I have just started practicing/studying for my SAT II tests in math II and literature. I have read that your SAT scores are good indicators of SAT II scores. Not the case…
On my SAT- Reading/writing-780, Math-740.
On practice SAT II Tests (Princeton Review)- Literature- 540, Math II- 600.
What am I doing wrong?! Any advice for raising scores? Do I need a tutor? Is the Princeton Review book harder than the actual tests?
I don’t know about the Literature test but I’ve been using Princeton Review for Math II too and I think it’s quite accurate. The difference in your SAT math and Math II scores is a result of what the tests cover. Math II has much more content and asks more difficult questions. Keep in mind that SAT Math is meant to be a standardized test for all higschool students while SAT II is usually used as a tool in admissions to programs which require advanced math such as engineering.
To answer your question, you need to study for the subject test specifcally, going over the material which this test (unlike the regular SAT) covers. Hope this helps!
My ds just started prepping for SAT Lit which he is registered to take on Saturday. His SAT CR score is 730, but he just scored a 610 on his first practice Lit test from Kaplan book. He says he may not take on Saturday. Any advice?
i’m i’m having the same problem! Not sure if I will take it on saturday. I think I will to get a feel for the test/see how I do on test day. I will then take again if necessary. I would suggest that.
If you look at distribution of scores and percentiles, the Literature test is among the hardest of the subject tests. It’s not just reading comprehension but also tests your knowledge of literary terminology and concepts. The questions are tricky.
@sf0828 For Math II, much more content is covered (up to Trig) and the questions are more difficult. For both tests, you should strive for a 700+ if you are interested in very competitive schools. Good luck!
For math II, you should definitely expect a lower score than when you took your SAT. After all, the people taking the subject tests are people who are generally strong in math, so the test is designed to be much harder - or else everyone would get 800s. This doesn’t mean you should be discouraged. You will just need to study a lot harder. I would suggest Barron’s for practice tests (harder than the real test) and Diagknowstics (online platform) for videos, practice problems, etc. Good luck!
Actually I think the Math II goes up to PreCalc which means it should cover more content than the Math portion of the SAT. Math II is definitely taken by STEM major wannabes so a target should be 760+ and a good proportion of the test takers get 800. There’s always the option for Math 1 as well, but I think most of the elite schools who recommend subject tests want Math II.