SAT II Physics Test

• Mechanics 34–38% Mcqs
• Electricity and Magnetism 22–26% Mcqs
• Waves 15–19% Mcqs
• Heat, Kinetic Theory, and Thermodynamics 8–12% Mcqs
• Modern Physics 8–12% Mcqs
• Miscellaneous 2–4% Mcqs

While these categories are helpful, they are also very broad. You may be a whiz with waves but a laser with lenses, and want to know how much of the waves portion of the test will be devoted to optics. To help you out, we’ve broken the test down even further so that you’ll know exactly where to expect to feel the squeeze. (These figures are only approximations, and may vary from test to test.)

• Mechanics 25–29 Mcqs
• Vectors 1–2 Mcqs
• Kinematics 4–5 Mcqs
• Dynamics 7–8 Mcqs
• Work, Energy, and Power 4–5 Mcqs
• Special Problems in Mechanics 3–4 Mcqs
• Linear Momentum 1–2 Mcqs
• Rotational Motion 0–1 Mcqs
• Circular Motion and Gravitation 2–4 Mcqs
• Thermal Physics 6–10 Mcqs
• Heat and Temperature 2–4 Mcqs

• Kinetic Theory and Ideal Gas Laws 1–2 Mcqs
• Laws of Thermodynamics 0–2 Mcqs
• Heat Engines 1–2 Mcqs
• Electricity & Magnetism 16–20 Mcqs
• Electric Fields, Forces, Potential 7–8 Mcqs
• Magnetic Fields and Forces 4–5 Mcqs

• Electromagnetic Induction 1 Mcqs
• Circuits and Circuit Elements 4–5 Mcqs
• Waves 11–15 Mcqs
• Optics 5–6 Mcqs
• Modern Physics 6–9 Mcqs
• Special Relativity 1–2 Mcqs
• Atomic Models 2–3 Mcqs
• Quantum Physics 1–2 Mcqs
• Nuclear Physics 2–3 Mcqs
• Miscellaneous 1–3 Mcqs
• Graph Analysis 0–2 Mcqs
• Equation Manipulation 0–1 Mcqs
• Significant Digits and Lab Skills 0–1 Mcqs

The chapters of this book are organized according to these categories. If a physics topic is not in this book, you don’t need to know it. Here’s some other helpful information:

You need to know: the formulas expressing physical relationships (such as F = ma), how to manipulate equations, how to read a graph.
You don’t need to know: trig identities, calculus, three-dimensional vectors and graphs, physical constants (such as G = (such as G = 6.67 × 10^–11N·m² ⁄ kg²)