Applying AP & IB Courses to the SAT Subject Tests
How much strategy and content can students take away from AP & IB courses to utilize on the SAT Subject Tests?
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected]
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] What’s in this book?
Oftentimes students have already built up an arsenal of strategy and content to tackle the SAT Subject tests from AP or IB courses in school. In this book, we break down nine Subject Tests and their corresponding AP and IB (SL and HL) courses by four dimensions: Strategy Covered, Strategy Gap, Content Covered and Content Gap. Additionally, we provided students with the specific topics in each Subject where Strategy and Content are inconsistent to ensure more targeted studying.
We’ll cover the following Subject Tests:
• Biology (Ecological) • Biology (Molecular) • Chemistry • Literature • Math Level 1 • Math Level 2 • Physics • World History • U.S. History
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] Plus we have added...
Subject Test Quick Guides
Your go-to guides for each of the SAT Subject Tests. Get to know exam format, content, question types, and key test-taking strategies from ArborBridge test prep experts! Flip to the next page to check them out.
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] Biology Subject Test Quick Guide
Format Scoring
• Students can choose to take either the • Raw score converted to scaled score Ecological (E) or Molecular (M) section. from 200–800 Pick and master one! • Average score (Biology E): 618 • 80 questions • Average score (Biology M): 650 • Time: 60 minutes (1 hour) • Question type: Multiple choice
Content
60 of the 80 questions are “Common Core” Biology questions. The remaining 20 questions are either Ecological (E) or Molecular (M) questions.
“Common Core” Subjects: • Cellular and Molecular Biology Helpful Skills • Ecology Brush up on these before the test! • Classical Genetics • Organismal Biology All content assumes knowledge from a one-year Biology course (with lab), • Evolution and Diversity as well as a one-year course in Algebra. Make sure to review your notes from these classes (or your school curriculum’s Question Formats equivalent) in great detail!
• Classification • Five-choice completion Key Test-Taking Strategies From ArborBridge Test Prep Experts!
Always identify exactly what the question is asking. This sounds simple, but many students find it difficult to pinpoint the most important information under the guise of complex word problems.
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] Biology Ecological
Biology Ecological (Biology-E) Subject Test Breakdown
10% 90% Strategy Content
AP Biology Course
7% 3% 75% 15%
Strategy Strategy Content Covered Content Gap Covered Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Pacing • Greater depth in topics tested on Ecological • Guessing penalty Emphasis section • Deciding between Molecular and • SAT-specific content on organismal biology Ecological Emphasis (plants, human physiology, animal phyla, etc.) • Vocabulary gaps in cell division and embryonic development
IB Biology (SL) Course
8% 2% 68% 22%
Strategy Strategy Content Covered Content Gap Covered Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Pacing • Greater depth tested in all topics, especially • Guessing penalty molecular biology and genetics • Lab design
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] Biology Ecological
IB Biology (HL) Course
8% 2% 86% 4%
Strategy Strategy Content Covered Content Covered Gap Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Pacing • Greater depth tested in Ecology questions • Guessing penalty • Lab design
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] Biology Molecular
Biology Molecular (Biology-M) Subject Test Breakdown
10% 90% Strategy Content
AP Biology Course
7% 3% 80% 10%
Strategy Strategy Content Covered Content Gap Covered Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Pacing • SAT-specific content on organismal biology • Guessing penalty (plants, human physiology, animal phyla, etc.) • Deciding between Molecular and Ecological • Vocabulary gaps in cell division and embryonic Emphasis development
**For AP Biology students, the Biology Subject Test with Molecular Emphasis is usually the best option.
IB Biology (SL) Course
8% 2% 68% 22%
Strategy Strategy Content Covered Content Gap Covered Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Pacing • Greater depth tested in all topics, especially • Guessing penalty those tested on Molecular Emphasis section • Lab design
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] Biology Molecular
Biology Ecological (Biology-E) Subject Test Breakdown
8% 2% 80% 10%
Strategy Strategy Content Covered Content Gap Covered Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Pacing • Greater depth in Ecology questions • Guessing penalty • Lab design
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] Chemistry Subject Test Quick Guide
Format Scoring
• 85 questions • Raw score converted to scaled score • Time: 60 minutes (1 hour) from 200–800 • Question type: Multiple-choice • Average score: 666
Content
Content on the Chemistry Subject Test assumes knowledge from a one-year Chemistry course as well as a one-year course in Algebra. Helpful Skills Brush up on these before the test!
Question Formats Review notes from your Chemistry courses and Algebra class! In particular, it may be • Classification helpful to review: • Relationship analysis • Five-choice completion questions • Atomic and Molecular Structure • Reaction Types • Stoichiometry • Equilibrium and Reaction Rates • Thermodynamics • Laboratory Basics
Key Test-Taking Strategies From ArborBridge Test Prep Experts!
• Make sure to learn and memorize Reaction Types (specifically Acids and Bases and Oxidation-Reduction reactions). • Leave the Relationship Analysis (true/ false/correct explanation) questions for last—these take more me and can slow you down.
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] Chemistry
Chemistry Subject Test Breakdown
5% 95% Strategy Content
AP Chemistry Course
3%2% 90% 5%
Strategy Strategy Content Covered Content Covered Gap Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Pacing • Greater depth in certain areas: solution • Guessing penalty chemistry, organic chemistry, radioactive • Answering relationship-analysis questions decay • Vocabulary gaps in atomic structure, acid/ base chemistry, and redox reactions
IB Chemistry (SL) Course
5% 80% 15%
Strategy Gap Content Covered Content Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Pacing • Greater depth in certain areas: oxidation/ • Guessing penalty reduction, rate expression, reaction • Answering relationship-analysis questions. mechanism, bond hybridization, acids/bases • Practice with measurement and analysis
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] Chemistry
IB Chemistry (HL) Course
5% 93% 2%
Strategy Content Covered Content Gap Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Pacing • Vocabulary gaps in atomic structure, bonding, • Guessing penalty and acid/base chemistry • Answering relationship-analysis questions
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] Literature Subject Test Quick Guide
Format Scoring
• 60 questions • Raw score converted to scaled score • Time: 60 minutes (1 hour) from 200–800 • Question type: Multiple choice • Average score: 607
Content
Passages on the Literature Subject Test are written in English and are typically pulled from popular American and British literary works.
Questions are passage-based and cover prose, poetry, and drama.
Passages are followed by 6–8 multiple-choice questions testing a student’s ability to correctly identify and interpret:
• Purpose • Form • Language • Narrative voice • Characterization
Helpful Skills Key Test-Taking Strategies Brush up on these before the test! From ArborBridge Test Prep Experts!
• Critical reading: Practice becoming Learn to take the test in the best order for familiar with readings from a variety of you. You don’t have to read and answer sources. questions in the exact order that they appear. Instead, learn to identify your • Literary terms and devices: Make those strengths and prioritize those portions of the flashcards and memorize, memorize, exam first. memorize!
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] Literature
Literature Subject Test Breakdown
40% 60% Strategy Content
AP English Literature Course
26% 14% 52% 8%
Strategy Covered Strategy Gap Content Covered Content Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Pacing • Greater depth in certain literary terms and • Guessing penalty techniques • Strategies for more granular analysis of • Use of humor and satire in prose and drama passages and question types
AP English Language Course
20% 20% 30% 30%
Strategy Covered Strategy Gap Content Covered Content Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Annotation and reading strategies for literary • All literary devices used in prose passages • All literary devices and approaches for • Pacing analyzing poetry • Guessing penalty • Familiarity with vocabulary used in • Strategies for specific question types fiction and poetry 1400–1900
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] IB Language A: Literature (SL/HL) Course
4% 36% 36% 24%
Strategy Strategy Gap Content Covered Content Gap Covered
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Answering multiple-choice questions • Greater depth in literary devices and • Pacing approaches for analyzing poetry • Guessing penalty • Greater depth in Western-centric prose • Familiarity with vocabulary used in fiction and poetry 1400–1900
IB Language A: Language and Literature (SL/HL) Course
4% 36% 36% 24%
Strategy Strategy Gap Content Covered Content Gap Covered
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Answering multiple-choice questions • Greater depth in literary devices used in prose • Pacing • Extensive work with literary devices and • Guessing penalty approaches for analyzing poetry • Greater depth in Western-centric prose
IB Literature and Performance (SL) Course
40% 6% 54%
Strategy Gap Content Content Gap Covered
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Answering multiple-choice questions • All literary devices used in prose • Pacing • All literary devices and approaches for • Guessing penalty analyzing poetry • Familiarity with vocabulary used in fiction and poetry 1400–1900
**Literature and Performance students should only take the Subject Test if they have also taken an English Literature course at some point in high school.
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] Math Subject Tests Quick Guide
Format Scoring
• Two levels: Level 1 and Level 2 • Raw score converted to scaled score • 50 questions each from 200–800 • Time: 60 minutes (1 hour) • Average Score (Math 1): 605 • Question type: Multiple choice • Average Score (Math 2): 693
Math 1 Math 2
• Basic algebra • All of the subject matter in Math 1 • Functions • Probability • Geometric properties of shapes • Combinatorics • Plotting lines • Advanced trig • Working with everyday word problems • Plotting hyperbolic functions • Interpreting graphs • Working with limits and asymptotes
Helpful Skills Key Test-Taking Strategies Brush up on these before the test! From ArborBridge Test Prep Experts!
The Math Subject Test is a test of solid • Write down everything: formulas, mathematical habits that can take some geometric figure details, and every step of time to develop. Students should strive your thinking process. to take a math class every semester in • Make things as tangible as possible. If you high school to strengthen their basic algebra see a problem with lots of fancy variables, and equation solving skills. simply pick values for those variables to make the problem easier to work with. • Prioritize types of questions that you excel at (but remember later questions on the test tend to be more difficult than earlier ones).
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] Math Level 1
Math Level 1 Subject Test Breakdown
10% 90% Strategy Content
AP Calculus (AB/BC) Course
10% 85% 5%
Strategy Gap Content Covered Content Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Multiple-choice strategies • Probability • Pacing • Review of concepts covered in Math before • Guessing penalty Calculus
AP Statistics Course
10% 60% 30%
Strategy Gap Content Covered Content Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Multiple-choice strategies • Advanced functions (composite, inverse, • Pacing piecewise, quadratics, trigonometric, etc.) • Guessing penalty • Function shifts • Area of non-standard shapes
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] Math Level 1
IB Mathematics (SL) Course
10% 80% 10%
Strategy Gap Content Covered Content Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Multiple-choice strategies • Imaginary numbers • Pacing • Absolute value • Guessing penalty
IB Mathematics (HL) Course
10% 85% 5%
Strategy Gap Content Covered Content Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Multiple-choice strategies • Absolute value (Application and Interpretation • Pacing course only) • Guessing penalty
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] Math Level 2
Math Level 2 Subject Test Breakdown
10% 90%
Strategy Content
AP Calculus (AB/BC) Course
10% 65% 25%
Strategy Gap Content Covered Content Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Multiple-choice strategies • Ellipses and hyperbolas • Pacing • Complex numbers • Guessing penalty • Logarithms • Advanced counting and probability • Basic statistics
AP Statistics Course
10% 35% 55%
Strategy Gap Content Covered Content Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Multiple-choice strategies • Ellipses and hyperbolas • Pacing • Complex numbers • Guessing penalty • Graphing points in three dimensions • Logarithms • Sequences • Trigonometric functions and identities
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] Math Level 2
IB Mathematics (SL) Course
10% 55% 35%
Strategy Content Covered Content Gap Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Multiple-choice strategies • Ellipses and hyperbolas • Pacing • Complex numbers • Guessing penalty • Graphing points in three dimensions • Piecewise functions
IB Mathematics (HL) Course
10% 60% 30%
Strategy Content Covered Content Gap Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Multiple-choice strategies • Ellipses and hyperbolas • Pacing • Graphing points in three dimensions • Guessing penalty
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] Physics Subject Test Quick Guide
Format Scoring
• 75 questions • Raw score converted to scaled score from • Time: 60 minutes (1 hour) 200–800 • Question type: Multiple-choice • Average score: 667 • No calculator use on exam (don’tworry, you won’t see any questionsthat require lengthy This test has a pretty generous curve; you can calculations) leave as many as 15 questions blank and still score an 800! (Assuming you answered all the remaining questions correctly.)
Content
• Mechanics • Electricity • Magnetism • Waves • Optics • Thermodynamics • Modern physics Helpful Skills • Misc. - chaos theory, etc. Brush up on these before the test! • (There is no calculus on the exam) If you’ve taken a full year of Physics, you’ll find that you can put most of your Physics knowledge to use on the exam. Remember all those equations you had to learn? Now is the time to put them to use! You won’t get a formula sheet on the exam, so it’s important to memorize and practice applying equations.
Key Test-Taking Strategies From ArborBridge Test Prep Experts!
Write down formulas first! Then plug in the numbers that you know from the question. Even if you’re initially not sure how you can use the formula, you’ll often find that once you start putting in what you know, you can solve the problem.
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] Physics
Physics Subject Test Breakdown
10% 90% Strategy Content
AP Physics 1 Course
8% 2% 72% 18%
Strategy Strategy Content Covered Content Gap Covered Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Selected multiple-choice strategies • Thermal physics • Pacing • Magnetism • Guessing penalty • Electric Field • Capacitors • Induction • Optics • Modern physics
AP Physics 2 Course
8% 2% 85% 5%
Strategy Strategy Content Covered Content Covered Gap Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Selected multiple-choice strategies • Greater depth in certain areas: thermal • Pacing physics and optics • Guessing penalty
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] Physics
AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Course
8% 2% 45% 45%
Strategy Strategy Content Covered Content Gap Covered Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Selected multiple-choice strategies • Kinematics • Pacing • Newton’s Laws • Guessing penalty • Mechanics • Modern physics
AP Physics C: Mechanics Course
8% 2% 45% 45%
Strategy Strategy Content Covered Content Gap Covered Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Selected multiple-choice strategies • Thermal physics • Pacing • Electricity • Guessing penalty • Magnetism • Waves • Optics • Modern physics
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] Physics
IB Physics (SL/HL) Course
10% 80% 10%
Strategy Gap Content Covered Content Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Multiple-choice strategies • Optics • Pacing • Momentum • Guessing penalty • Torque • Diffraction • Electric and magnetic fields (SL only) • Electromagnetic induction (SL only)
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] U.S. & World History Subject Test Quick Guide
Format Scoring
• 90–95 questions each • Raw score converted to scaled score • Time: 60 minutes (1 hour) from 200–800 • Question type: Multiple choice • Average score (World History): 622 • Average score (U.S. History): 640
Content
On both exams, the question format is as follows:
• Fact-based questions that ask students to recall an event, person, term, trend, etc. • Source-based questions that ask students to read a quotation, image, graph, or map, and apply knowledge of history to the source.
U.S. History World History
Covers all of American history from 1400 • Covers all of human history from through the present, with a particular prehistoric civilizations through the emphasis on political, economic, and present, with a strong emphasis on social history events and trends before 1900 • Knowledge of European history: 25% of exam • Questions that ask students to compare trends across different areas: 25% of exam
Helpful Skills Key Test-Taking Strategies Brush up on these before the test! From ArborBridge Test Prep Experts!
More than 90% of a student’s success on • Slow down and read carefully. No need to these tests relates to how well the student feel rushed! knows the events, people, and trends asked • Eliminate answers to work around tricky about. So knowing everything you learned in questions by making educated guesses. class is paramount! Make sure to set aside a good chunk of time for studying.
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] World History
World History Subject Test Breakdown
10% 90% Strategy Content
AP European History Course
5% 5% 25% 65%
Strategy Strategy Content Covered Content Gap Covered Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Answering fact-based multiple-choice questions • Historical minutiae: people, legislation, events, • Pacing literary/artistic works, and terminology • Guessing penalty • All content related to other geographic areas: Asia, Africa, and the Americas • Colonization from a non-Eurocentric viewpoint
AP World History Course
5% 5% 65% 25%
Strategy Strategy Content Covered Content Gap Covered Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Answering fact-based multiple-choice • Historical minutiae: people, legislation, events, questions literary/artistic works, and terminology • Pacing • Greater depth and focus on history before • Guessing penalty 1200 CE • Greater depth and focus on Asian and European History
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] World History
IB History (SL) Course
10% 20% 70%
Strategy Gap Content Covered Content Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Answering multiple-choice questions: • Historical minutiae: people, legislation, fact-based and source-based (quotes, events, literary works, and terminology cartoons, maps, and graphs) • All content related to topics (750 CE– • Pacing Present) not selected as focus of IB course’s • Guessing penalty World History Topics and Prescribed Subjects • All content Prehistory–750 CE
IB History (HL) Course
10% 30% 60%
Strategy Gap Content Covered Content Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Answering multiple-choice questions: fact- • Historical minutiae: people, legislation, based and source-based (quotes, cartoons, events, literary/artistic works, maps, graphs) and terminology • Pacing • All content Prehistory–750 CE • Guessing penalty • All content related to topics (750 CE– Present) not selected as focus of IB course’s World History Topics, Prescribed Subjects, and Depth Studies
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] U.S. History
U.S. History Subject Test Breakdown
10% 90% Strategy Content
AP U.S. History Course
5% 5% 70% 20%
Strategy Strategy Content Covered Content Gap Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Answering fact-based, multiple-choice • Historical minutiae: people, legislation, events, questions literary works, terminology, and court cases • Pacing • Greater depth in certain periods: Industrial • Guessing penalty Revolution and Post-1968 America • Structures of government and the Constitution
IB History (HL) Course with Depth Study in History of the Americas
10% 20% 70%
Strategy Gap Content Covered Content Gap
Strategy Gaps Content Gaps
• Answering multiple-choice questions: • All content 1400–1880 fact-based and source-based (quotes, • Greater depth and focus on U.S. 1880–Present cartoons, maps, graphs) • Structures of government and the Constitution • Pacing • Supreme Court cases and decisions • Guessing penalty
* IB students should only take this Subject Test if they are in HL, their course focused on U.S.-centric topics in its Depth Study (History of the Americas), AND they have taken a U.S. History course at some point in high school.
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] Request a free diagnostic SAT Subject Test with ArborBridge today.
Jumpstart your test prep with a diagnostic exam in the subjects you plan to sit for. We’ll provide you with a fully customized score report and our recommended lessons to get you on your way to your highest score.
Email us at [email protected] to get your free diagnostic exam.
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected] www.arborbridge.com
www.arborbridge.com | [email protected]
RV092920