I’m going to be taking the SAT II for Biology this upcoming June. I’m wondering what are the main differences and benefits of taking one version versus the other.
In short, the E stands for ecology and M stands for molecular, so take E if you’re more familiar with ecology and biological communities and take M if you’re more familiar with biochemistry and cell processes. Generally, if you’re a more sciency person then you might find M better.
https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat-subject-tests/subjects/science/biology-em
Take a look at the official CollegeBoard website for more differences.
More people score higher on the Bio E than Bio M. While this doesn’t necessarily mean Bio E is easier, it does mean that getting a higher score on the Bio M is more impressive (and a higher percentile) than the same score on Bio E. Bio E has more abstract scientific concepts and is largely based in nature, animals, etc and how various aspects of life affect each other. Bio M is more “hard science” and often presents questions that have you analyze the results of experimentation on bacteria. If you’ve taken AP Bio, you’ll probably find Bio M a better choice. Good luck!
A high score is a high score and no adcom will be seriously impressed because you scored high in M compared to an applicant that scored high in E. Obviously take the test that you think your are better prepared for. Try the questions and make a decision for you. You need to know enough of both to score high anyway because the majority of the questions are from both.
Alright, thanks everyone