Cracking the SAT Chemistry Subject Test

Here’s the Good News: You Can Rephrase It Yourself

To avoid the trap, keep some simple rules in mind.

•           Remember    that    there’s usually more    than    one way to  say something.

•           When    you see a   question    that    asks    about   a   topic   you’ve  studied,    don’t

fall    apart   just    because the answer  doesn’t leap    out at  you right   away.

•           Relax.  Realize that    the right   answer  is  probably    camouflaged by  words

that    are different   from    the ones    you have    in  mind.   Calmly  search  for them,

and chances are,    they    will    leap    out at  you.

In other words, keep an open mind. Don’t expect test makers to use your words.
Remember: The same concept or idea can be expressed in many different ways.
Keep the concepts you know in mind, and don’t get too attached to the words
you use to express them.

Another Way out of the Trap: Translate and Work Backward

Suppose you do try to keep an open mind on a particular question, and it just
doesn’t seem to work; the right answer isn’t coming to you, although you know
your chemistry. For questions in Part A, here’s what you can do: Look through
all of the answer choices, and restate them in your own words. Below, we’ve
listed five possible answer choices you might see in Part A of the exam. Below
each

answer choice, we’ve included one way of restating the answer.

(A)         ideal   gas constant

It’s the letter R in the equation PV = nRT. It equals about 0.082