad.Youreadaquestionanddon’tunderstandit,soyoureaditagain.Andagain.Ifyoustareatitreallyhard,youknowyou’regoingtojustseeit.Andyoucan’tmoveon,becausereally,afterspendingallthattime,itwouldbeawastenottokeepatit,right?Actually,thatwayofthinkingcouldn’tbemorewrong.+StudyXy

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Youcan’tletonetoughquestiondragyoudown.Instead,thebestwaytoimproveyourACTscoreistofollowouradvice.1.UsethetechniquesandstrategiesinthelessonstoworkefficientlyandaccuratelythroughallyourNowandLaterquestions.2.KnowyourNeverquestionsanduseyourLOTD.3.Knowwhentomoveon.UsePOEandguessfromwhat’sleft.Nowmoveontothelessonsandlearnthebestwaytoapproachthecontent.+StudyXy

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Chapter2HowtoApproachtheACTOnlineTestInthischapter,you'lllearnwhattoexpectontheACTOnlineTest,includinghowtoapplyitscomputer-basedfeaturesandourstrategiestothequestiontypesineachsection—English,Math,Reading,Science,andWriting.IfyourACTwillbepencil-and-paper,skipthischapter.+StudyXy

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WHATISTHEACTONLINETEST?TheACTOnlineTestistheACTthatyoutakeonacomputer,ratherthanwithapencilandpaper.Despitethename,youcan’ttaketheACTfromthecomfortofyourownhome;instead,you'llhavetogotoatestingcenter(possiblyyourhighschool)andtakethetestononeofthecenter’scomputers.ACThasindicatedthateventuallystudentsintheUnitedStateswillhavetheoptionoftakingtheACTOnlineTestinsteadofthetraditionalpencil-and-paperversion.Studentschoosingthisoptionwillgettheirscoresinabouttwotothreebusinessdays(e.g.,takethetestonSaturday,haveyourscorethenextWednesday).However,atthetimeofthisprinting,nospecifictimelinewasavailable.theACTonlineatatestingcenterwaspostponed.ACTalsoplanstoofferat-homeonlinetestingalthoughanexactrolloutdatehasnotyetbeenannounced.Forup-to-datenewsonbothoptions,checktheACTwebsiteWHOTAKESTHEACTONLINETEST?ACThasbeenofferingversionsoftheACToncomputersinceabout2016.ThefirststudentstotaketheACTonthecomputerwerestudentstakingthetestatschool.Schoolsandschooldistrictsdecidedwhethertogivethetestonthecomputer.AsofSeptember2018,allstudentstakingtheACToutsideoftheUnitedStatestakethetestonacomputer(exceptforthosestudentswithaccommodationsrequiringtheuseofatraditionalpencil-and-papertest).ACThasindicatedthateventuallystudentsintheUnitedStateswillhavetheoptionoftakingtheACTOnlineTestinsteadofthetraditionalpencil-and-paperversion.Studentschoosingthisoptionwillgettheirscoresinabouttwotothreebusinessdays(e.g.,takethetestonSaturday,haveyourscorethenextWednesday).However,atthetimeofthisprinting,nospecifictimelinewasavailable.Single-SectionRetestingIfyouarehappywiththescoreyoureceivefromasingletestadministration,youwillstillhavetheoptiontosendjustthatscoretocolleges.Ifyourscoreinonesectionisnotashighasyou’dlike,youwilleventuallyhaveachancetocorrectthat.StudentswhohavealreadytakenthefullACTmaychoosetotakeone,two,orthreesectionsagainusingSingle-SectionRetesting.ACTwillthenproducea“superscore”consistingofyourbestresultsinalltests(English,Math,Reading,Science,andWriting(ifyoutookit)).NotethatnotallcollegesacceptasuperscoredACT,sodoyourresearchbeforetakingadvantageofthisoption.

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students.However,collegesstillhavetheoptiontoacceptornotacceptthesenewscores.Researchyourtargetschoolsearlysoyouknowyouroptions!ACTONLINETESTFEATURESSo,besidestheobviousfactthatit’stakenonacomputer,whatarethedifferencesbetweentakingtheACTonthecomputerandtakingitonpaper?Let’sstartwithwhatyoucan’tdoontheACTOnlineTest.Youcan’t“write”onthescreeninafreehandway.You'relimitedinhowyou'reabletomarktheanswerchoices,andeachquestionappearsonitsownscreen(soyoucan’tseemultiplequestionsatoneglance).Youwillalsobegivenasmall“whiteboard”anddryerasepenwithwhichtomakenotesanddowork.So,whatfeaturesdoestheACTOnlineTesthave?«Timer°Youcanhidethetimerbyclickingonit.°Thereisa5-minutewarningtowardtheendofeachtest.Thereisnoaudiblesignalatthe5-minutewarning,onlyasmallindicatorintheupper-rightcornerofthescreen.«Navtool>Youcanusethistooltonavigatedirectlytoanyquestioninthesection.°TheNavtoolblocksthecurrentquestionwhenopened.oItalsoshowswhatquestionsyouhaveflaggedand/orleftblank.°Youcanflagquestionsinthismenu.+Questionnumbersatthebottomofthescreen°Youcanclickonthesenumberstonavigatedirectlytoanyquestioninthesection.°Thesenumbersalsoindicatewhetheraquestionhasbeenflaggedand/orleftblank.«Flagtool°YoucanflagaquestiononthequestionscreenitselforbyusingtheNavtool.°Flaggingaquestionhasnoeffectbesidesmarkingthequestionforyourownpurposes.«AnswerEliminator>Answerchoicescanbe“crossed-off”on-screen.>Ananswerchoicethat’sbeeneliminatedcannotbechosenandmustbe“un-crossed-off”firstbyclickingtheanswerchoice.«Magnifier°Youcanusethistomagnifyspecificpartsofthescreen.«LineMask

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°Thistoolcoverspartofthescreen.Thereisanadjustablewindowyoucanusetolimitwhatyoucansee.°Thisisanexcellenttoolifyouneedanaidtohelpyoufocusonspecificpartsofthetextorfigure.>However,noteveryonewillfindthistooluseful,sodonotfeelobligatedtouseit!>NotethatyoucannothighlightthetextinthewindowoftheLineMask.«AnswerMask°Thistoolhidestheanswerchoicesofaquestion.>Answerscanberevealedoneatatime.*ScreenZoom°Thistoolchangesthezoomoftheentirescreen(asopposedtothemagnifier,whichmagnifiesonlyonepartofthescreen).°Yourscreenzoomsettingwillremainthesamefromquestiontoquestion.«Highlighter>Youcanusethistooltohighlightpartsofpassagetext,questiontext,oranswertext.°Youcannothighlightwithinfigures.oIfyouhighlightinapassagewithmultiplequestions,yourhighlightswillonlyshowuponthatquestion.(Inotherwords,ifyouhighlight,forexample,question1ofaReadingpassage,questions2-10ofthatsamepassagewillnotshowthosehighlights.)°Turningoffthehighlightertoolremovesyourhighlights.«Shortcuts:A-Eor1-5SelectAlternative+StudyXy

Princeton Review ACT Science Prep: 4 Practice Tests + Review + Strategy for the ACT Science Section (College Test Preparation) (2022) - Page 27 preview image

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«TheWritingtestistyped,ratherthanwrittenbyhand.Youwillalsobegivenasmall“whiteboard”anddryerasepenwithwhichtomakenotesanddowork.HOWTOAPPROACHTHEACTONLINETESTThestrategiesmentionedinthischapterarethoroughlydiscussedinourcomprehensiveguide,ACTPrep,sobesuretopickupacopyofthatbookifyouhavenotalreadydoneso.Theseapproacheswerecreatedinreferencetothepencil-and-paperformat,buttheystillapplytotheACTOnlineTestwithsomeadjustments.Thischapterassumesyourfamiliaritywiththesestrategiesandwillshowyouhowtomakethebestuseofthemgiventhetoolsavailableinthecomputer-basedformat.Youwillalsowanttoincorporatesomecomputer-basedpracticeintoyourprepplan.ACT’swebsitehaspracticesectionsforeachofthefourmultiple-choicepartsofthetestandfortheessay.Werecommendthatyoudothosesectionstowardtheendofyourpreparation(andclosetoyourtestdate)togiveyourselfanopportunitytopracticewhatyou’velearnedonaplatformsimilartotheoneyou’llbeusingonthedayofthetest.IfyouareplanningtotaketheACTonline,youshouldpracticeasifyou'redoingallyourworkonthecomputer,evenwhenyou'reworkinginaphysicalbook.Useahighlighter,butdon’tusethehighlighteronanyfigures(astheACTOnlineTestwon'tletyoudoso).Useyourpenciltoeliminateanswerchoicesandhaveaseparatesheetofpaperorawhiteboardtodoanyworkyouneedtodo,insteadofwritingontheproblemitself.Also,rememberthatourapproacheswork.Don’tgetmisledbyACT’sinstructionsonthedayofthetest—theirwayofapproachingthetestwon’tgiveyouthebestresults!YourgoalistogetthebestpossiblescoreontheACT.ACT'sgoalistoassignanumbertoyouthat(supposedly)meanssomethingtocolleges.Focusonyourgoal!OverallYourPersonalOrderofDifficulty(POOD)andPacinggoalswillbethesameontheACTOnlineTestasonthepencil-and-paperversion.Becauseitiseasytochangeyouranswers,putinyourLetteroftheDay(LOTD)whenskippingaLaterorNeverquestion.UsetheFlagtoolontheLaterquestionssoyoucanjumpbackeasily(usingeitherthenavigationbaratthebottomofthescreenortheNavtool).

Princeton Review ACT Science Prep: 4 Practice Tests + Review + Strategy for the ACT Science Section (College Test Preparation) (2022) - Page 28 preview image

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ProcessofElimination(POE)isstillavitalapproach.Onboththepaper-and-pencilACTandtheACTOnlinetest,therearemorewronganswersthancorrectones.Eliminatingoneyouknowarewronghelpsyoutosavetime,avoidtrapanswers,andmakeabetterguessifyouhaveto.OntheACTOnlineTest,youcannotwriteonthetest,butyoucanusetheHighlightertool.Turnonthesetools(andtheLineMask,ifdesired)atthebeginningoftheEnglishsectionandusethemthroughout.TheBasicApproachestobothProofreaderandEditorquestionsarethesameonthecomputerizedandthepaperversionsoftheACT.WhenyoudecidetoskipaquestiontocomebacktoitLater(forexample,aquestionaskingfortheintroductiontothetopicofthepassagebeforeyou'vereadanypartofthepassage),flagthequestionsoyoucaneasilyjumpbacktoitbeforemovingontothenextpassage.Whenyouhavefiveminutesremaining,flagyourcurrentquestionandusetheNavtooltomakesureyou'veputinyourLOTDforanyquestionsthatyouhaven’tdone,thenreturntoyourspotandworkuntiltimerunsout.ForacomprehensivereviewofallsectionsoftheACTandthestrategiesmentionedthroughoutthischapter,checkoutourbook,ACTPrep.WhenyouworkProofreaderquestions,youcanusetheHighlightertooltohelpyoufocusonthekeypartsofthetext.Let’sseeanexample:Sneakingdownthecorridor,theagent,takingcarenottoalerttheguards,thelockeddoor.A.NOCHANGEB.spotC.arespottingD.spotsUsethetoolsavailabletohelpyoufocusonthekeyportionsofthetext.Practicewithahighlighterwhenyou'reworkingonpaper(insteadofunderliningwithyourpencil).Here’sHowtoCrackItVerbsarechangingintheanswerchoices,sothequestionistestingsubject/verbagreement.Theverbmustbeconsistentwiththesubject.Theagentisthesubject;highlightit:Sneakingdownthecorridor,theagen,takingcarenottoalerttheguards,thelockeddoor.+StudyXy

Princeton Review ACT Science Prep: 4 Practice Tests + Review + Strategy for the ACT Science Section (College Test Preparation) (2022) - Page 29 preview image

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A.NOCHANGEB.spotC.arespottingD.spotsTheagentissingular,sotheverbmustbesingular.Eliminate(B)and(C),asbothareplural.Spottingcannotbethemainverbofasentence,soeliminate(A).Thecorrectansweris(D).Similarly,theHighlightertoolishelpfulonEditorquestions.Usethetoolonboththepassageandthequestiontohelpyoufocusontherelevantpartsofeach.Asit’snamesuggests,theIndianfantailisnotnativetoNorthAmerica.Infact,itsestablishmentherewasquiteaccidental.In1926,theSanDiegoZooacquiredfourpythonsfromIndiaforitsreptileexhibit.ThelongtripfromIndiarequired,that,thepythonsbeprovidedwithfoodforthejourney,[andagroupofunfortunatefantailswasshippedforjustthatpurpose]Twoluckyfantailssurvived,andtheirbeautifulappearancecausedtheSanDiegoZootokeepandbreedthemforthepublictosee.Eventually,someoftheanimalsescapedcaptivityanddevelopedpopulationsinthewild,allthankstothosetwobirds!Giventhatallthechoicesaretrue,whichoneprovidesthemostrelevantandspecificinformationatthispointintheessay?A.NOCHANGEB.andtheyhavequiteanappetite.C.becausenoonewantedthemtostarve.D.andtheyarequitepickyinwhatthey’lleat.Here’sHowtoCrackItThequestionasksforthemostrelevantandspecificinformation.Highlightthosewordsinthequestion.ThefirstsentenceoftheparagraphfocusesontheIndianfantail,andthesentenceaftertheunderlinedportiondiscusses(2)woluckyfantails.Thefinalsentencediscussestheanimalsthatescaped.Highlightthesewordsintheparagraph.Yourscreenshouldlooklikethis:Asit’snamesuggests,theIndianfantail]isnotnativetoNorthAmerica.Infact,itsestablishmentherewasquiteaccidental.In1926,theSanDiegoZooacquiredfourpythonsfromIndiaforitsreptileexhibit.ThelongtripfromIndiarequired,that,thepythonsbeprovidedwithfoodforthejourney,[andagroupofunfortunatefantailswasshippedforjustthatpurpose][Twoluckyfantailgsurvived,andtheirbeautifulappearancecausedtheSanDiegoZootokeepandbreedthem

Princeton Review ACT Science Prep: 4 Practice Tests + Review + Strategy for the ACT Science Section (College Test Preparation) (2022) - Page 30 preview image

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forthepublictosee.Eventually,someof[theanimals]escapedcaptivityanddevelopedpopulationsinthewild,allthankstothosetwobirds!Giventhatallthechoicesaretrue,whichoneprovidesthe[mostrelevantandspecificinformation]atthispointintheessay?A.NOCHANGEB.andtheyhavequiteanappetite.C.becausenoonewantedthemtostarve.D.andtheyarequitepickyinwhatthey’lleat.UsePOE,focusingonwhetherthechoiceisconsistentwiththehighlightsinthepassage.Thesentenceaswrittendiscussesagroupofunfortunatefantails;keep(A).Choices(B),(C),and(D)donottalkabouttheIndianfantail;instead,theyfocusonthepythons.Thisisinconsistentwiththegoalofthesentenceandthecontentoftheparagraph;eliminatethoseanswers.Thecorrectansweris(A).Finally,youcan’twriteinthepassage,soyou’llneedtoapproachtheVerticalLineTestslightlydifferently.Onthepaper-and-pencilACT,youwouldusethisstrategyforquestionsaboutpunctuation,drawingaverticallinewherethepunctuationbreaksuptheideasinthetext.OnthecomputerizedACT,youshouldusethewhiteboardtohandlethesequestions.I’mnotsearchingforaghostoristheIndianfantail.Thesebeautifulcreaturesaremembersofthepigeonfamily,butyoucouldnottellthatbylookingatthem.A.NOCHANGEB.yeti:myphantomC.yetimyphantomD.yeti,sincethisHere’sHowtoCrackItPunctuationischangingintheanswerchoices,sothequestionistestingSTOPandGOpunctuation.ThereisHalf-Stoppunctuationin(B),sousetheVerticalLineTest.Youcannotdrawalineinthetext,sodrawa“t”onyourwhiteboard,with“yeti”inthebottom-leftand“my”inthebottom-right:Readeachpartofthesentenceanddeterminewhetheritiscompleteorincomplete.I'mnotsearchingforaghostoryetiisacompleteidea;write“C”intheupper-leftofthe“t.”MyphantomistheIndianfantailisalsoacompleteidea;write“C”(for“complete”)intheupper-rightofthe“t.”Yourboardshouldlooklikethis:Eliminateanyanswerthatcannotlinktwocompleteideas.Both(A)and(C)useGOpunctuation,whichcannotlinkcompleteideas;eliminate(A)and(C).Choice(D)addssince,whichmakestheideatotherightofthelineincomplete.However,since+StudyXY

Princeton Review ACT Science Prep: 4 Practice Tests + Review + Strategy for the ACT Science Section (College Test Preparation) (2022) - Page 31 preview image

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isusedtoshowtimeorcausation,whichdoesnotworkinthecontextofthesentence.Eliminate(D).Thecorrectansweris(B).Firstoff,you’llstillneedtobringyourcalculatortotheACTOnlineTest—whichisagoodthing!You'realreadycomfortablewithyourpersonalcalculator,sotherewillbeonelessthingtoworryaboutonthedayofthetest.WhenchoosingquestionstodoLater,flagthequestionsoyoucaneasilynavigatebacktoitafterdoingyourNowquestions.DoputinyourLOTDwhendoingso;youdon’twanttoaccidentlyleaveaquestionblank!Whenyougetthefive-minutewarning,finishthequestionyou'reworkingon,flagit(soyoucanfindyourspoteasily),thenputinyourLOTDforeveryunansweredquestion.Thenyoucangobacktoworkinguntiltimerunsout.UsetheHighlightertooltohighlightwhatthequestionisactuallyasking,especiallyinWordProblems.Ofcourse,you'llwanttouseyourwhiteboardwhenworkingthestepsofamathproblem(don’tdotheworkinyourhead!).Writeitdown!Itistemptingtodoallyourworkinyourhead.Don'tfallintothistrap!It'seasiertomakemistakeswhenyou'renotwritingdownyourwork,andyou'lloftenhaveto“goback”ifyoudon’thavesomethingwrittendown.Useyourwhiteboard!ACTOnlineGeometryBasicApproachBecauseyoucan’twriteonthescreen,theBasicApproachforGeometryquestionsneedsafewslighttweaks:1.Drawthefigureonyourwhiteboard(copyifit’sprovided;drawityourselfotherwise).IfthefigurewouldbebetterdrawndifferentlyfromthewayACThasdrawnit(forinstance,asimilartrianglesquestion),redrawthefigureinawaythatwillhelpyouanswerthequestion.2.LabelthefigureyoudrewonyourwhiteboardwiththeinformationfrombothACT’sfigureandthequestion.3.Writedownanyformulasyouneedandfillintheinformationyouknow.Let’sseehowthatworksonaquestion.Inthefigurebelow,triangleABCissimilartotriangleDEF.WhatisthelengthofEF?A.15+StudyXY

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