So the strategy is clear: If you get to a question that you know nothing about—one
on which you can’t eliminate even a single answer choice—don’t let it fluster you;
just skip it.
Process of Elimination Is Your Best Friend
On the SAT Physics Subject Test, like so many other multiple-choice tests, the
Process of Elimination (POE for short) is your most valuable test-taking strategy.
One of the advantages to taking a multiple-choice test is that the correct answer to
every question is right there on the page! Often it’s easier to identify (and
eliminate!) wrong answer choices than it is to figure out the correct one. So after
reading a question, the first thing you should do is read the answer choices. If you
know a choice can’t be right, cross it out. And remember: If even part of an answer
choice is wrong, it’s all wrong.
Also, it’s important to notice that if two (or more) choices are equivalent—that is,
if two or more choices would be valid together—then you can automatically
eliminate all of them. After all, each question has just one correct answer; it can’t
have two (or more). As an example, look at Question 21 on this page. By Newton’s
Second Law, Fnet = ma, choices B and C are equivalent because if a were zero,
then the Fnet would also be zero (and vice versa); that is, if B were correct, then C
would also have to be correct. Since the question can’t have two correct answers,
eliminate both B and C.
Use POE as much as you can, because even if a question is difficult, as long as you
are able to eliminate one or more choices, it is generally to your advantage not to
skip the question but instead to guess among the remaining choices and move on.
Never Spend Too Much Time on Any One Question
The questions on the SAT Physics Subject Test are not organized by level of
difficulty, and every question on the test—whether it’s easy, medium, or difficult—
is worth the same amount: one point. You don’t get extra credit for correctly
answering a difficult question. If you see a question that seems tough, try to
eliminate some choices. If you can’t, just skip it. Never waste time agonizing over a
tough question when there are easier questions you can answer.