<p>Hello everyone! This is my first post on college confidential, so please excuse any of my...misunderstandings, if you may, with the service. I'm currently in my junior year in high school and will be taking the SAT for the first time in March, a second time in May, and a third time at the beginning of my senior year (if I'm not impressed with my score; I'm trying to make it to the Ivies). Do you think this is a good idea? Taking the SAT 3 times? I'm worried it'll make me look desperate. So! Onto my subject. I'm planning on taking the Math Level 1, US History, and Physics subject tests in June. I'm taking APUSH, Honors physics, and AP Calc AB this year, so I figured I might as well take these subject tests at the end of the year. My question is this: is Honors Physics enough for the SAT 2 Physics test? I'm am buying the "Cracking the SAT Physics Subject Test" by Princeton Review. Will this be enough to prepare? This may be a bit of a stretch (actually..it is a stretch) but would this book in anyway prepare me for the AP Physics B test? I take Calc AB right now; would this help me on the AP test for Physics B? I would've taken AP Physics B this year, but I didn't have room for the lab period in my schedule, unfortunately. This is just out of curiosity. Also, I took honors Chem last year, but don't plan on taking AP Chem (I'm more of a bio person). Assuming I buy a prep book, could I take the SAT 2 for Chemistry (next year) and be relatively well prepared? My second question is this. My APUSH teacher is awful. I don't feel like I am learning anything. I'm buying the "SAT 2 US History for Dummies" book for the SAT 2. Is this a good book for the SAT 2 US History? Concurrently, will this book help me for the AP test for APUSH? I know this is a lot, I just need to get it all out there. Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks!:)</p>
<p>First off,don’t worry about needing calculus for the physics SAT subject test; there is very little math and all of it can be done in your head. This is in fact so true that the test does not provide any equations or allow you to use a calculator. This sounds intimidating, I know, but after taking the test I know how unnecessary a calculator would be. </p>
<p>The test expects you to have a strong background in basic physics knowledge (which is why no equations are provided). I am currently taking AP physics B, and felt as though I had a good understanding of the majority of the test topics. That being said, I had also taken a regular introductory physics class a year or two ago, so the repeated learning of certain topics greatly benefited my ability to remember the equations. </p>
<p>I would say that if you are going to take SAT II Physics, make sure you have completed at least half of the AP physics course first. </p>
<p>For the U.S. History test, I found that I was most helped by a mixture of information I learned in both my U.S. History course as well as AP US Govt. and Politics course. If you feel that the teacher is doing a bad job, then you should definitely study with outside sources. Though if I am to give my honest opinion, the different topics and future implication-type questions on the test are too diverse to gain all of the information from a study book. I am sure you can do well without taking both of these year-long courses as I did, but after taking the test I feel that the content is --surprisingly-- best learned in classroom discussion type setting. </p>
<p>I can’t give any advise for Math II. I am a calc fan and take AP Calc BC, but the test kind of scared me off :). </p>
<p>I hope any of this helps. I haven’t even gotten the results of my two tests yet, so don’t take any of this as fact or anything!</p>
<p>Thanks! It helped a lot. I took AP Gov’t last year and got As all year, so hopefully that’ll help me!</p>
<p>my school does not offer APUSH. I am thinking about taking the SAT US history in June.</p>
<p>Is it possible to self-study for the test in the time I have left?</p>