ACT Science Conflicting Viewpoints: how to compare the scientists
The Conflicting Viewpoints passage on ACT Science gives two or more explanations of the same scientific phenomenon that disagree because they start from different premises or incomplete data. The questions ask what each viewpoint says, where they agree and differ, and what new evidence would support or weaken each one. ACT says this format is 18–21% of the Science section and suggests taking notes that summarize each viewpoint. In ACT's 2025–26 practice test it was one passage with six questions and no figures.
Where it shows up on the ACT
| Enhanced ACT | |
|---|---|
| Section | Science (optional) |
| Length | 40 questions (34 scored) in 40 minutes, about 60 seconds each |
| Reporting category | Conflicting Viewpoints (one of three passage formats; ACT reports Science scores by skill category, not by format) |
| Share of the section | 18–21% of Science |
| In the Composite | No. Science gets its own 1–36 score and counts toward STEM. |
ACT gives format shares separately from its three reporting categories; these questions often ask you to judge explanations against evidence. We counted one Conflicting Viewpoints passage with 6 questions and no figures in ACT's 2025–26 practice test, and one with 7 questions and no figures in the older test in the 2024–25 guide. Source: ACT, Preparing for the ACT 2025–2026, pp. 6–10: what each section covers and its reporting categories.
What the questions ask you to do
- State the main claim of one viewpoint.
- Find what two viewpoints agree on, and where they differ.
- Decide which viewpoint a new finding supports or weakens.
- Identify an assumption one viewpoint makes and another doesn't.
- Predict what a supporter of one viewpoint would expect in a new situation.
A note-taking method for the passage
Write one short line per row for each viewpoint before you start the questions.
| Note | What to write |
|---|---|
| The question | The one thing all viewpoints are trying to explain |
| Claim | Each viewpoint's answer, in a few words |
| Evidence | The fact or observation each one relies on |
| Shared ground | Facts both accept, often stated in the introduction |
| Key difference | The single point where they split |
Most questions can be answered from these notes, with a quick check back in the passage.
Common mistakes
Wrong answer choices are often built around these.
- Picking the viewpoint you think is scientifically correct. The questions ask what each viewpoint says, not which one is true.
- Mixing up the scientists. Label your notes clearly and check the name in each question.
- Treating shared background as a disagreement. Facts in the introduction are usually accepted by every viewpoint.
- Choosing an answer that weakens both viewpoints when the question asks about only one.
- Reading only the first viewpoint closely. Questions about the second and third are just as common.
- Assuming 'consistent with' means 'proves'. New evidence can fit one viewpoint without ruling out the other.
3 example questions with answers
Written by Ashore in the style of the enhanced ACT. They aren't official ACT questions. Try each one before you open the answer.
Question 1 · Easy
Between 2015 and 2020, the number of yellow perch in Lake Dorrin fell by more than half. Two scientists discuss the cause. Scientist 1: Average summer water temperature in the lake rose by 2°C over the period. Warmer water lowers the percent of perch eggs that hatch, so fewer young perch enter the population each year. Scientist 2: In 2014, walleye were released into the lake for sport fishing. Walleye eat young perch. The percent of perch eggs that hatch has not changed; the young perch are being eaten before they can grow.
According to Scientist 2, the main cause of the decline in yellow perch was:
- Awarmer water.
- Bpredation by walleye.
- Ca lower egg hatching rate.
- Dsport fishing for perch.
Show the answer
B. Scientist 2 says walleye released in 2014 eat young perch. Warmer water and a lower hatching rate are Scientist 1's explanation, and Scientist 2 says the hatching rate hasn't changed. The walleye were released for sport fishing, but nobody says perch were being fished.
Question 2 · Medium
Use the passage in Question 1. Scientist 1 and Scientist 2 would most likely both agree that:
- Fthe yellow perch population in Lake Dorrin declined between 2015 and 2020.
- Gwarmer water reduced the percent of perch eggs that hatch.
- Hwalleye are the main predator of young perch in Lake Dorrin.
- Jthe percent of perch eggs that hatch has not changed.
Show the answer
F. The decline is stated before either scientist speaks, and both are trying to explain it. The effect of warmer water on hatching is only Scientist 1's claim, walleye predation is only Scientist 2's, and the unchanged hatching rate is Scientist 2's point that Scientist 1 rejects.
Question 3 · Hard
Use the passage in Question 1. Suppose a study found that the percent of perch eggs that hatched in Lake Dorrin was the same in 2020 as in 2014. This finding would:
- Aweaken Scientist 1's explanation and be consistent with Scientist 2's.
- Bsupport Scientist 1's explanation and weaken Scientist 2's.
- Csupport both explanations.
- Dweaken both explanations.
Show the answer
A. Scientist 1's explanation depends on warmer water lowering the hatching rate, so an unchanged rate cuts against it. Scientist 2 says outright that the hatching rate hasn't changed, so the finding fits that view, though it doesn't prove walleye are the cause.
More ACT Science guides
- Data Representation passages
- Research Summaries passages
- Science timing and tips
- ACT score calculator: questions right in each section to a 1–36 score and Composite.
- SAT vs ACT: which test fits you better.
- All ACT guides and free tools
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Practice test 1
Example
27
Composite
(28 + 26 + 27) ÷ 3
- English28
- Math26
- Reading27
- ScienceOptional, not in the Composite25