<p>I have two questions:
1) I've heard that the SAT Chem subject test is really hard. What would be considered a good score for the Ivies?
2) would an Honors Chem class at a very good high school be sufficient preparation, or should I wait for AP? If it's doable before AP, which prep books should I use?</p>
<p>If you’ve taken AP Chem, the SAT Chem test is pretty easy. However, I wouldn’t recommend taking the test without AP since honors does not sufficiently prepare you. A good score is subjective, but anything 750 and above is good for ivies. You should aim for around 800 if you want to be competitive though.</p>
<p>If you can wait until AP, do that. I have a friend that got a 760 after taking honors her junior year but she also had a teacher that prepared them really well.</p>
<p>If you have a good honors chem teacher and you can grasp the concepts, you can score well on the SAT’s. That said, I had a good teacher, am a good student, but did not grasp the concepts easily, although I did well in the class. When I took AP Chem, things started to click. Perhaps it was learning it again at a more advanced level, or perhaps it was a more mature brain. YMMV.</p>
<p>Does anyone know how compatible the new AP chem course is with the exam? I know that it covered less content before and more tables were provided so there was less memorization.</p>
<p>@Matt846 It depends on the teacher. Our AP Chem class was taught by a teacher who taught beyond the curriculum and most of the kids get 4 or 5s on the AP. On the other hand I saw a NY times article about the an AP class. It all depends on the teacher. </p>
<p>@existential12 lucky, last year (2013) my teacher had a 40% pass rate (3+). I got a 5 but I feel pretty underprepared based on CB sample questions.</p>
<p>Also, for anyone else reading my last post, I meant to say “less content than before”</p>
<p>Hi I’ve only taken honors chem and in a situation where i wont be able to take ap. I also had a terrible teacher and while I learned some, our class didn’t touch on many concepts. I tried learning out of Barron’s but I’m getting confused on some topics and the highest I’ve been scoring was a 580-610 on the Barron’s … Is there any way I can get near 800 with a few more this of practice? I’m thinking about getting the zumdahl textbook. Would that be helpful at all? I also have the PR.</p>