Introduction to the SAT II

The SAT II Subject Tests are created and administered by the College Board and the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the two organizations responsible for producing the dreaded SAT I (which most people call the SAT). The SAT II Subject Tests were created to act as complements to the SAT I. Whereas the SAT I tests your critical thinking skills by asking math and verbal questions, the SAT II Subject Tests examine your knowledge of a particular subject, such as Writing, U.S. History, Physics, or Biology. The SAT I takes three hours; the Subject Tests take only one hour. In our opinion, the SAT II Subject Tests are better tests than the SAT I because they cover a definitive topic rather than ambiguous critical thinking skills that are difficult to define. However, just because the SAT II Subject Tests do a better job of testing your knowledge of a useful subject doesn’t mean the tests are necessarily easier or demand less studying. A “better” test isn’t necessarily better for you in terms of how easy it will be.
The Good

* Because SAT II Subject Tests cover specific topics such as Grammar, Chemistry, and Biology, you can study for them effectively. If you don’t know the structure of DNA, you can look it up and learn it. The SAT IIs are therefore straightforward tests: if you know your stuff, you’ll do fine.
* Often, the classes you’ve taken in school have already prepared you well for the SAT IIs. If you’ve taken a Biology class, you’ve probably covered most of the topics that are tested on the SAT II Biology test. All you need is some refreshing and refocusing, which this book provides.

The Bad

* Because SAT II Subject Tests quiz you on specific knowledge, it is much harder to “beat” or “outsmart” an SAT II test than it is to outsmart the SAT I. For the SAT I, you can use all sorts of tricks and strategies to figure out an answer. There are far fewer strategies to help you on the SAT II. Don’t get us wrong: having test-taking skills will help you on an SAT II, but knowing the subject will help you much, much more. In other words, to do well on the SAT II, you can’t just rely on your quick thinking and intelligence. You need to study.