SAT II Biology (Sparknotes Test Prep)

I liked that this book explains as much as it can very clearly, you won't be confused. It reiterates ideas that have been in previous chapters so the reader won't be lost and will remember the terms/ideas better. The book's text on each topic is generally shorter than some of the other test prep books I've seen but the problem with other books is that they cater to those students who have already taken a biology class, in my opinion. This book explains the concepts of biology clear enough that a novice in biology can understand. The only problem I have is that it could be a bit annoying to navigate (difficult to find specific topics), which is why I gave it four stars. I am taking an intense college biology course for one month over the summer and this book makes the class bearable because I am eager to read the text in it. The Cliff's Notes book is much more detailed which can help depending on your class, but it gets very technical and doesn't bother to explain seemingly esoteric concepts; assuming that you've already studied it.

I used this book solely for the practice tests. I only skimmed through the book the night before the test to take the end of the chapter quizes to test my knowledge. The practice tests in this book were the closest to the actual SAT II. I would have to say that the actual test was slightly harder but my nerves during the test could attribute to my opinion. You should definitely pick up the book for the practice tests and use the end of chapter quizzes for your last night review. However, I would also pick up other books for the practice tests just because the other tests are harder and by reviewing your answers, you learn more detail which come in handy when eliminating answer choices on other practice tests.

With this book and the kaplan, there is no way you can go wrong. If you are able to study these books and know the general stuff well, then you will get a high score on the test. I was able to get an 800 on the Biology E with about a month of studying here and there. Also, don't be worried if you get bad scores on the practice tests (I got 650-700), they are graded much harder than the real test.

I took the SAT II Biology test my senior year of high school because some of the colleges I was applying to required a science SAT II. Since I didn't like chemistry or physics, I decided to take the Biology test. I problem was I hadn't taken honors biology since freshman year, and I was only a month into AP biology. I used this book along with the princeton review book because I needed things explained plainly and simply. Any gaps in one book seemed to be covered by the other. Just by studying these 2 books for a week before, and by using Sparknote's 5 More practice tests book, I was able to get a 760 on the Biology-M test.I would definitely buy this book for its simple explanations. Barron's and Kaplan's have too much information. I know some people say study more just in case, but trying to memorize all that information is unnecessary and impossible in a short amount of time. There were only 3 questions on the test I had no clue about, and to me the effort and time needed to study the entire Kaplan book is not worth it for 3 questions.