The best way to do well on SAT II Physics is to be really good at physics. For that, there is no substitute. But the physics whiz who spends the week before SAT II Physics cramming on Lagrangian mechanics and Dirac notation probably won’t fare any better than the average student who reviews this book carefully. Why? Because SAT II Physics Tests (and first-year university courses) do not cover Lagrangian mechanics or Dirac notation. Take this moment to sigh with relief.

This chapter will tell you precisely what SAT II Physics will test you on, how the test breaks down, and what format the questions will take. You should read this information carefully and base your study plan around it. There’s no use spending hours on end studying for stuff that’s not relevant to the test. Knowing nothing about electromagnetic induction will hurt you on the test, but nowhere near as much as knowing nothing about optics will.