to return to during your
second pass. This allows
you to come back
to time-consuming
questions if you have time
at the end of the test.How Should I Prepare for the Test?
Most students take the SAT Physics Subject Test after they’ve taken a year-long
college-prep course in physics at their high schools. The test is offered in May and
June, so you can take it near the end of the school year while the material is still
fresh. It’s offered again in the fall (October, November, and December), so you
have the option to take it at these times as well.
Naturally, it’s important to be familiar with the topics—to understand the basics of
the theory, to know the definitions of the fundamental quantities, and to recognize
and be able to use the equations. Then, you should get some practice applying what
you’ve learned to answering questions like the ones you’ll see on the test.
This book contains hundreds of practice questions that review all of the content
areas covered on the test. Each chapter (except the first) is followed by sample
multiple-choice questions. One of the most important aspects of this book is that
answers and explanations are provided for every example and question. You’ll
learn as much—if not more—from actively reading the explanations as you will
from reading the text and examples.
In addition, two full-length practice tests are provided. These are designed to
simulate a real SAT Physics Subject Test and will give you additional practice for
the real thing. Again, a complete solution is provided for every question in both of
these sample tests. The difficulty level of the examples and questions in this book is
at or slightly above SAT Subject Test level, so if you have the time and motivation
to attack these questions and learn from the solutions, you should feel confident that
you will do your very best on the actual test.
Practice test questions are also available directly from the College Board on its
website, http://www.collegeboard.org. The College Board also publishes a book entitled
The Official Study Guide for All SAT Subject Tests. You can purchase this book at
your local bookstore, through an online bookstore, or through the College Board’s
website.
You can also go to the website to get information about the SAT Physics Subject
Test, including test descriptions, test dates, and test centers, and you can register for
the SAT Subject Tests online.