Hi, I am currently a junior in high school and I have taken the SAT, ACT, and one subject test for chemistry. I want to apply to 7 and 8-year medical programs in various colleges, and I was wondering if my ACT plus writing scores can be substituted for SAT Subject Tests? I am going to take one more subject test for biology, but I am stuck on deciding whether or not I should take Math Level II, because I feel really unprepared and I will have to cram if I want to take that. I guess I’m really wondering if I should take that Math Level II test (if it is really necessary/ if it would give me an advantage), considering I am going into med. Thanks!
No, You can choose between ACT and SAT1, or decide to send both. But the subject test is a separate thing.
It depends on the schools. There are a dozen or so schools that would take ACT with writing in place of SAT1+SAT2.
I doubt it billcsho… I don’t think ACT can replace SAT2
Look for my previous post. I don’t have the link on my tablet.
In some cases: yes.
In most cases: no.
There aren’t many schools that will replace the Subject Tests with ACT w/writing. You usually have to take the SAT I or ACT AND the Subject Tests (for the schools that require the Subject Tests; some don’t).
Yeah, there are not many. I just counted again and there are 17 of them in the US plus McGrill. They include Yale, Brown, BC, Tufts, etc.
So there seem to be some various possibilities for frosh applicants to non-open-admission colleges:
- No test required.
- ACT or SAT Reasoning.
- (ACT or SAT Reasoning) and SAT Subjects.
- ACT or (SAT Reasoning and SAT Subjects).
2 is probably the most common at non-open-admission colleges, although there are some colleges where the requirement for tests is conditional on HS GPA and/or class rank (i.e. not required if your HS GPA and/or class rank is high enough).
Of the colleges that want SAT Subjects, #3 is probably more common than #4.
SCHOOLS THAT REQUIRE SUBMISSION OF SUBJECT TESTS REGARDLESS OF WHETHER APPLICANT TAKES SAT OR ACT:
California Institute of Technology
Carnegie Mellon University ¶ – exception: non-architecture majors, College of Fine
Arts (neither required nor recommended)
Cornell University (NY) – exception: applicants to Agriculture/Life Sciences and to
Industrial/Labor Relations (Subject Tests optional for these schools)
Dartmouth College (NH)
Franklin Olin College of Engineering (MA)
Harvard/Radcliffe Colleges (MA)
Harvey Mudd College (CA)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Princeton University (NJ)
Webb Institute of Naval Architecture (NY) – note: Webb does not accept ACT
Williams College (MA)
SCHOOLS THAT WILL ACCEPT ACT IN LIEU OF BOTH SAT AND SUBJECT TESTS:
Amherst College (MA)
Barnard College (NY)
Boston College (MA)
Brown University (RI)
Bryn Mawr College ¶ – note: other testing options obtain—see college entry
Columbia University (NY)
Duke University (NC)
Haverford College ¶
McGill University (PQ)
Pomona College (CA)
Rice University (TX)
Swarthmore College ¶ – note: other testing options obtain—see college entry
Tufts University (MA)
University of Pennsylvania
Vassar College (NY)
Wellesley College (MA)
Wesleyan College (CT)
Yale University (CT)
Reference: http://www.rtsd.org/Page/1574
@billcsho Thanks for the list!
Yours is actually a different question than is being answered above. The list above consists of all the colleges that actually require subject tests if you submit SAT or ACT when applying as an undergraduate. Your question goes to colleges with those combined undergraduate and graduate medical school programs that you can be admitted to as a college freshman. Though I am not sure, I believe that other than Rice, none of the colleges that usually require subject tests even have those programs. Thus, the colleges you are thinking about generally do not require subject tests even if you submit SAT but you must check those because some actually may require subject tests only of those who apply for special programs such as those combined undergraduate/medical programs and generally will do so whether you submit SAT or ACT.
For normal 4 year programs, the ONLY schools that require subject tests if you are submitting the ACTW are the ones listed in the first part of Bill’s post above. The list of schools that will accept the ACTW alone is seriously deficient. For example Chicago, Wash U, Vanderbilt and Stanford are missing. All will consider your application complete without subject tests although some schools such as Stanford recommend them. Chicago really does not care and will admit you with just the ACTW. However, for the combined medical school program which I was not looking at, the requirements may be different and you would have to carefully check each school. I definitely noticed something about it at some of the schools. Note, the schools I listed may or may not have medical programs I do not know
Thanks so much guys for your input!!
@SaphireNY Stanford is not on the list because SAT2 is not required but recommended only. Nevertheless, ~95% od admitted students did submit SAT2 scores. Anyway, the application would be considered complete even without SAT2 scores disregarding submission of SAT1 or ACT scores. The second list is for the schools that REQUIRE SAT2 unless ACT+W is submitted. The SAT2 requirement for other schools are shown on the document I linked above.
When something is “recommended”, the usual thought is to treat it as required if you are from a high SES background and/or attend a high school where large numbers of students apply to highly selective colleges. The applicants who are more likely to be given slack for not including a “recommended” item would be those from low SES backgrounds in high schools where few go beyond the local community college or nearby low selectivity state university and may therefore not realize (or be advised by counselors, parents, or other students) that somewhat unusual items like SAT subject tests are desired by some more selective colleges.
^ I agree, but that still make them on a separately list.