Introduction to the SAT II Chemistry Test

The best way to do well on the SAT II Chemistry test is to be really good at chemistry. For that, there is no substitute. But the chemistry geek who spends the night before taking the SAT II cramming all of the nuances of crystal-field theory and coordination compounds probably won’t fare any better on the test than the average student who reviews this book carefully. Why? Because the SAT II Chemistry test doesn’t cover crystal-field theory and coordination compounds.

Happy? Good. This chapter will tell you precisely what the SAT II Chemistry test will test you on, 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 spending hours on end studying topics you won’t be tested on.


ontent of the SAT II Chemistry Test

The SAT II Chemistry test is written to test your understanding of the topics of chemistry that are typically taught in a one-year college-preparatory-level high school chemistry course.

Well, math and chemistry go hand in hand, right? You might be surprised, then, to learn that you aren’t allowed to use a calculator on the SAT II Chemistry test. The math you’ll need to do on the test never goes beyond simple arithmetic and manipulation of equations, which is good news for you—you won’t be a victim of careless errors made on your calculator.

That said, you should be able to solve problems using ratios, direct and inverse proportions, scientific notation, and some simpler exponential functions. Since the test is an hour long, this means you have an average of 42 seconds to answer each of the 85 questions—the people at ETS realize that isn’t enough time to delve into problems involving simultaneous equations or complex algebra. They’re more interested in testing your grasp of the basic concepts of chemistry. If you’ve grasped these concepts, your weakness in math problem solving isn’t going to hurt you. You will, however, be provided with a simple periodic table. This periodic table will probably look more bare-boned than the one you’re used to using: it will have only the symbols of the elements along with their atomic numbers and masses.

Now let’s get into the nuts and bolts of what you’ll see on the exam. ETS provides the following breakdown of the test, covering eight basic categories, and as you can see, we’ve arranged the content review in this book according to ETS’s outline:

Their Topic	Our Section	Approximate % of the test devoted to these topics.	Approximate no. of questions you’ll see on these topics.
Structure of Matter Includes atomic theory and structure, chemical bonding, and molecular structure; nuclear reactions	Structure of Matter	25	21
States of Matter Includes kinetic molecular theory of gases, gas laws, liquids, solids, and phase changes; solutions, concentration units, solubility, conductivity, and colligative properties	States of Matter	15	13
Reaction Types Includes acids and bases, oxidation-reduction, and precipitation	Reaction Types	14	12
Stoichiometry Includes the mole concept, Avogadro’s number, empirical and molecular formulas, percentage composition, stoichiometric calculations, and limiting reagents	Stoichiometry	12	10
Equilibrium and Reaction Rates Including gas equilibria, ionic equilibria, Le Chatelier’s principle, equilibrium expressions; factors affecting rate of reaction	Equilibrium and Reaction Rates	7	6
Thermodynamics Includes energy changes in chemical reactions and physical processes, Hess’s law, and randomness	Thermodynamics	6	5
Descriptive Chemistry Includes physical and chemical properties of elements and their more familiar compounds, chemical reactivity and products of chemical reactions, simple examples from organic chemistry and environmental chemistry	Descriptive Chemistry	13	11
Laboratory Includes equipment, measurement, procedures, observations, safety, calculations, and interpretation of results	Laboratory	8	7

The fact that this book is organized according to these basic categories will give you the ability to focus on each topic to whatever degree you feel necessary: if you know you’re weak on gas law questions, take extra time going through “The States of Matter” section, for example. Also, each question in the practice tests at the back of this book has been categorized according to these eight categories so you can precisely identify your weaknesses and then concentrate on the areas you need to study most.