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Introduction to SAT II Physics - FreeExamPapers

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After grumbling, however, you still have <strong>to</strong> register. There are two ways <strong>to</strong> go about it:<br />

online or by mail. To register online, go <strong>to</strong> www.collegeboard.com. To register by mail, fill out<br />

and send in the forms enclosed in the Registration Bulletin, which should be available in<br />

your high school’s guidance office. You can also request a copy of the Bulletin by calling<br />

the College Board at (609) 771-7600 or writing <strong>to</strong>:<br />

College Board <strong>SAT</strong> Program<br />

P.O. Box 6200<br />

Prince<strong>to</strong>n, NJ 08541–6200<br />

You can register <strong>to</strong> take up <strong>to</strong> three <strong>SAT</strong> <strong>II</strong> tests for any given testing day. Unfortunately,<br />

even if you decide <strong>to</strong> take three tests in one day, you’ll still have <strong>to</strong> pay a separate<br />

registration fee for each.<br />

<strong>Introduction</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>SAT</strong> <strong>II</strong> <strong>Physics</strong><br />

THE BEST WAY TO DO WELL ON <strong>SAT</strong> <strong>II</strong> <strong>Physics</strong> is <strong>to</strong> be really good at physics. For that, there<br />

is no substitute. But the physics whiz who spends the week before <strong>SAT</strong> <strong>II</strong> <strong>Physics</strong> cramming on<br />

Lagrangian mechanics and Dirac notation probably won’t fare any better than the average student<br />

who reviews this book carefully. Why? Because <strong>SAT</strong> <strong>II</strong> <strong>Physics</strong> Tests (and first-year university<br />

courses) do not cover Lagrangian mechanics or Dirac notation. Take this moment <strong>to</strong> sigh with<br />

relief.<br />

This chapter will tell you precisely what <strong>SAT</strong> <strong>II</strong> <strong>Physics</strong> will test you on, how the test breaks<br />

down, and what format the questions will take. You should read this information carefully and<br />

base your study plan around it. There’s no use spending hours on end studying for stuff that’s not<br />

relevant <strong>to</strong> the test. Knowing nothing about electromagnetic induction will hurt you on the test,<br />

but nowhere near as much as knowing nothing about optics will.<br />

Content of <strong>SAT</strong> <strong>II</strong> <strong>Physics</strong><br />

Math and physics go hand in hand, right? You might be surprised, then, <strong>to</strong> learn that you aren’t<br />

allowed <strong>to</strong> use a calcula<strong>to</strong>r on <strong>SAT</strong> <strong>II</strong> <strong>Physics</strong>. The math required of you never goes beyond simple<br />

arithmetic and manipulation of equations. You have, on average, 48 seconds <strong>to</strong> answer each<br />

question, and the people at ETS realize that isn’t enough time <strong>to</strong> delve in<strong>to</strong> problems involving<br />

simultaneous equations or complex trigonometry. They’re more interested in testing your grasp of<br />

the basic concepts of physics. If you’ve grasped these concepts, your weakness in math isn’t going<br />

<strong>to</strong> hurt you.<br />

ETS breaks down the concepts you need <strong>to</strong> know for the test in<strong>to</strong> six categories:<br />

Topic<br />

Percentage of the Test<br />

Mechanics 34–38%<br />

Electricity and Magnetism 22–26%<br />

Waves 15–19%<br />

Heat, Kinetic Theory, and Thermodynamics 8–12%<br />

7

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