Pacing and the Two-Pass Method · Lesson 5

Science: passage triage at 60 seconds a question

Science has 40 questions in 40 minutes: 60 seconds a question, the simplest pace on the test. One minute per question means the clock and the question count move together: at minute 15 you want about 15 questions done.

If your section has six passages of six or seven questions each, each passage gets six or seven minutes. As in Reading, that time covers the reading, but in Science much of what you need sits in the tables and graphs, and many questions can be answered from a figure without reading every line of the text.

Passage triage ratings
RatingWhat the passage showsWhen to work it
1One table or graph you can read at a glanceFirst
2Several figures, or one with many variablesSecond
3Mostly text: viewpoints or a long procedureLast

Passage triage. Before you start, spend a few seconds on each passage's figures and give it a rating from the table. Work all the rating 1 passages, then the rating 2s, then the rating 3s; within a rating, keep the printed order.

Figure first. For each question, find the figure and the variables it names before reading the text. Go back to the text only when the question asks about something no figure shows, such as why a step was done.

Worked example Easy

In Science, Mo starts a 6-question passage at the 12-minute mark. On the 60-second pace, at what minute should he finish it?

  1. Minute 16
  2. Minute 18Answer
  3. Minute 19
  4. Minute 22

How to solve it

  1. At 60 seconds a question, 6 questions take 6 minutes.
  2. 12 + 6 = 18, so he should finish at minute 18.

Why each choice is right or wrong

  • A. Incorrect. Minute 16 uses the English pace: 6 × 42 = 252 seconds, about 4 minutes, but Science allows 60 seconds a question.
  • B. Correct. Six questions at 60 seconds each take 6 minutes, and 12 + 6 = 18.
  • C. Incorrect. Minute 19 uses the Math and Reading pace: 6 × 67 = 402 seconds, about 7 minutes, which is slower than the Science pace.
  • D. Incorrect. Minute 22 gives the passage 10 minutes, as if the section's 40 minutes were split among four passages; 6 questions get 6 minutes.

Worked example Medium

Using the triage ratings, which of these Science passages should Ada work first?

  1. One table showing a single clear trendAnswer
  2. Two scientists' viewpoints in text
  3. Three experiments, each with its own table
  4. A long procedure with a diagram of the equipment

How to solve it

  1. One table you can read at a glance is rating 1.
  2. Three tables (three experiments) make a rating 2 passage; viewpoints in text and a long procedure are rating 3.
  3. Rating 1 comes first, so Ada starts with the single table.

Why each choice is right or wrong

  • A. Correct. One table with a single clear trend is a rating 1 passage, the kind the triage method works first.
  • B. Incorrect. Two scientists' viewpoints in text is a rating 3 passage: mostly text, so the method saves it for last.
  • C. Incorrect. Three experiments with their own tables means several figures, a rating 2 passage, worked after the rating 1s.
  • D. Incorrect. A long procedure is mostly text, a rating 3 passage even with a diagram attached, so it comes last.