You’ve decided you’re going to take the test, you’ve handed over a large sum of money to the College Board to register, and now you need to prepare. Here’s how.
This book has been designed to help you learn the information covered on the SAT Biology test as efficiently as possible. You should look closely at Chapter 2 for suggestions on how to get the most out of its features. Use the diagnostic test to help you find the most important topics for you to review, and use the practice tests at the end to familiarize yourself with the format of the test.
Preparing for the SAT Biology E/M test is probably not the only thing you have to do. You may be filling out college applications, doing homework for classes, participating in extracurricular activities, working at a job, or preparing for the other SAT exams you’re taking. Starting as early as you can will help you have enough time to prepare. The more time you have, the more thorough you can be. However, it’s important that you be realistic in the amount of time that you’ll have to prepare for the test and pace yourself accordingly. Set aside time that you know you’ll be able to devote to your test preparation. If you don’t have that much time left, then it’s important to identify your weaknesses early using the tips in Chapter 2, so that you can make the most out of the time you have.
The practice tests are important tools in your preparation. Not only do they help you familiarize yourself with the test, they also allow you to figure out your test-taking strengths and weaknesses. Do you have a tendency to lose track when bubbling in answers? Are you constantly fighting against the clock? You will want to know these things before the day of the test, so that you can adjust accordingly and be more careful, so it’s important that you take the practice tests seriously. Give yourself a full hour to sit down at a desk in a quiet room and devote your entire attention to the test. Be sure to time yourself (or even ask someone else to time for you), and correct them yourself so that you can gauge your progress.
No one likes surprises at 8 AM on a Saturday morning. The more familiar you are with what you’re going to see on the test, the less time you’ll have to stare at the test booklet in confusion, trying to figure out what they’re asking. The practice questions in this test are written just like the questions on the actual exam. Pay close attention to the forms of questions on the diagnostic and practice tests and the types of questions that are discussed in Chapter 5 so that you know what to expect.
Even the College Board makes mistakes from time to time. You should double-check your admission ticket as soon as possible in case they have, indeed, made a mistake. Minor errors can be handwritten on your admission ticket and handed in on the day of the test, but major errors (say they signed you up for the SAT instead of the SAT Subject Tests) will need some advance notice. So double check that ticket, and be sure to put it in a safe place until the day of the test.
Knowing in theory how to get to your testing site won’t help you if you get lost on the testing day and neither will the added stress of traveling in unfamiliar territory. You need to make sure that you know exactly where your test site is and how long it takes you to get there. Make a practice run so you know how to get to your test site, bearing in mind that traffic conditions and bus and train schedules may be quite different on Saturday morning than at different times.
You’ve reviewed all the material you need to review, and the test is tomorrow. Here’s how to make sure that you’re not derailed in your quest for SAT Biology success with only 24 hours to go.
Trying to stuff all of those facts into your head the night before isn’t an effective studying technique. It’s much better to spread your studying out before the exam instead of cramming in one night. Not only are you unlikely to retain much of the information, but you will likely so stress yourself that you’ll get a horrible night’s sleep. Instead, if you still have things to study, set a realistic time limit for how long you’ll spend studying—perhaps a half-hour—and stick to it. Your time is best spent relaxing, not stressing yourself out.
You’re not going to want to run around looking for that admissions ticket on the morning of your test. So be sure that you’ve set aside everything that you will need to take with you the night before.
• Admission ticket
• Your photo ID
• Directions to the test site
• Car keys or bus/train fare
• Several Number 2 pencils (no mechanical pencils)
• Erasers
• Calculator (only if you’re also taking the SAT Math)
• Tape player (only if you’re taking an SAT test with Listening)
• Your own timing device
• Sweater/sweatshirt
• Healthy snack
Test sites are rather unforgiving of latecomers, so make sure that you have at least one alarm set before you go to bed. Setting a second alarm clock can’t hurt, just in case you ignore the first. Ideally, have someone who will make sure you’re awake when you need to be. If you and a friend are both taking the test on the same day, you might agree to call each other to ensure that you’re both awake.
You’ve probably heard it before, but it bears repeating that it’s important to get a good night’s sleep before the test. You don’t want to end up being the student with your head on the desk, drooling all over your answer sheet (it does happen!), and taking your test while recovering from a late night out will not help you impress the college or university of your choice. Getting a good night’s sleep not only helps you retain the information you’ve learned, but it also allows you to focus better on the day of the test. So be sure to get enough sleep to leave yourself well rested when you wake up.
Accidents happen. Streets can be busy, buses get delayed, and nervous SAT Subject Test takers can make a wrong turn or get on the wrong train. It may be difficult finding your way to your specific testing room, and there may be a long line to register. There are any number of reasons why it’s advantageous to leave yourself extra time to get to your testing site. Watching the clock is something you should do during the test, not before, and the added stress won’t help you focus on doing your best.
Don’t rush around the morning before your exam. Take the time to get prepared without running around and stressing yourself out. Take 5 or 10 minutes over breakfast to give yourself one last review of some material. And listen to music that calms your nerves while driving or riding to the test site.
A heavy breakfast the morning of your exam will probably leave you tired and struggling to stay awake, and overloading on sugar or caffeine will likely make you jittery before the test and not much more alert for the main event. Taking the SAT Subject Tests can be an energy-consuming activity, so it’s important to have a solid breakfast—try a healthy cereal, oatmeal, or scrambled eggs. Also, consider bringing a snack for the short break you’ll have between your subject tests. A piece of fruit or a granola bar will help you keep up your energy for the long haul.
Unfortunately, the College Board does not give bonus points for looking fashionable. Being comfortable in the room where you’re taking the test, however, will likely result in you having a better score. There’s no guarantee that your test site will be air-conditioned or that their heaters won’t be on overdrive; test sites are often uncomfortably cold or hot. Dress in layers, so that can adjust, no matter what the temperature, and wear comfortable clothing that won’t get in the way when you’re trying to focus.
There’s no assurance that your test site will have a clock, and that your desk will be pointed in the direction of a clock. Get a stopwatch, timer, or watch (ideally, one that doesn’t make lots of noise) so you can tell how long you have left on your test and pace yourself. Make sure you know how to use your watch beforehand.
You’re as prepared as you’re going to be at this point, so there’s no point in doing extra stressing out the morning of the exam. Don’t panic over the things you haven’t studied—focus on the test at hand. And use your nervousness to make sure you’re extra careful and aware while taking your test and filling in your answer sheets.
To do best on the test, you’re going to want to give it your best attention. Worrying about your score, thinking about what you’re going to do when you finally get done, and paying attention to the other people in the room will only distract you from your goal. You’ve got 1 hour, and you need to make the best of it—so don’t let your attention stray.
The SAT Subject Tests has the added complication that there are a number of tests to choose from, and you must be especially careful on the SAT Biology test to make sure that you’re answering the correct subset of questions that you want to answer. You don’t want to get halfway through the ecology section when you’d rather be answering questions on molecular biology. So pay close attention to the instructions and the questions that you’re answering to make sure that you’re answering the right ones and that you’re filling in your answers in the right place.
They’re not going to reuse your test booklet when you’re done with it, so feel free to scribble all over it. Writing in the test booklet can be immensely useful. You can cross out answers you know are wrong, underline the answers that you know are right, circle important words in question, do calculations, or draw a large circle around the questions that you’ve skipped or that you’re unsure about and want to double check if you have the time. Writing the correct answer to each question in your test booklet may also be useful should you make a mistake in bubbling in your answers. Don’t be afraid to make the test booklet your very own.
Bubbling is full of potential pitfalls. Not only is there the matter of correctly filling in bubbles with the right mark, but there’s also the mistake of bubbling in the right answer . . . in the space for the wrong question.
First, it’s important to know exactly how to bubble-in the answer sheets. Completely fill in the bubbles as much as possible while minimizing the amount of stray marks on your answer sheet. If you change your mind on a question, then be sure to erase completely, and watch that you haven’t erased the answer to more than one question. Do remember, however, that this isn’t a competition to see who bubbles the best. Your time is best spent getting to all of the questions rather than making sure that each bubble is exactly filled in.
Second, it’s important that you make sure you’re always bubbling in the answer to the right question. Every five or ten questions, you should make sure that the number of the question you’re answering is the same as the number of the space you’re bubbling in.
Everyone has different bubbling techniques. Some people prefer bubbling after every answer, while some prefer doing an entire page of problems, writing the answers in the test booklet, before bubbling in their answers. If you choose the latter, be sure to start filling in your answer sheet more often as you approach the time limit; you don’t want to run out of time to bubble-in the answer to a question you spent time on. For the same reason, it’s a bad idea to leave all of your bubbling to the end, as you may run out of time to bubble-in all your answers. Whatever method you prefer, make sure that you pay close attention to the questions you’re answering.
Each question, easy or difficult, simple or complicated, gets you the same number of points. It would be unfortunate for you never to reach the two really easy questions at the end of the test because you got bogged down on an earlier question. For that reason, it’s best for you to leave the questions that are harder for you, that require complicated calculations, or that you’re struggling with until later in the test, after you’ve already collected the points from the easy questions. Mark the questions you’re skipping clearly on your test booklet, perhaps by drawing a large circle or question mark, so that you can easily find them later on.
If you do skip around, however, be especially careful that you stay on track in filling out your answer sheet. If you skip question 30, then be sure to skip the answer bubbles for question 30 as well.
Make sure that you’re on track to finish all of the questions on time. With 80 questions in 60 minutes, you may not have a lot of spare time. Check yourself at 10- or 15-minute intervals using your watch or timer.
The SAT Subject Test has a penalty when you get a question wrong, to discourage random guessing on multiple-choice questions. If you have absolutely no clue as to the right answer to a question, you are better off leaving the question unanswered, because you will not be penalized.
However, studies have shown that test takers that are more comfortable making educated guesses consistently perform better on standardized tests. If you can eliminate one or more of the answers to a question, then it is to your advantage to guess on that question. So if you have an educated guess, then you should be bold and give an answer to the question.
The College Board doesn’t make the SAT Biology test an especially tricky exam, but it’s important that you look closely at each question to make sure you know what it’s asking. If a question asks about bacterial growth when the temperature was increasing, be sure not to look at times when temperature was decreasing. Questions using words such as “except” or “not” can be tricky; it may help to circle or underline these key words so you do not forget.
Believe it or not, occasionally the College Board helps you out in answering your questions. Sometimes, question number 75 contains a tidbit of information that helps you answer question number 2, on which you had to guess. So look around for questions that cover material that you’ve already seen, and if you have extra time, don’t be afraid to go back and make a new educated guess.
Ideally, you will not run out of time, because you’ve been pacing yourself and checking your progress. But, occasionally, it does happen, and it’s important for you to know what to do so that you don’t panic. The first thing to do if you’re running out of time is to make sure that you’ve bubbled in all of your answers. The time you’ve spent answering those questions is like an investment—you don’t want to waste it by not having bubbled in your answers.
After bubbling in your answers, you should look ahead to the questions that are left. Are any of them especially easy, or in an area that you’re especially familiar with? If so, you should answer those first. You’ll want to avoid questions that require you to do calculations, or that ask you to interpret a graph carefully—you may not have time for those. Instead, choose questions that ask you to simply recall information. Questions that ask you to identify parts on a diagram, for example, are quicker to answer. Also look for a series of questions that all have the same answer, as for these questions you’ll only have to look over one answer set for two or three questions, which may save you precious seconds.
Don’t go too fast or try to answer too many questions. It’s better to do well on the questions you answer than to go to fast and make random guesses.
If you finish early, you shouldn’t just sit at your desk and stare at the clock. There are plenty of things you can do! Your first task should be to go back and review any questions that you skipped. Now, you have the time to seriously consider those harder questions that you skipped before. After that, you may wish to go back and review any questions that you may have guessed on, or that involved a calculation that you may want to double check. Resist the urge to second guess too many of your answers, however, as this may lead you to change an already correct answer to a wrong one. Finally, you’re happy with your answers, you may want to spend time cleaning up your answer sheet, erasing any stray marks and making sure that all of your bubbles are filled in.
Congratulations, you’ve done it! There’s no more you can do at this point. Plan an enjoyable activity for the afternoon after your test. After 3 hours inside filling in bubbles, what could be better than an afternoon at the mall, or a bike ride outside? Resist the temptation to chide yourself for any mistakes you may have made. You’ve done your best, so it’s time to focus on the other tasks ahead. And reward yourself—you made it!
Just because you’ve received your scores doesn’t mean that all of the colleges or universities you’ve applied to have also received them. Make sure that you eventually sent the final version of your scores to all of the colleges and universities you’re applying to, especially if you’re taking the SAT Subject Tests before you take the SAT, or if you’re planning an additional testing date.