Important update (2026): SAT Subject Tests were discontinued by the College Board in 2021 and are no longer offered. The current Digital SAT has Reading and Writing and Math sections; it does not include separate subject tests. This guide remains available as historical context for families reviewing older requirements.

SAT Physics

The Physics Subject Test tests your ability to solve specific problems using basic physical principles. The test also measures your understanding of simple algebra, trigonometry, graphs and their relationships, and ratio and proportion to see how you can apply these concepts to physics problems.

This test is a must for students interested in engineering or majoring in physics or computer science. The Physics SAT Subject Test requires a complete conceptual understanding of physics, with all its related equations, and an ability to apply them to real problems. Note that, unlike with the AP Physics C exam, Calculus is not required.

• Score Range: 200-800
• Time: 60 Minutes
• Questions: 75 (Multiple Choice)

SAT Physics Syllabus

Mechanics(36%-42%)

• Kinematics, such as acceleration, velocity, motion of projectiles, and motion in one dimension
• Dynamics, such as force, statics, friction, and Newton’s laws
• Energy and momentum, such as work, power, impulse, conservation laws, and potential and kinetic energy
• Circular motion, such as centripetal force and uniform circular motion
• Simple harmonic motion, such as a mass on a spring and the pendulum
• Gravity, such as the Kepler’s laws, the law of gravitation, and orbits

Electricity and Magnetism(18%–24%)

• Electric fields, potentials, and forces, such as Coulomb’s law, induced charge, field and potential of groups of point charges, and charged particles in electric fields
• Capacitance, such as time-varying behaviour in charging/ discharging, and parallel-plate capacitors
• Circuit elements and DC circuits, such as resistors, series and parallel networks, light bulbs, Ohm’s law, and Joule’s law
• Magnetism, such as permanent magnets, Faraday’s law, and Lenz’s law, fields caused by currents, and particles in magnetic fields

Waves and Optics(15%–19%)

• General wave properties, such as wave speed, wavelength, frequency, superposition, standing wave diffraction, and Doppler effect
• Reflection and refraction, such as changes in wavelength, speed and Snell’s law
• Ray optics, such as image formation using pinholes, lenses, and mirrors
• Physical optics, such as double-slit interference, single-slit diffraction, colour, and polarization

Heat and Thermodynamics(6%–11%)

• Thermal properties, such as temperature, heat transfer, thermal expansions, and specific and latent heats
• Laws of thermodynamics, such as first and second laws, entropy, heat engine efficiency, and internal energy

Modern Physics(6%–11%)

• Quantum phenomena, such as photons and the photoelectric effect; atomic, such as the Rutherford and Bohr models, atomic energy levels, and atomic spectra
• Nuclear and particle physics, such as radioactivity, fundamental particles, and nuclear reactions
• Relativity, such as time dilation, mass-energy equivalence, and length contraction

Miscellaneous(4%–9%)

• General, such as the history of physics and questions that involve several major topics
• Analytical skills, such as graphical analysis, with measurement and math skills
• Contemporary physics, such as superconductivity, astrophysics, and chaos theory

What to focus on instead of the SAT Physics Subject Test

If you are considering physics, engineering or another STEM path, show preparation through the strongest appropriate academic programme available to you: sustained performance in mathematics and science, challenging coursework such as AP, IB or A Levels where available, and meaningful academic exploration. Check each university’s current admissions and programme pages; the Digital SAT does not have a Physics section.

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