<p>Hi, I am a junior trying to decide which sat 2's I should take, so I took a bunch of practice tests... and BOMBED. I am currently enrolled in a US history course, and an advanced precalculus/calculus course. (AP calculus BC next year). so I am FREAKING OUT. which sat 2s should I study for? I am planning on taking the sat 2s in may AND June, so any suggestions for a study plan or course of action besides for failing at life? I thought I would be pretty good at Math 1 and 2, but I guess not.</p>
<p>i want to apply to pretty good schools like NYU, BU, and tufts. and i want to major in business, finance, statistics, or economics.</p>
<p>here are the scores:</p>
<p>chemistry 520
physics 520
math1 650
math2 530
literature 570
world history 520</p>
<p>us history: did not take
biology" did not take</p>
<p>Consider ACT with writing in lieu of the subject tests, so if you mess up the real subject tests you can submit that. Check to see if that is an option at your target schools.</p>
<p>if you took ap world history and did well on the test, then you should murder the sat ii in that subject. i took a practice test for the sat ii world before i took the real test and i did worse on the practice than on the real test.</p>
<p>thats encouraging, but i have not taken the ap world history. on the other hand the curves on Math 2, physics, and world history are so generous i think i might as well study and then take those. does that seem like a stupid reason to take those tests?</p>
<p>You said that these are practice tests, right? So you still have 4-5 good months to study. It's good that you're getting a jump on it now and that you have such a variety of classes that you can take the tests for. </p>
<p>If I were you, I would re-analyze. Which subjects do you feel most comfortable with in school? Which ones do you enjoy learning about the most? Identify these and go from there. Chances are the lower scores you just got came as a result of not being familiar with the test formats and question types. Even if this is not the case, you still have ample time. Try to pick some subjects you feel comfortable with and get prep books for them--then simply go through the book. Many prep books include subject reviews that basically act as a refresher course on the subject, except everything they review is applicable to the test. Do the best you can with the time you have and try not to sweat it. </p>
<p>Just keep it all in perspective; you have time and variety from which to choose. If those were your first practice tests, use the scores you got as a base upon which to build and develop from there. </p>
<p>thanks again for the encouragement, but i dont feel that my bad scores come from not understanding the questions. i havent taken the sat 1 yet, but i got a 217 on the psat. i consider myself a very good test taker. why then am i doing badly on the subject tests. the only thing that pops out is that i do not know the material. this is probably due to my school, but still... that does not help my scores. i am also not very good at learning only from a book. i enjoy taking standardized tests. is a good studying strategy to take practice tests over and over again, or would that not help at all. </p>
<p>hi trojan, no probably not because my highest score was in math 1, which looks bad on applications because it is easy. the relationship between the other scores was all negligible</p>
<p>Practice tests are a good idea, even if it is just in order to familiarize yourself with the test format, etc. Do what you can-- maybe talk to your teachers about your concerns and ask them about any questions regarding concepts that you don't understand that you encounter in your practices.</p>
<p>interesting, so talk to my guidance counselors who probably have dealt with this issue before. it is still a punch in the ego to realize i cant get a 700 on a sat 2 without studying.</p>
<p>but no one has responded to the question, is it stupid to base the ones i take on the curves?</p>
<p>ok, so if everyone takes what they like to do, why are the curves always so different? i seriously do enjoy all of the subjects, and on that basis and based on the fact that i want to take a science,i should probably take physics... right?</p>
<p>The curves are proportional to difficulty. If something lets you miss 10 questions for an 800, it's a tough exam. If something only lets you miss 3 for an 800, it's an easy exam. </p>
<p>Do what you're best at -- the curve is NOT what you should be thinking of.</p>
<p>OK, thanks for the suggestion, i agree with both math 2 and literature, but i dont feel strong at all in chemistry, and i think that physics is easier to study for. also, that means i would not be taking a history. if i took math 2, literature, and physics; would it be an added bonus to take world history? would that look good for college applications?</p>
<p>that doesnt make any sense. NYU requires 2, but would look at 3? Harvard requires 3, would look at 4? how does it work? do they look at 1 more then they require?</p>