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The ACT science test: what’s on it and whether to take it

The ACT science test is optional: 40 questions in 40 minutes, 34 of them scored, taken right after reading. It doesn’t count toward your Composite, but if you take it you get a science score and a STEM score. The questions are about data, experiments and competing explanations in biology, chemistry, Earth and space sciences and physics, and you can’t use a calculator.

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Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

What’s on the ACT science test

The passages come in three formats: Data Representation (26-32%), with graphs and tables like those in science journals; Research Summaries (50-56%), describing one or more experiments; and Conflicting Viewpoints (18-21%), where two or more explanations for the same thing disagree.

You don’t need advanced science knowledge, but ACT says some questions need what you’d learn in general, introductory science courses.

Reporting categoryShare of the testWhat it asks
Interpretation of Data38-50%Reading tables, graphs and diagrams: trends, interpolating and extrapolating, simple math with data
Scientific Investigation18-32%Experimental design, controls and variables, and predicting the results of more trials
Evaluation of Scientific Arguments and Models24-38%Judging scientific information and which explanation the evidence supports

Should you take ACT science?

Take it if any college you’re considering requires or accepts ACT science scores, or if you want to show STEM strength. Your STEM score is the average of math and science, and its benchmark is 26. If you skip science, your Composite isn’t affected.

Science adds a small fee, and you can add or drop it until the late registration deadline. In Superscores, your best science counts toward a STEM Superscore, not the Composite.

ACT test fees →ACT benchmarks →

How do you practice for the ACT science test?

  • Read the whole passage and look at every table, graph and figure before you answer.
  • For experiments, note the controls and variables, because questions are likely to ask about the design.
  • For conflicting viewpoints, jot a one-line summary of each view so you can compare them.
  • Practice with ACT’s free QuizMe science quizzes and the science sections of its four full-length tests. For printable practice, the science section of each official practice test PDF works like a worksheet. ACT’s Official Science Guide adds an online question bank.
Free ACT practice test →Official ACT study guide PDFs →

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Sources: ACT and 6 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.