The key to doing well on the SAT II Biology test is simple: be really good at biology. But it might surprise you to know that the biology whiz who spends the week before taking the SAT II cramming on the nuances of mitochondrial DNA and the physiological role of the amygdala probably won’t fare any better on the test than the average student who reviews this book carefully. Why? Because the SAT II Biology doesn’t cover mitochondrial DNA or the amygdala.

Happy? Good. In this chapter we’ll tell you precisely what the SAT II Biology will cover, how the test breaks down, and what format the questions will take. Take this information to heart and base your study plan around it. There’s no use studying topics you won’t be tested on, or spending countless hours studying bacterial diversity while ignoring meiosis, which is covered far more extensively by the test.