The reason most people seem to be afraid of this Subject Test is actually pretty superficial: it’s the language. The scientific terminology used on this test can be confusing, but it should not fill you with fear. Underneath the scary language, the Science Reasoning Test is actually quite nice. In fact, once you get past the language, the questions on this test tend to be fairly straightforward and simple to answer.

There are two ways to get past the scientific jargon. The first is simply to know that it is jargon. Once you know that the concepts tested by the Subject Test are straightforward and merely hidden by a thin veneer of complicated terms, it becomes much easier to see through that jargon. So when you see scientific terminology that seems confusing, don’t panic or get nervous. Take a deep breath and break it down. You’ll get through it. The second way to defuse scientific jargon is to take practice tests. The more Science Reasoning questions you deal with, the more adept you will be at seeing through the jargon to the straightforward data beneath.