…and get in?
I know that many of the top tier schools recommend SAT Subject tests and that the conventional wisdom is that they are really required for UMC kids. Is this true? Does anyone have any experience applying to these top schools, getting in, and NOT taking the SAT Subject tests?
This topic has been discussed many times before including:
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/2027962-sat-subject-tests-are-not-truly-optional-for-middle-upper-middle-class-applicants-at-elite-colleges-p1.html
While Subject Tests are “recommended,” my belief is the reason many schools have switched to “recommended” is that some applicants from a lower socioeconomic status (SES) can’t afford more tests and/or the applicants attend a HS where no students apply to colleges where Subject Tests are requested, and therefore, may not have received the best advice from a GC.
If that does not apply to you, I am of the opinion that colleges at the top tier who request Subject Tests are expecting them from all other applicants. Although everyone will have a story about someone who was admitted without Subject Tests, my view in these cases is that there was probably more to the story (e.g. seriously hooked or lower SES).
For the schools that the Subject Tests are “recommended,” particularly those with very low acceptance rates, I am at a loss why an applicant would not want to submit as strong an application as possible. Now if you took Subjects Tests and had scores that were not ideal, then maybe we can have a discussion about the best course of action.
what @skieurope said,
"While Subject Tests are “recommended,” my belief is the reason many schools have switched to “recommended” is that some applicants from a lower socioeconomic status (SES) can’t afford more tests and/or the applicants attend a HS where no students apply to colleges where Subject Tests are requested, and therefore, may not have received the best advice from a GC.
If that does not apply to you, I am of the opinion that colleges at the top tier who request Subject Tests are expecting them from all other applicants." …
was communicated almost verbatim to my kid by an Ivy coach when he was going through the recruiting process.
Similar to the above, I heard an admissions officer from an Ivy school say that they changed the SAT II policy from required to recommended to make the school more accessible to: 1) people who have trouble affording the extra testing and 2) people in rural areas who do not have reasonable access to the testing. So if you fall into one of those categories it is probably fine, otherwise I think you should take the SAT II subject tests.
Keep in mind that “top schools” typically accept 10% or less of applicants. There is not nearly room to for the schools to accept all of the well qualified applicants that meet all of their recommendations.
Of course it is your application so do as you see fit.
My S did not submit any subject tests and it had nothing to do with money or access. He was just DONE after PSAT x2, ACT x2, APs, and state testing for English and math. When he walked out of ACT #2 and I told him, ok, time to start reviewing for subject tests, he balked. He ended up not applying to one school he was considering because they required subject tests. All the other schools were optional and he did not submit it. Kids are so overtested, I was not going to make him take any more. He did not apply to ivies but was just below that tier.
Seems like SAT subject tests should not require much additional preparation, at least for those students in more advantaged environments (i.e. good quality high schools) where “recommended” is closer to “required”. Just take them at the end of the school year in which you are taking the relevant high school courses.
You may be right. He just did not want to sit through another 2-3 hours of testing. His GPA, schedule, extracurriculars, recommendations, etc said enough about him. I spoke to his GC at the time and she said it was fine. He’s going to his first choice school where scores are encouraged but not required.
Well, OP hasn’t mentioned enough, including what sort of colleges and his own record.
The higher the tier, the more a complete picture matters. They don’t have time to guess.
My D did not submit any SAT subject tests… same reason as @eastcoast101 … she was just done. She sent in her applications early and showed interest in the school she ultimately attended.
I agree kids are tested way too much, perhaps colleges are finally realizing that elite admissions should not hinge so much on testing.
It’s possible to get into top schools without them, but if you are doing something STEM related you really want to at least take the Math 2 one, and maybe a science one. If you passed pre calc then you can do well on the Math 2 test. Subject tests are never going to get you rejected, but they are also never going to get you in. They add to an application and it’s better to have them, then not.
Yes, poor subject test scores can definitely get you rejected. There is a reason schools request them.
My son did not submit them and was rejected from Dartmouth. With my other kids I will make sure they take them.
hmmmm…my kid got into uchicago, tufts, and (almost) Georgetown without them…
@ucbalumnus I disagree. One has to prep for some of these tests. S19 took APUsH and got a 5 on the exam but only got a 700 on the SAT US History. Is like a trivia test and there were time periods that his class didn’t cover and, for many of the questions, you just knew the answer or you did not. Testing certain war battles or amendments that S19 was not required to memorize in APUSH. If you ask me, that particular SAT 2 doesn’t test History knowledge as well as the AP test. S19 wanted to take it again after studying more this summer and his plan was to take Math 2 as well but he was going to have to go back and re-study pre-calc because he just finished Calc BC.
After thinking about it a little more, and only having schools that “consider” SAT2s on his list, he’s decided to bag them. He will self report his 5s on APUSH, BC Calc, and AP Lang. I have to believe that a 5 on BC looks better than an 800 on Math 2. But, remember, none of his schools recommend or require SAT 2s.
To be fair, @ucbalumnus did qualify with “should,” and I happen to agree - depending on the exam, and particularly if the student has to prepare for a final for the course.
This is an example where more prep might be necessary. In this case, it’s because the curriculum of an AP course is not designed to prepare one for a Subject Test. Subject tests are designed to reflect high school-level courses. AP courses are designed to be equivalent to a college course, and as such, cover the topics in less breadth and more depth. Now some schools/teachers might spend time filling in the gaps, but really the onus is on the student in this case.
I think the question becomes then, why would a student who has a 5 on BC Calc have to prove they know pre-calc via a subject test? Or high school history for that matter if they get a strong score on APUSH? I guess some schools don’t offer AP so maybe subject tests are an equalizer?
For me the subject test do a couple of things, and there not a big deal. Its to show mastery of a subject that you are interested in that ALIGNS with your chosen major, or it can show that you have mastered a subject that you had a poor grade in. It is the least considered of all testing.
That’s my guess. Not all schools offer AP but every US high school offers US history, and almost all offer precalc.
But in the grand scheme of things, relatively few colleges request/require Subject Tests anymore, and in a list of importance including SAT and GPA, Subject Tests are way down in order of importance, IMO.
Also, for the most part, colleges that request/require Subject Tests practice holistic admissions; there is not mathematical formula to determine who gets in. So I don’t think a 700 would put an application in the reject pile. Regardless, we’re going astray here from the question as asked by the OP (who seems to have vanished). 
I have a slightly different view of SAT2’s, although the end result in terms of whether you should take them to increase your chances of getting into a top school is not that different from the “consensus” view above. I think the SAT2’s are used more to confirm the student’s transcript/grades in the covered subjects. As such, as @ToxicityXD mentions above, a high SAT2 is not going to make up for a relatively poor SAT/ACT or weaker transcript. I agree with @homerdog if a student submits a bunch of 5’s on AP’s, its probably going to carry as much if not more weight than SAT2’s. On the other hand, if you are a high SES applicant and you do not submit SAT2’s or AP’s, I think you put yourself at a disadvantage. Of course, if you have low scores and choose not to submit that is another question.
@BKSquared well, we will be putting that theory to the test. S19 is a strong test taker and we just thought he would take SAT2s to bulk up his app. After he received his AP scores, he lost motivatation to go back and study for SAT2s. I hope those APs do what we wanted high SAT2 scores to do - confirm that his As were warranted and not grade inflation. Only something like 10 percent of test takers got 5s on the tests he took. I hope AOs will all see them if we self report them.