Hopefully the OP read one of the other threads on subject tests and got his answer. If S19 were applying to schools that recommend them, he would study and take them (even though I think it’s kind of baloney). Kids need to give the schools what they ask for in order to have the best shot.
Highly competitive colleges want to see everything line up. I think some are thinking this from the individual perspective, “I hope he shows…” But don’t forget the competition can have it all. Stats aren’t all that matters but if you’re going for an immensely competitive college, you need to pull out all the right stops. Not assume some piece is enough.
SAT2s both confirm grades and add another competitive measure. So yes, a 700 could set one back. Your own other quantitatives might speak well for you, but a lower x could be the sour note. Especially if it’s a test related to the major. Meanwhile, other kids…
Not the reject pile in first cut. But the finer sieve that folliws.
Not sure if I was clear. S19 not reporting his 700 SAT score. I’ve read not to report them unless they are right in line with a student’s SAT scores. Anyone who needs SAT 2s should study and try hard to get scores as high as they can.
@homerdog yes that is correct, no sense if reporting them if they are optional and not 750+. Still each top school has there own take on the SAT 2’s. Some could care less, some want to see whatever you have.
I have a different take. 750+ might be a target for a small handful of schools, but 700+ is more than satisfactory for the next tier. Even then, I would posit that with the possible exception of a 700 in M2 for MIT or Caltech, if a student gets rejected from a top tier, the 700 in a Subject Test is not the reason.
Additionally, it one’s options are to submit 2 Subject Tests where one is less-than-optimal (whatever that means to the applicant) vs. sending 1, I’d opt to send 2. Nobody takes just one Subject Test (well, very very few). So sending just one may lead an AO to correctly think that the applicant was hiding something.
^^^^Agree that 700+ is fine for many schools. Further on the language subject tests, even scores of 650+ are considered acceptable at the (many) schools that use around 650 to begin satisfying language requirements and/or dictate placement. I can’t find a comprehensive list of schools, but for example at UVA, the foreign language requirement is fulfilled with a 650 in Spanish, 640 in Chinese and similarly in other languages. A 600-680 on Spanish test puts you in Spanish 3 at Dartmouth, 690+ fulfills language requirement. As always, do your own research.
I don’t think such a list exists. Even if fit did, it would probably be out of date. But as an example of another top-tier school where a sub-700 FL score allows exemption, Penn exempts for most languages with a 650; Stanford give an exemption (depending on the language) for a 620-640 (with Hebrew an outlier at 540).
To the original poster, my son applied and was accepted to UChicago without a Subject matter test. He chose not to take them because of what was already said about test fatigue. He felt that being a National Merit Finalist (and then winner) and 5s on all of his AP tests were enough. It wasn’t the prep time that steered him away, it was more the taking another Saturday. He ran XC and didn’t want to miss another weekend meet. One important data point is he would have been considered a recruited athlete, albeit not a very strongly recruited one.
UChicago was the only Tippy Top he applied to that recommended (and that is a strong term for UChicago, it was more if you have strong scores and you want them to be considered…) them, he also applied to USNA which doesn’t even recommend them. If he was rejected at UChicago, he would have applied to Colgate, Williams, Washington and Lee, and perhaps Johns Hopkins. He did rule out applying to a couple Ivies partly because they required subject matter tests but also he didn’t feel he would be able to run for these DI schools.
I think if the rest of your application shows that you would have scored well on subject matter tests (AP scores, strength of courses, general test scores) you could get away without taking them, however if you think you are week in an area and doing well on a subject matter test may increase your chances, then take them.
You don’t get an exemption if you aren’t first admitted. It’s important to see the difference between what the registrar will ok (or what a dept will accept, to advance you) versus what adcoms will look for.
Nor do you get admitted based on another’s anecdote. We don’t know their fuller pictures. Sometimes, not even the major. Sure, a 700 on USH will matter much less if a kid is a knockout STEM wannabe. But not so easy if she’s humanities.
OP said “top colleges” and “top tier.” I take that to mean where the competition is stiffest. Of course adcoms aren’t just trying to confirm you’re competent in that subject. I hate to say it, but what could it show an adcom at some tippy top if you were too worn out to take the subject tests? Or someone else said you don’t need xx and you took that as final? Of course, you don’t admit that to them, but you leave it to their imagination.
Meanwhile, other kids applying to a highly or most competitive college are presenting in full.
If you’ve got a score issue, I’m not saying give up hope. But be mindful this is no one-two process. It’s not as simple as Johnny got an A and a 5, let’s send him to finals. Be realistic as to what’s in your control and beyond your control. In addition to stats, they’re looking for energies, drives, and more, how that shows, not just minimums.
Now, if OP didn’t mean top tier, lol, my thoughts would change a bit.
Pages and pages have been written about this on other threads but the general consensus is, if a school requires them, you have to take them. If they recommend them and the student has access to them, they have to take them. They should shoot for scores close to their SAT scores. So, if a student has a 1500+ SAT score, they should really be shooting for 750+ on their SAT2s (and a 790/800 on Math 2 if that’s one of their tests) so that the SAT2s don’t look worse then their SAT.
S19 was only taking SAT2s because (1) we weren’t sure about his list and (2) if he did score high, we would self report them to schools that consider them. His list is full of top LACs that do not require/recommend them. S19 does have friends, however, applying to Ivies and/or Georgetown and some of those kids are still trying to get higher scores on some of their SAT2s.