Guide to the biology SAT II

For many students at Wayland High School, the biology SAT subject test is their first test of that nature and thus may present itself as unfamiliarly daunting. Many may be unsure of how to begin to approach such a task, as the test covers the entirety of the material of Wayland’s honors biology course, and beyond. However, with an organized schedule and the right resources, students will be more than prepared to face the bio SAT.

Why take the Test?
The SAT subject tests are a large series covering far more subjects than just biology. Many colleges require the submission of SAT subject test scores (typically two) or will take such scores into consideration. Some schools will even take a set of subject tests scores in place of an ACT or SAT score. A fairly complete list of schools’ policies on subject tests can be found here. Since schools vary on whether they require subject test scores, it is usually a good idea to take some in order to be able to submit to any that do require them. Additionally, since most schools only require two, one may send their two best scores, so it can be beneficial to take several to yield the best two results. Many students choose to take the biology subject test because the honors biology course at the high school covers the material of the test nearly in entirety, and such material is still fresh in their minds on test day.

Study Schedule
Most of the biology teachers give students a list of resources for the subject test part way through the year and encourage students to sign up for the test. In my class, this included a schedule, which instructed us to acquire Barron’s Biology SAT subject test book and begin studying, months in advance of our designated test-taking date. While this may work for some students, it wasn’t the right plan for me. In class, I was more likely to study the night before a test than to start days before, so it didn’t make sense to me that I should begin so far in advance. Like most other students do, I took the test in early June, so I began to study in late May, about two weeks from the test. It is around this time that most of the spring sports come to an end, so I now had an additional two hours that had previously been occupied. I, therefore, allocated one hour each day to study for the test, beginning with material from the start of the year and working chronologically forward from there. As a student who is most comfortable with studying close to an assessment, this schedule worked best in preparing for the biology subject test.

Study Resources
The resources I used were much more in keeping with the teachers’ recommendations. The SAT subject test books contain thorough, but concise summaries of every unit covered on the subject test. It is important to note, that the publishers produce a new edition of these books frequently, but that it is not necessary to have the most recent one. If students have siblings who took the subject test in the past with one of these books, it is unlikely that reusing it will put them at a disadvantage to those who bought new books. Some units in the books are not covered in class at Wayland. In my experience, these were the units that required the most of my time. Despite the fact that they are not class material, they are in the subject test books for a reason — they are on the test. The most prominent example of such a unit in my subject test experience was the unit regarding the endocrine system. This was not covered in class at all, but examined in great detail in the book and ultimately on my test as well.

The College Board website provides another layer of helpful resources for the test. Most importantly, it included all of the necessary information that students will need logistically to complete their test. In addition, it had a good deal of additional interactive practice problems and practice tests with an easier interface than those found in the books. However, these were smaller and less similar to the actual test than the practice tests of the books, so they should be used as a supplement, rather than a replacement.

Some students opt to enlist the aid of tutors or classes to prepare them for the test. I did not think this to be a necessity on the biology subject test; however, students who took the college biology course may find such additional resources useful, since the course covers less of the test material than the honors level.

Taking the Test
The biology subject test shares a similar fundamental format to most of the other SAT subject tests. It is on an 800 point scale in which points are awarded for correct answers and deducted for incorrect answers, excluding unanswered questions which neither add nor subtract points. This means that it is better to leave a question blank than to answer it incorrectly – in fact, due to the nature of the scale, one may still score a perfect 800 without answering every question. What distinguishes this subject test from others is the choice that it offers between the E and M tests – there is a base set of shared questions, and then students must choose either set of E or M questions. Given the amount of time allotted, it is nearly impossible to look over both sets in the test and choose then, so it is best to have an idea of which way you’ll go before going in. E stands for ecological and is best for students who excelled when studying biological processes on a larger scale, such as evolution and ecologies. M stands for molecular and is best for students who excelled at studying the biological processes at the microscopic and cellular levels, such as cellular respiration or photosynthesis.

These are just my suggestions for success on the biology SAT subject test, and while they yielded me a perfect score, they may not work for everybody. However, regardless of the specific steps one may take, being organized, prepared and understanding the nature of the test will facilitate success on the biology SAT subject test.