SAT II - which ones?

[Gaby]

Hello! I'm starting IB1 this September and I'm considering studying in USA. I'd like to know which subject tests should I take that would have the most in common with the curriculum of my chosen IB subjects. I'm going to take:

HL:

History

Psychology

English B

SL:

Polish A1

Chemistry

Maths Methods

I took some practice tests on College Board and found World History quite easy (I think I'd only have to do quite a big revision of what I've already studied), I also didn't have much problem with Biology M (weird, since i don't like biology much). So, I'm trying to figure out which SATs II should I take because I'd like to start preparing as soon as possible. And also, which book should I purchase in order to practice my vocabulary for SAT I?

Thanks for your help

Edited March 21, 2011 by Gaby

[Emmi]

What do you plan to study in university? Knowing what you want to do would certainly help.

Also, not every university requires SAT II tests, but it's good to take them anyways.

Looking at your subjects, you might want to take:

World History

Literature

Do you speak another language other than English or Polish? If you do and it's offered as a subject test, you could take one of those also.

[elmar]

SAT II's are only required of highly competitive colleges. Non-competitive colleges don't even consider them. But most colleges only require 2. Harvard wants 3.

For your subjects to take, have you considered Chemistry? Math Level 1 would be easy if you know all of the topics covered (you can find them on the CollegeBoard website). But the curve is harsh, and if you miss more than a few, your score falls dramatically. Take Math Levels 2 if you are prepared and are in Math Methods, not Math Studies. If you must take a third one (if you're applying for Harvard or want to play the SAT II's to your advantage) take World History, if you're interested in it.

[timtamboy63]

If you are applying to competitive uni's, quite a few don't accept Maths Level 1, so I'd keep that in mind

[Gaby]

I was thinking of majoring in political science, international relations or maybe criminology. About languages: I studied Spanish for 3 years but didn't learn much, I also started studying French last September so I don't think it'll help me.

And of course I'm taking Maths Methods and not Studies.

[~Lc~]

for what you've said then subjects on the social side is a good idea. Americans like diversity though so I would do a science as well. So history is certainly a good choice! I'd do one mosre subject, either Lit or Chem. Chem SAT2 you'll need to know some HL material, so it might be just a bit too much effort which is not worth it...

[ecieee]

I'm thinking of taking Chemistry, Biology and Maths II

considering that I don't do history and I heard that French is quite hard (and since I'm only an ab initio level)

Do you think this is sufficient enough to appeal to the competitive universities?

[Gaby]

I was considering Maths (I or II), World History, Chem and Bio. If taking Chemistry means catching up on some HL material then I think it might not be the best for me, I would be afraid I might not understand something after studying it on my own. And I thought Lit was some super-hard subject and since I'm only taking English B (my school doesn't offer A2) it would be kinda too difficult.

[timtamboy63]

Gaby, you don't need 4, even the most competitive uni's only want 3.

[Gaby]

I meant 2 or 3 from those mentioned by me. Those 4 are the ones I consider, I'm not going to take 4, I'm not suicidal.

[daxx]

From what I've heard, the SAT II in Literature is considered to be the most difficult as the curve is very unforgiving and because many people find it very difficult to finish in time.

You should definitely decide based on your own strengths and weaknesses though.

Most top schools don't care which subject tests you take, as long as you meet their requirements for the score and number of tests. The only programs that seem to prefer you take certain tests are Engineering programs who generally want to see physics.

[faith]

SAT II's are only required of highly competitive colleges. Non-competitive colleges don't even consider them. But most colleges only require 2. Harvard wants 3.

For your subjects to take, have you considered Chemistry? Math Level 1 would be easy if you know all of the topics covered (you can find them on the CollegeBoard website). But the curve is harsh, and if you miss more than a few, your score falls dramatically. Take Math Levels 2 if you are prepared and are in Math Methods, not Math Studies. If you must take a third one (if you're applying for Harvard or want to play the SAT II's to your advantage) take World History, if you're interested in it.

Actually, Harvard only requires two subject tests now. However, it cannot hurt you to take more than two subject tests. (I personally took 4)

I think you should definitely do subject tests on subjects that you are good at/that relate to your proposed major. From your subjects, I think Literature, Chemistry and Maths might be some possible choices. (With Maths, you get to choose between level 1 and level 2. I don't know about the difficulty of level 1 because I haven't looked at it before. I personally found level 2 quite easy but I did Maths HL instead of SL. I think you should look through the practice tests on collegeboard to decide which ones suits you more)

Regarding vocabulary, I suggest you look through some of the books on Amazon. Look for SAT vocabulary books that have good ratings. =)

Good luck!

[Gaby]

Well, I think Lit is not exactly my thing. I don't like it in Polish, in English it would just kill me. I think I'll take World Hist, Maths and Chem. I have last question to you guys. Is any of those books good?

http://www.amazon.com/Master-SAT-CD-ROM-Students-Parents/dp/0768927919/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1300443385&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Barrons-SAT-Critical-Reading-Workbook/dp/0764141953/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300443509&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Grubers-SAT-2400-Strategies-Questions/dp/1402214421/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1300443584&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.com/SAT-2400-Sneak-Preview-English/dp/0071416676/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1300443691&sr=1-1

[elmar]

Actually, Harvard only requires two subject tests now. However, it cannot hurt you to take more than two subject tests. (I personally took 4)

Really? That's new. I'm considering taking 4, with 2 on two different testing dates, but that's only because World History is offered twice per year.

Well, I think Lit is not exactly my thing. I don't like it in Polish, in English it would just kill me. I think I'll take World Hist, Maths and Chem. I have last question to you guys. Is any of those books good?

http://www.amazon.com/Master-SAT-CD-ROM-Students-Parents/dp/0768927919/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1300443385&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Barrons-SAT-Critical-Reading-Workbook/dp/0764141953/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300443509&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Grubers-SAT-2400-Strategies-Questions/dp/1402214421/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1300443584&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.com/SAT-2400-Sneak-Preview-English/dp/0071416676/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1300443691&sr=1-1

Barron's is my favorite, I use it for everything. Although it doesn't parallel precisely, I sometimes skim it for my IB classes, especially Biology. So I would recommend Barron's over anything, especially Princeton and Kaplan. People say Barron's practice tests are usually harder than the real test, but I know that might only apply to other examinations. I haven't used Barron's for SAT yet, but will end up buying a few in April.

Also, I would recommend the "Hit List." Just type in "SAT Hit List" on Google and you'll see flashcards on those study websites. You can order the book used or new from Amazon if you search. This book works well with vocab.

Edited March 19, 2011 by elmar

[CocoPop]

If you must take a third one (if you're applying for Harvard or want to play the SAT II's to your advantage) take World History, if you're interested in it.

It's worth pointing out that Harvard does NOT require 3 SAT tests. The undergraduate class of 2014 were the last to have that requirement (http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/application_process/requirements.html#sat2).

In fact, the vast majority of universities don't require 3 SAT subject tests. MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Princeton (who also changed it from 3 to 2), Berkeley etc. all only ask for 2 subject tests. However, it's worth doing 3 and sending the best 2 results, because many universities allow you to choose which subject tests to send, and if all 3 scores are good then that will give you a competitive advantage.

My advice would be to take World History, Chemistry, Maths 2 and Maths 1 (if possible - the max number of tests you can take in one sitting is 3):

- World History I have little experience with, but since you're taking History HL and you say you didn't find the SAT II too hard, definitely take it.

- I took Chemistry SL and did the subject tests with a day of preparation (I don't recommend this) and got 720 (although that seems like a high score, it's only in the seventy-something percentile!). The problem was that the test covered some HL material that I should have looked over beforehand. You also have to be very quick with calculations - they aren't difficult calculations once you get used to them, but you'll have to do some extra practice beyond your IB work.

- You should only be doing Maths 1 if you're taking Maths Studies SL. If you're taking Methods SL it shouldn't be impossible with a bit of extra reading and revision (some topics aren't covered by the IB such as polar coordinates). The difference is that you can get 4-5 questions wrong in maths 2 and still get 800, but make 1 mistake in maths 1 and your score will probably drop to 770-790. So if you're prone to making mistakes you might do better in maths 2. Try both and see which one turns out better.

- I don't recommend you take a language subject test if you're not great at the language. I got a 7 in French B SL but only got in the high 600s in my subject test.

Just take lots of subject tests from early on and keep repeating! I got 800s in maths 2 and physics in my first sitting by chance. I screwed up French like crazy, but it meant that I could stop worrying about 2 of my tests - huge relief! Then tried chemistry and french again in my next sitting because I NEEDED 3 subject tests. Just make sure you don't waste time and end up realizing you've got 1 sitting left before applications. Usually if you're applying RD universities will let you send January scores (with the exception of the University of California).

Ok, I'm babbling!

With enough practice it should work out fine! Good luck, and let me know if you have any more questions!

Edited March 20, 2011 by CocoPop

[Gaby]

Thank you all for your help! You can read and read every page in the google search but nothing can replace first-hand experience. I have one last question, once again concerning books. From what I've heard, for SAT I the best is a combination of Barron's and CollegeBoard's books. Is that true? And with SAT II, is Barron's still the best? Or is Kaplan better? I've read an opinion on Kaplan that it's a book for people aiming for 650-700. Does it make any sense? And that Barron's SAT II books have mistakes...

[faith]

I only used collegeboard's official guide for SAT I so I cannot give you much advice there.

For my SAT IIs, I used Kaplan and Princeton review and I managed to get pretty good scores off them. (800, 800 and 780 for maths II, chemistry and biology respectively) I'm not quite sure whether that is due to the books or the IB though. (Those three subjects are my HLs) Also, you should get collegeboard's official subject test book because it is the only source of official tests.

[fireinyourhole]

Quite a few of the good colleges require SAT Subject Tests. For example the UC's (University of Californias ...) require two sat subject tests from either Math (2), English, Sciences, History etc.. Colleges are beginning to ignore Math 1 subject test so I advise you do Math 2 (UCB doesn't take into consideration Math 1). Good luck!