SAT Subject Test in Physics
Encyclopedia
The SAT Subject Test in Physics is the name of a one-hour multiple choice
test
given on physics
by The College Board. A student chooses whether to take the test depending upon college
entrance requirements for the schools in which the student is planning to apply. Until 1994, the SAT Subject Tests
were known as Achievement Tests; until January 2005, they were known as SAT IIs; they are still well known by this name.
Part A:
Part B:
107. Sample percentile ranks for the 2008 are available from the College Board.
and trigonometry
, and experience in the laboratory.
Multiple choice
Multiple choice is a form of assessment in which respondents are asked to select the best possible answer out of the choices from a list. The multiple choice format is most frequently used in educational testing, in market research, and in elections-- when a person chooses between multiple...
test
Standardized test
A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent, or "standard", manner. Standardized tests are designed in such a way that the questions, conditions for administering, scoring procedures, and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a...
given on physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
by The College Board. A student chooses whether to take the test depending upon college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
entrance requirements for the schools in which the student is planning to apply. Until 1994, the SAT Subject Tests
SAT Subject Tests
SAT Subject Tests is the name for 20 multiple-choice standardized tests given on individual subjects, usually taken to improve a student's credentials for admission to colleges in the United States. Students typically choose which tests to take depending upon college entrance requirements for the...
were known as Achievement Tests; until January 2005, they were known as SAT IIs; they are still well known by this name.
Format
The Sat Subject Test in Physics has 75 questions and consist of two parts: Part A and Part B.Part A:
- First 12 or 13 questions.
- 4 groups of 2 to 4 questions each.
- The questions within any one group all relate to a single situation.
- 5 possible answer choices are given before the question.
- An answer choice can be used once, more than once, or not at all in each group.
Part B:
- Last 62 or 63 questions
- Each question has 5 possible answer choice with 1 correct answer
- Some questions may be in groups of 2 or 3
Topics
| Major Topics | % on Test |
|---|---|
| Mechanics Mechanics Mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the behavior of physical bodies when subjected to forces or displacements, and the subsequent effects of the bodies on their environment.... |
36-42 |
| Electricity Electricity Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire... and Magnetism Magnetism Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well... |
18-24 |
| Waves WAVES The WAVES were a World War II-era division of the U.S. Navy that consisted entirely of women. The name of this group is an acronym for "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service" ; the word "emergency" implied that the acceptance of women was due to the unusual circumstances of the war and... |
15-19 |
| Heat Heat In physics and thermodynamics, heat is energy transferred from one body, region, or thermodynamic system to another due to thermal contact or thermal radiation when the systems are at different temperatures. It is often described as one of the fundamental processes of energy transfer between... , Kinetic Theory Kinetic theory The kinetic theory of gases describes a gas as a large number of small particles , all of which are in constant, random motion. The rapidly moving particles constantly collide with each other and with the walls of the container... and Thermodynamics Thermodynamics Thermodynamics is a physical science that studies the effects on material bodies, and on radiation in regions of space, of transfer of heat and of work done on or by the bodies or radiation... |
6-11 |
| Modern Physics Modern physics The term modern physics refers to the post-Newtonian conception of physics. The term implies that classical descriptions of phenomena are lacking, and that an accurate, "modern", description of reality requires theories to incorporate elements of quantum mechanics or Einsteinian relativity, or both... |
6-11 |
| Miscellaneous | 4-9 |
Scoring
The test has 75 multiple choice questions that are to be answered in one hour. All questions have five answer choices. Students receive 1 point for every correct answer, lose ¼ of a point for each incorrect answer, and receive 0 points for questions left blank. This score is then converted to a scaled score of 200-800. The mean score for the 2006-07 test administrations was 643 with a standard deviationStandard deviation
Standard deviation is a widely used measure of variability or diversity used in statistics and probability theory. It shows how much variation or "dispersion" there is from the average...
107. Sample percentile ranks for the 2008 are available from the College Board.
Preparation
The College Board's recommended preparation is a one-year college preparatory course in physics, a one-year course in algebraAlgebra
Algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning the study of the rules of operations and relations, and the constructions and concepts arising from them, including terms, polynomials, equations and algebraic structures...
and trigonometry
Trigonometry
Trigonometry is a branch of mathematics that studies triangles and the relationships between their sides and the angles between these sides. Trigonometry defines the trigonometric functions, which describe those relationships and have applicability to cyclical phenomena, such as waves...
, and experience in the laboratory.