SAT Subject Tests</p>
<p>SAT Subject Tests (formerly called the SAT II) test your knowledge and skills in specific subjects. There are twenty different Subject Tests that are offered. Here is some commentary about each of them. </p>
<p>Literature: Poses interpretation questions based on passages and poetry from various eras. In some ways, it is a more difficult version of the Critical Reading section of the SAT. Some basic knowledge of literature terms is required. Getting a score of 800 is very difficult. Because of the number of practice tests that it contains, this book is a good preparatory resource. (800 is the 99th percentile; 790 is the 99th percentile. Around 59/61 (raw score) is required for 800.)</p>
<p>United States History: Supposed to be slightly more detail-oriented than the AP US History exam. The curve is rather generous, however. Though designed for the AP test, this book is an excellent resource for the Subject Test and has sufficient but well-presented detail. (800 is the 98th percentile; 790 is the 97th percentile. Around 79/90 (raw score) is required for 800.)</p>
<p>World History: The test’s difficulty is largely mitigated by its very generous curve. (800 is the 97th percentile; 790 is the 96th percentile. Around 78/95 (raw score) is required for 800.)</p>
<p>Math Level 1: Although this test does not go in-depth as Math Level 2 does, the questions require slightly more problem-solving skills. Moreover, the curve is very unforgiving. I recommend against taking this test unless you have not taken pre-calculus yet. Note as well that some schools do not accept this test (such as the University of California system). (800 is the 99th percentile; 790 is the 99th percentile. Around 49/50 (raw score) is required for 800.)</p>
<p>Math Level 2: The test covers some pre-calculus topics, but the questions are fairly straightforward. If you are looking for very rigorous practice tests, check out Barron’s. For more realistic and efficient preparation, Princeton Review has accurate tests. Sparknotes also has some decent practice tests; plus, they’re free (they have some for a few other subjects as well). (800 is the 89th percentile; 790 is the 86th percentile. Around 43-44/50 (raw score) is required for 800.)</p>
<p>Biology: There are two versions of this test: Ecological and Molecular. All Biology test-takers will take the same first sixty questions, but the next twenty will focus on one of those two areas. The test is known to be somewhat difficult and has a relatively unforgiving curve. Princeton Review is generally considered to be a solid book for this test. (800 is around 98th percentile; 790 is around 96th percentile. Around 77/80 (raw score) is required for 800.)</p>
<p>Chemistry: This test goes beyond the material of the typical introductory chemistry class but does not get as in-depth as AP Chemistry does. Princeton Review and Barron’s have pretty good review sections, although Barron’s may cover more than you need for the test. (800 is the 93rd percentile; 790 is the 91st percentile. Around 82/85 (raw score) is required for 800.)</p>
<p>Physics: Like the Chemistry test, the Physics Subject Test is not as in-depth as its AP counterpart (i.e., AP Physics B). There are a few topics that appear on the Subject Test, however, that are not in the Physics B or C curricula. Therefore, students enrolled in either of those classes should consider flipping through a review book to familiarize themselves with those topics, especially if they are in Physics C without having taken B. Princeton Review is often cited as the best preparatory book. No calculus appears on the exam, and the curve is generous. (800 is around 90th percentile; 790 is around 88th percentile. Around 59/75 (raw score) is required for 800.)</p>
<p>The remaining Subject Tests are language exams. They tend to have harsh curves, and the percentiles are less meaningful because of the significant self-selection that characterizes their test-taking populations. The offered languages are:</p>
<p>Chinese (Listening)
French (Listening or Reading)
German (Listening or Reading)
Japanese (Listening)
Korean (Listening)
Spanish (Listening or Reading)
Modern Hebrew (Reading)
Latin (Reading)
Italian (Reading)</p>
<p>The College Board publishes its own book for all the Subject Tests; there is one practice test for each. The College Board also offers a book for their math Subject Tests. That book says that there are four tests—two for each level—but only two of these are different from the test in their general guide. The story is the same for their guide for the history Subject Tests.</p>
<p>Although it is worth it to pick up any relevant official materials for the practice tests, you will likely have to turn to other preparatory sources (such as those that I mentioned above) for more practice, as well as review of the material. Luckily, though, using official practice tests is not as important with the Subject Tests as it is with the SAT Reasoning Test.</p>
<p>In order to supplement my rather superficial coverage of the Subject Tests thus far, I have asked CCer christiansoldier to offer his thoughts on the tests. Here is the product of his gracious agreement:</p>
<p>Quote:
Math I: Math I is often neglected by top students, and with good
reason. Math I presumes only that you have successfully completed
Algebra II. It will test basic trigonometric functions, but you will
probably remember seeing these in your geometry class. Some people take
Math I because it requires virtually no preparation. If you have done
well in your high school math classes and are a solid test-taker, you
should have no trouble getting a high score in Math I. The trouble is
that getting an 800 requires precision; you are often permitted to miss
only one question (or no questions). The curve remains steep, and
missing only a few questions will be detrimental to your score.
Furthermore, most top colleges prefer Math II, which has a much more
forgiving curve and is therefore widely considered the “easier” test.
In general, taking Math I is not recommended.</p>
<p>Math II: Whereas Math I is often neglected, the majority of top students
take Math II. Unlike Math I, Math II has a very generous curve. If it
were a test in school, getting an A would usually be enough to get an
800. Students who have done well in high school math through
pre-calculus and are strong test-takers will find this a manageable
test. It is especially appealing because it requires relatively little
preparation. You might have to review some of the finer points
such as matrices, but there is usually very little - if any - material
that you haven’t seen before. Of course, you should practice, but you
probably will not need a lot of review.</p>
<p>Chemistry: Chemistry is a very popular test among the hordes of
math/science-inclined top students. Unlike Math II, it is not a
particularly easy test to score well on. The curve is less forgiving
than, say, physics. This test’s popularity can best be attributed to
ambitious sophomores fresh out of AP Chemistry. The material covered in
SAT II Chemistry is similar to the material covered in AP Chemistry, but
I recommend you review some even if you are fresh off the AP test. A
lot of the material you crammed in April/May has probably left you.
Scoring very high will require not only a solid grasp of the concepts,
but also knowledge of the details. The true false questions, which are
unique to chemistry, are especially unforgiving, since all of your usual
multiple choice reasoning does not apply. Also note that if you have
prepped for Chemistry Olympiad, this test should be a breeze.</p>
<p>Biology: Biology comes in two flavors, Ecological and Molecular. The
difference between Bio-E and Bio-M is the last 20 questions. The first
60 are the same for both tests. Much of what can be said of SAT II
Chemistry can also be said of SAT II Biology: the material is similar to
the AP test, but you should still review because SAT II allows for finer
differentiation of high scores than the AP tests do. I will therefore
focus my discussion on whether you should take E or M. Bio-E tends to
have a slightly easier curve, but the difference is so small that you
should simply choose which subject you like better. More people tend to
choose Bio M, simply because most people with a strong enough interest
in Bio to even take the test are pre-med types and M is more relevant to
their interests. However, ecology comes late in the Bio curriculum and
accordingly might be fresher.</p>
<p>Physics: Physics is fundamentally different from Biology and Chemistry
because the curve is so much more forgiving. While students strong in
Chem or Bio are occasionally screwed by esoteric or poorly worded
questions, students who are strong in Physics succeed consistently. The
generous curve allows you to miss a few “off” questions, so scoring an
800 is easier. If you did well on the AP Physics B multiple choice, you
shouldn’t have much of a problem with SAT II physics. However, if you
just completed AP Physics C, you should probably review pretty
thoroughly. You would be surprised how much simple algebra you can
forget during your calculus-based odyssey in Physics C.</p>
<p>Literature: Literature, besides a non-native foreign language, is
appropriately considered the most difficult SAT II. The curve is
harsh. The questions can be weird. And it can be frustrating for the
literary-minded to conform their thinking to the demands of a multiple
choice test. This isn’t SAT I Critical Reading. The passages are far
more difficult, and the depth of analysis called for is much greater.
Unlike the other tests, the corresponding AP, AP Literature, is often
taken senior year - too late to help you unless you are crazy enough to
take if after college admissions season. Many choose to take Literature
without preparing at all; they look at it as more of an IQ test than
anything else, and therefore find it appealing. Indeed, if you have an
analytical mind well suited to the purpose of divining the College
Board’s way of thinking, you can do well on this test without any
additional preparation. If not, you can expect this to be a hard test.
Fluency in pre-20th century English is a huge asset.</p>
<p>World History: The history tests present an interesting conundrum.
While they tend to have more generous curves than the science tests,
they are longer and it is virtually impossible for any review book to
contain every possible fact that College Board might decide to test.
Sometimes the questions can be downright random. I remember distinctly
that my US History test asked “Which President’s cabinet was popularly
referred to as Camelot?” King Arthur was not a choice. Anyhow, for
those of you who get queasy at the sight of numbers not followed by
“A.D.,” the history test might be your best bet. While AP World History
tests your knowledge of broad trends and change, SAT II World History
focuses much more on discrete facts. Preparation is a must. Background
knowledge acquired outside of the classroom is also helpful. A lot of
the time, you will find yourself looking at a multiple choice question
and saying “Well who WOULD do that.” The general characteristics of
civilizations and time periods you learned in AP will be invaluable in
your multiple choice reasoning.</p>
<p>U.S. History: Not much can be said of U.S. History that I have not
already said of World. AP US History tends to focus more on facts than
AP World does, so that is helpful. However, SAT II US History questions
can be more esoteric, so it’s really a wash.</p>
<p>Languages: College Board faces a dilemma with its language tests. On
the one hand, it wants to make a test that serves as a meaningful
indicator of language development for those students who speak a foreign
language at home. Do they only know how to shoot the bull with family
and friends, or are they genuinely proficient in the language? Against
that interest, College Board does not want to make the test impossibly
difficult for those who picked up the language in school. College Board
has managed to fail on all counts. The majority of native-speakers get
800s, while those who learned the language in school usually find the
test exceedingly difficult. With preparation, you can probably manage
the verb tenses and be able to get most of the passages enough to answer
the questions. Unfortunately, unless you have an exceptional high school
program or have lived abroad for a while, you will run into a fair chunk
of idioms and vocabulary that you just don’t know. However, a good
score on a language test is probably the most impressive and meaningful
as far as colleges are concerned. If your ear is well trained to your
language (especially if you have lived abroad), it would be to your
advantage to take the listening test to score some easy points. If your
school program is not so good and you are responsible for most of your
own preparation, you would probably do better to take the Reading test.<br>
Although I am no expert in College Admissions (I am only a rising sophomore), if you think you can perform better in the Literature Subject Test, go for it!</p>
No problem! Just read up and browse these forums, you’ll learn a lot</p>