I haven’t taken SAT IIs outside of the practice tests available online. I know that for things like physics, the online practice test is usually easier than the actual one. How would the online math level 2 test compare, and are there more difficult resources than the actual test that I can study with?
I think they are generally easier. Get Dr. CHungs Math 2 book. It was amazing and helped me get a perfect score even though I am not the best at math.
The online test for math SAT2 was actually surprisingly close to the real test concepts-wise (the paper released SAT2 was not as close). Most concepts in the example problems online appeared on the actual May test, although some were presented in more complex ways and some in easier ways. I found the actual SAT2 harder than many practice tests (Princeton, SAT2 released test…easier than Barrons), but I scored much higher on it than I had been getting on those practice tests.
Is there an actual online test, or just online practice problems?
@SJ1616 Which online practice test did you take?
@outlooker I was referring to the practice math questions college board has online (it is not a full test). The full tests I was referring to were the released college board exams (in the blue book), the Princeton Review Book tests and the Barrons Review Book tests.
Here’s the link for the college board questions:
https://sat.collegeboard.org/practice/sat-subject-test-preparation
@SJ1616 Thanks for the link!
Is the SAT II math version of the blue book from 2006 sufficient for the current test? There is a new version available but its the same edition as the original.
Hey there. To my knowledge, the practice questions on the CB website are in most cases easier than the actual test. Think about it this way: the online practice questions are almost certainly the first thing a potential test taker like us will see. If CB puts lots of difficult questions on the website and frightens us, who will still choose to take the actual test? Believe it or not, this is true for many subject tests.
If you are looking for more difficult material, I suggest Barron’s, which helped me to score an 800 on math level 2. It is harder, indeed, and can improve your abilities. But in a short term, those harder questions wouldn’t provide as good a boost on your actual score as you would expect. Some of the hard questions just elaborate on topics that do not very often appear on the actual test, or on topics for which the SAT has a much lower requirement for problem-solving abilities. But anyway, to study more than the test asks for is a wise choice to secure a high score.
I didn’t use Princeton Review or Kaplan or any other guidebooks except the official guide (big blue). In my arrogant opinion, the big blue is essential in test preparation. The curve in the big blue is harsher than actual test curves. So 1 or 2 days before the big day, just sit down and do the practice test as if you are really sitting in the test center. Grade yourself and see how you do. The big blue score won’t be much different from your actual score.
And surely be confident about math level 2. It seems to be one of the easiest SAT subject tests. And you know the percentile for a score of 800 on math level 2? Around 89%. It’s just 50 questions, and to secure a 750+ you just need to answer 40 or so questions correctly. Good luck.
The math level 2 subject test has a self-selected group of test takers who are good at math (only those at least a year ahead in math take it). That accounts for the high score distribution compared to math level 1, whose test takers are the ones at normal level or behind in math.
@AmericanGothic What practice test for Math II do you think is most realistic?
@outlooker Of course the big blue (although the curve is a bit harsher). CB online practice is easier, while Barron’s is more difficult.
@ucbalumnus Well that makes sense. But I also know the percentiles for scores of 800 on the physics and chemistry tests are also around 90—incredibly low. Does that mean the sample pools contain a lot of proficient physics and chemistry test takers, too?
Physics and chemistry are probably mainly taken by prospective physical science or engineering majors, so that tends to bias the test taking group to those who are strongest at those subjects.
Note also that subject tests in general are mostly asked for by the more selective colleges, so the test takers for the subject tests are likely to be stronger students than the overall college bound student population.
I should probably get Dr.Chung and Barron’s books for Math II, and Barron’s book for physics because they’re harder than the actual test and are good for long term studying. Is the big blue book necessary to study, or can I settle for the aforementioned books?
Edit: I should say “recommended for studying” rather than necessary. Would I be much worse off if I didn’t get the blue?
@StrikerX No you wouldn’t. The blue book doesn’t actually provide you with review sections or stuff like that. It just offers a previously administered test, which is very realistic, with other sample questions and answer explanations appended. It’s like a general guide: you do it under real test conditions and look closely at your performance so that you can discover what to study. But, to study what you need to study, you need to rely upon Barron’s or whatever books you choose.
And, the big blue has a psychological benefit. Questions in the big blue are usually easier than those in Barron’s etc. (so are the actual test questions!!) If you can finish the Math II test in the blue on the night right before the test and get a good result, believe it or not, you would enjoy a great boost on your confidence.
Dr. Steve Warner has a prep book called 320 Math SAT Subject Test Problems. It has excellent explanations and, IMHO, has problems closer to what you’ll find on the test than Chung or Barrons.