<p>what did you use to prepare?</p>
<p>Just think carefully about all the concepts so they sink in, and that's really all you need.</p>
<p>i scored 800 on practice tests, and ill take when sats start again. i didnt pay much attention in class, but i read sparknotes, which is a life saver. all you need is sparknotes, it's easy and accurate.</p>
<p>So I shouldn't use both Sparknotes and PR, but rather only use SparkNotes?</p>
<p>best combo: Barron's (to make sure you are familiar with questions of all levels of difficulty) + PR (accurate tests, and easily explains concepts)</p>
<p>DON'T USE BARRON'S WHATEVER YOU DO</p>
<p>Sparknotes + PR are both really good. I used both, but mainly for extra practice because they cover the same topics equally well.</p>
<p>What is PR and why shouldn't I use Barron's?</p>
<p>How difficult is the SATII Physics exam? I took a regular physics course last year as a sophomore and I am considering taking the exam because I found the subject interesting. How much prep do you think I'll need? When should I start preparing? How much preparation did those of you who got a 800 put in?</p>
<p>Icer, PR is Princeton Review. When I started studying for the test, I originally started out with Kaplan + Barron's. Kaplan, although providing a good "introduction" to a lot of the topics that my physics class did not cover (ie magnetism, electronic circuits, nuclear + modern physics, etc.), was not indepth enough, and was too "easy" of a book. </p>
<p>Barron's was the exact opposite. The only one-word description I can really provide for Barron's is "muddy". Half the topics covered in Barron's don't show up on the test...honestly you feel like you are studying for a placement exam at a top level graduate school rather than the high school SAT II. Barron's explanations were not written well, and went WAY too indepth. </p>
<p>Both PR and Sparknotes were perfect. The practice tests were slightly harder than the actual test, but all the material they cover is what you will be tested on. </p>
<p>Cryptic, as to answer your question, I did not find the SAT II exam too difficult. I took it as a freshman, and I told myself that anything above a 700 would satisfy me. I took the exam in June, right after I had completed an Honors Physics course (at my school, physics is taught freshmen year). I studied for about two and a half months, going through Kaplan, PR, and Sparknotes (I did Sparknotes in about three weeks, and by the time I had finished, there were 2 weeks left until the exam. I then rushed through Princeton Review, and finished with a week left. The last week before the exam, I just relaxed and reviewed topics I didn't feel too comfortable with). As I said before, anything above a 700 would have satisfied me. I was ecstatic when I got an 800. </p>
<p>However, I don't know the difficulty of your "regular physics course" so my experience might not be like yours.</p>
<p>PR stands for Princeton review. I took an honors physics course taught to a nys regents curriculum. Most of the topics were covered in my class but I needed to teach myself thermodynamics, optical lenses and modern physics. I bought the Sparknotes book about a month before the exam. Went through every section and did every problem. My practice test scores were 720 740 and 690 in that order! I was expecting about a 750 but to my surprise I scored an 800 on the actual test. Sparknotes is a great book. It covers all the topics really well and the tests are designed to be slightly harder than the actual test.</p>
<p>If any of you took AP chem, how much did that course help? </p>
<p>I know a lot of the material overlaps the physics tests such as gases and thermodynamics :)</p>
<p>Thanks guys for writing such in-depth responses. My "regular physics class" was pretty comprehensive actually. I learned a lot but like Icedragonad's course, it was catered to the NYS regents curriculum. My teacher tended to deviate from the curriculum here and there, especially with modern physics so I have a strong background with modern physics and kinematics too. However, my teacher barely taught anything related to thermodynamics and optical lenses. </p>
<p>Icedragonad, so just Sparknotes alone is sufficient to get 750+?</p>
<p>Yes, it is possible to get a 750+ with Sparknotes as long as you are motivated and have a pretty decent grasp of physics. As for optics its just a little bit of memorization. I believe there was only one question on the actual test about optics. We learned a lot about thermodynamics in chemistry last year. It is pretty straightforward and basic. I believe there were two very simple thermodynamic questions on the actual exam that I took.</p>
<p>Should I buy the prep tests from Sparknotes?</p>
<p>elisa, it's online at sparknotes.com for free</p>
<p>I see the guide is for free, but the practice tests are for 4.95 $ each.Right?</p>
<p>PR + Sparknotes is good. I spent about a week reading and taking practice tests during school.</p>
<p>I believe you get one free practice test if you create an account on the site (at least, that's how it worked when I did it). I'm pretty sure you could just create three accounts and take all three tests that way.</p>
<p>Yeah, just make three separate accounts. I've been making new ones for years :P.</p>
<p>I just made a new account and I didn't get any practice test for free.Am I missing something?</p>