Science: Reasoning Across Life, Earth, and Physical Science
What the Science section asks
TASC science tests interpretation of data, experimental design, and core concepts from life science, Earth and space science, and physical science. Many items present a short description of an investigation or a data pattern rather than requiring memorized facts.
Concepts to master
Scientific method: hypothesis, independent and dependent variables, controls, and constants. Data interpretation: reading tables, recognizing trends, and distinguishing correlation from causation. Life science: cell structure, photosynthesis and respiration, heredity, ecosystems, and natural selection. Physical science: states of matter, atomic structure, Newton's laws, energy transfer, and simple machines. Earth science: rock types, plate tectonics, weather and climate, and the water cycle.
Traps to expect
- Confusing independent and dependent variables: the independent variable is what the experimenter changes.
- Missing controls: a conclusion is weak if only one group was tested or no comparison group exists.
- Correlation claimed as cause: two trends moving together do not prove one causes the other.
- Ignoring sample size or repeated trials.
- Confusing mass with weight, or weather with climate.
Rule of thumb
For any experiment question, name what changed, what was measured, and what was held constant. If a choice claims a cause, check whether the design actually manipulated that factor.
Worked example
A student waters three plants with 100 mL, 200 mL, and 300 mL daily and records height after two weeks. The independent variable is water volume; the dependent variable is plant height. Traps include concluding that more water is always better, since only one trial per amount was run and other factors such as light must be held constant.