Science
What the Science domain tests
The Science domain spans life, physical, and Earth/space science, plus scientific inquiry and data analysis. Expect questions on cells, ecosystems, matter, forces, energy, plate tectonics, Earth-Sun-Moon cycles, and experimental design.
Core rules and concepts
- Inquiry: the independent variable is changed; the dependent variable is measured; constants stay the same; a control group provides a baseline.
- Life science: cells are the basic unit; photosynthesis stores energy, respiration releases it; energy flows through ecosystems.
- Physical science: matter is conserved in changes; forces cause acceleration; energy transforms but is conserved.
- Earth/space: plate tectonics explains earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain building; seasons result from Earth's axial tilt, not distance from the Sun.
Worked example. A student tests fertilizer on bean plants: 0 g, 5 g, and 10 g, with identical soil, water, and light. Fertilizer amount is the independent variable; plant height is the dependent variable; soil, water, and light are constants; the 0 g group is the control.
Traps that cost marks
- Calling a hypothesis a theory or a theory a law.
- Confusing mass with weight.
- Mixing up weather and climate.
- Changing more than one variable at once.
- Reading a graph's axis labels carelessly.