I have great news: studying for the SAT Subject Tests is exactly like studying for pretty much any exam that you take in school. They’re all about material knowledge, and that’s about it. There’s almost zero strategy on any of these tests (with the exception of the Literature exam, which requires the same strategies required for the SAT 1 Critical Reading section that I teach in ). Getting great SAT Subject Test scores is all about finding the material on these tests and then studying the living bejeezus out of it. The real trick is in studying the right material to improve your chances of getting a great score.

• The Official Sat Subject Test Study Guide

Before we continue, know this: You should be able to predict your SAT Subject Test scores within 10 points of your actual scores before you ever walk into the testing center. There are no surprises on these exams. As I said earlier in this series, the SAT 1 and ACT have a lot of variables at play – strategy, tricky wording, insane section formatting, ludicrous timing requirements, etc. The SAT Subject Tests do not.

You know your stuff or you don’t, and that’s honestly all there is to it. If you want great scores on these tests, you just need to follow these two steps: 1. Find the right materials to study. Study these materials until you have them memorized.

Time to get reading! Here are the books that I highly recommend: Everyone, For Every SAT Subject Test: This is the official manual – buy it no matter what you’re taking, and skim through the whole thing. It’ll give you a ton of insights into these tests, their construction, and what you need to study.

Also, if you’re still not sure which one you want to take, this is a perfect way to “shop around” and see what works best. You’ll get quick glimpses of each SAT Subject Test, which should make it easy to figure out which one is right for you (i.e. Which one seems easiest to you). By the way, as a reminder: the best SAT Subject Tests to take are ALWAYS the ones that’ll give you the highest possible scores. There’s no point in taking these exams unless you’re going to do well, so set the odds in your favor and pick the right ones (i.e. The ones that are easiest for you).

Once you pick the test that you want to take, which books give you the best materials? Rather than give you a list, I’ll make it even easier: 1. Go to Amazon. Type in “SAT subject you want to take” 3. Buy all the books with 4+ star reviews.

At the end of the day, it’s best to get as much practice material as you possibly can. The more you study, the better you’ll do. Just be sure that the books are accurate – Amazon reviews will lead the way. Once you have the materials in hand, there’s one last thing you need to learn: How to Study Effectively for SAT Subject Tests: All of these tests are completely different, and test very specific materials. I can’t give you French language tips, literature tips, and Math 2C tips in one article, so instead, I’m going to boil down this entire process to 4 steps: 1. Find out what you DON’T know.

As soon as you can, take a practice SAT Subject Test and figure out everything that seems weird or unfamiliar. Circle it, document it, and make a flashcard out of it. These tests do one thing: check your knowledge of certain facts and formulas. You know them or you don’t. The first thing you need to do is find out what you don’t know.

Once you figure out what your weaknesses are, you can eliminate them. But not until then.

Know thy enemy! Read through the books, find as much information as you can, and use answer explanations to help you. If you’re not sure how to conjugate a certain word in Spanish, use your books’ answer explanations and resources to guide you to the light.

You can also use the internet to find these facts. Again, this isn’t rocket science – these are just facts.

Google “how to conjugate X in French” and you’ll find it. There isn’t a single fact on these tests that can’t simply be Googled. The material is public access, and the strategy is non-existent. Use your TEACHERS to help you. I want to point one awesome thing out: The SAT 1 is a freakishly precise exam that needs to be taught by people familiar with the SAT 1.

SAT Subject Tests, however, can be taught by any teacher familiar with the subject material! Having trouble with a certain chemistry concept? Ask your chemistry teacher. Can’t deal with a certain French verb tense? Ask your French teacher!

Your school’s teachers are a huge resource in your mission to get great Subject Test scores. Practice, practice, practice. Did you think there’d be some magical way of getting better scores? Unfortunately, there isn’t. Find out what you don’t know. Then learn it. Most of my personal SAT 1 and ACT clients ask me for help on their SAT Subject Tests – and I always refuse to give it.

Because the things they’ll learn from me aren’t worth my time or their money. My knowledge of the SAT 1 and ACT are worth the price – I consistently provide my students with enormous score improvements at a level higher than any other tutor in the industry. But anybody can teach the SAT Subject Tests – all the knowledge within is common knowledge. If you want a tutor, you’d be just as well off hiring a local freshman college student for $15/hour as you would hiring me. The SAT Subject Tests are just like any other exams that test your ability to regurgitate information; if you have it ready to regurgitate, you can do it.

If not, you’re cooked like a turkey. Every day, set aside 20 minutes and just study your face off. Remember: consistency is more important than quantity!

It doesn’t matter if you study for 10 hours the day before your exam – you won’t remember anything. Take it slow and steady and you’ll remember all the facts you need to. To summarize: 1. Find out what you don’t know. Study it repeatedly and consistently until test day.

That’s all there is to it! You know when to take your SAT Subject Tests, you know if you need to take them in the first place, you know which materials you need to study for them, and you know the incredibly simple way of studying for them. Now get to it! The sooner you get started, the sooner you’ll have these things out of the way, and the more powerful your college application will become. Two more quick notes: 1. Your SAT 1 and ACT scores are much more important than your Subject Test scores. Don’t put off your SAT 1 and ACT prep – each day you wait makes the process that much harder.

If you’re looking for a good way to get started, I recommend taking a look at You can use them wherever, whenever you have the time, and the average student who uses my programs improves by 345+ points on the SAT and 4.66+ points on the ACT. 2. If you want a much more in-depth look at the entire college application process, and even more info on the APs, Subject Tests, and every other imaginable facet of the college admissions game, be sure to check out my book,. You’ll be glad you did! Thanks for reading! If you have any additional questions, be sure to get in touch using the support box to the bottom right of your screen – my team and I will be happy to help! Have a great day, and good luck with your prep! Best Wishes, Anthony-James Green Founder, Green Test Prep.

About this Course Even if you're not hoping to attend a school that requires the SAT subject tests, you can still take one of them to showcase your skills in a particular subject area. In fact, many schools recommend taking one of the subject tests as part of your admissions process. Taking and passing one of these tests can help you stand out from the field of applicants and might be useful for earning credit in introductory courses. If you have strong knowledge of physics, you can take the, which has 75 multiple choice questions. This test has to be completed in one hour and is only available in paper form.

You can choose from six different test dates annually. When you start preparing for the test, you'll be able to utilize the video lessons and quizzes found in this study guide. The topics found in the lessons are the same as those on the test and cover:. Mechanics. Electricity and magnetism.

Waves and optics. Heat and thermodynamics. Modern physics. Analytical skills. Contemporary physics The test features questions in six different content areas, each making up different percentages of the entire test. You should be able to use the metric system and apply the basic physics principles and skills you learned in your high school lab to common physics problems. Concepts that you will be tested on include dynamics, energy and momentum, magnetism, electric fields and wave properties.

You will also encounter questions on reflection and refraction, the laws of thermodynamics, nuclear physics and relativity. A miscellaneous content area tests your analytical skills and might ask you about the history of physics or concepts like chaos theory. Sewing & tailoring classes online. Some questions overlap the different content areas. Preparing and Registering for the SAT Subject Test - Physics Our study guide has video lessons that focus on the principles and concepts tested on the subject exam. You'll also be able to utilize self-assessment quizzes to gauge your understanding of the topics. These quizzes can also be used to prepare you for the style of questions you'll see on the test. Links to text lessons offering additional details on key terms can also be found in the lesson transcripts.

If you plan to take additional subject tests besides this physics test, you will have the option of taking two additional subject exams on the same date as your physics test. However, you can't take your SAT and a subject test on the same date. Plan to register about a month before your selected test date in order to avoid paying a fee for late registration. The registration process is available online and allows you to get your confirmation right away. You'll just need to select your test date and testing center when you register, along with uploading a photo of yourself.

This is also the time to choose which schools you want to receive your test scores. Your admission ticket will be available after you register, and you'll need to bring this with you on the day of your test. Note that you can't use a calculator for this test, but you will need to bring pencils and a photo ID. Scoring the SAT Subject Test - Physics You'll find your scores online a few weeks after your test date. Content area tests are scored on a scale of 200 to 800 points. You get one point for each correct score, and fractional deductions are made for each incorrect score. No points are deducted for questions that you leave blank.

The score report is also sent to your high school and the colleges you selected at registration. Mechanics You'll see questions covering kinematics, dynamics and circular motion.

You'll also need to apply basic physics principles to problems on energy and momentum, simple harmonic motion and gravity. You'll want to be familiar with formulas for speed and velocity, and you should be able to define acceleration and recognize its formula.

You'll also need knowledge of the differences between potential and kinetic energy. You might be asked to apply Newton's laws of motion or explain laws like Kepler's laws of planetary motion or the law of gravitation.

The Official Sat Subject Test Study Guide

Electricity and Magnetism In this section of the test, you'll be asked about electric fields, capacitance, circuit elements and magnetism. You'll need to know how Coulomb's law is used to explain the relationship between force, distance and charge and what the equation and uses are for Ohm's law. You'll need to be familiar with the definition for magnetic force, and you might need to explain what a magnetic field is. You can expect to see questions on electric potential, electric force fields, parallel-plate capacitors and Faraday's law. Waves and Optics This section asks you to apply physics properties to questions on reflection and refraction, physical optics and ray optics.

You should be familiar with the methods used to measure waves and know how to measure wavelength and wave speed. You could also be asked about applications for the Doppler Effect or how color and light are related. This section will also test your knowledge of how images are formed in mirrors and lenses and why Snell's law is used to determine how light waves are bent. Other concepts covered in this section include single-slit diffraction and polarization. Heat and Thermodynamics This section focuses on thermal properties and laws of thermodynamics. You'll need to know how temperature is expressed and what happens to a substance's temperature when heat is added or removed. You could be asked about the calculation for specific heat or the process of thermal expansion.

You should be familiar with the first and second laws of thermodynamics and prepared to apply these laws to different problems. Modern Physics In this section, you'll see questions on Quantum phenomena and relativity. You should be prepared to answer questions on atomic theory and nuclear and particle physics.

You might be asked about the importance of the Bohr model and its connection to earlier theories, like the Rutherford model. You'll need to be familiar with the different types of nuclear reactions and be able to explain various theories on relativity. Miscellaneous This section features questions on the historical aspects of physics and focuses on your ability to perform graphical analysis or use math to solve problems. Be prepared for questions on astrophysics and applications for chaos theory in addition to questions focused on the phenomenon of superconductivity. SAT is a registered trademark of College Board, which is not affiliated with Study.com.