<p>Is it smart, redundant or irrelevant to take SAT II test in same subject as taking AP test?
How does one decide which subject tests to take? I know math is sometimes required. After that should choice be based on strength or balance? And is science too much like math to be considered balanced?</p>
<p>Took the required SAT II's for the colleges I was looking at...1 math, 1 science and 1 humanities. Three total. Took all AP exams possible in hopes of them being accepted as college credit. Worked out great. Science and math totally different.</p>
<p>Definitely take both. Last year I took AP US History and took the SATII the very next day. If you are gonna study for one, why not kill 2 birds with one stone and get the college credit AND impress the admissions staff with a good SAT2 score?</p>
<p>Definitely take both if it's U.S. History. I know several kids who got 750 or higher with no extra studying beyond what they were already doing for the AP test.</p>
<p>I have also heard that it's a good idea to take the SAT II in Biology or Chemistry if you take those AP courses. Not so sure about Physics; some kids say that the topics covered are not exactly the same.</p>
<p>In the case of math, take the Math IIC test at the end of precalculus. Don't wait for the AP course, which is entirely focused on calculus. There is no calculus on the SAT II math tests. It's better to take Math IIC when the material is fresh in the student's mind. </p>
<p>The SAT II tests in foreign language have brutal curves. Just because you get a 5 on the AP test, it does not necessarily mean you will get an 800 on the SAT II.</p>
<p>Math and a science is a common combination. I don't think it's unbalanced. In general, the first priority is that the student should take whatever SAT II tests are required or recommended by the colleges to which he is applying (some engineering programs, for example, require math and a physical science). After that, I think strength is what's important, although the colleges usually want to see two or three different fields (e.g., math, a science, and a history test rather than math and two sciences or math and two histories).</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. Marian anticipated a question I was about to ask re: Math II. But a follow-up-- is it better to take a test late spring when matieral is fresh but not finished with course, or fall after completing course though not as fresh?</p>
<p>There's a June test date that's pretty close to the end of most people's school years. That's a popular date for taking SAT II tests.</p>
<p>If the course is an AP course, it ends in May anyway (for all practical purposes). The class may do a project or something after the AP test, but the serious work is over.</p>