Hi guys, I took IB Biology 1 as a junior, so I know cell organelles, cell division and replication, cell theory, DNA, RNA to an extent. I study anatomy and physiology on my own (I study system by system), just for fun because I like the subject.
I plan to take the Biology M test in September or October. None of the colleges I’m applying to require any subject tests for any majors, however, I thought it would be nice to add it to my resumé.
I have the Barron’s book that a friend lent me after he left to college and I bought the Princeton review book on my own. Should I be using one or the other, or both? I took the practice test in the beginning of Barron’s and got a 710 and Princeton Review I got a 730, both untimed, and not a huge difference score wise. I’m aiming for a 750+.
@Aneem00 Hello-my kid just took and it(BIO M) scored a 770. Used the Princeton review book , khan academy general biology and crack SAT.com. for quizzing. Princeton was so so
I got an 800 and I used Princeton and Barron’s. As a general rule for these two textbook companies, Princeton lacks a little bit of material and Baron’s has an excessive amount and that is mostly the case with the SAT Bio books as well. There are many sections of Barron’s that are completely unecessary, and I’m not sure is Princeton is completely adequate because I didn’t really on it. However, it’s better to overstudy rather than understudy. I wouldn’t be worried about your practice test scores. I scored a good deal lower on the Barron’s practice test than the actual thing. My high school class was also taught closer to the AP Bio curriculum so I don’t know how much the books helped.
If your practice scores are already so close to your target, I wouldn’t stress over reaching your target. Usually, the actual test has a nice curve that bumps your score higher.
However, I would suggest taking future practice tests timed just in case that becomes a problem on test day. I think you’ll be ready by the Sep date, so just take more practice tests and study the material you often miss.