I’ve been working very hard over the summer (3+ hours a day) in order to demonstrate my math skills in the SAT Subject Math 2 test. But, I attended a virtual session held by the board of admissions at Tulane and one of them said that subject tests have “minimal impact.” When did essays, ECs and grades become the sole factors in admissions? Don’t colleges need some kind of secondary benchmark for STEM majors? It seems a little ridiculous that they wouldn’t consider subject tests at all.
bump
Even before the pandemic, Tulane did not require Subject Tests although they were considered if sent. But even for those colleges that required or strongly recommended them, I think they were more of a “can’t hurt” for the most part. Keep in mind that the Subject test is a 1 hour exam, so its importance was weighted accordingly.
In terms of admissions with grades SAT/ACT, ECs, recs, essays, they are all important. I liken the various components of the application to the Avengers; they are all important in their own way, but there’s a reason that the guy who shoots trick arrows and the dude that shrinks didn’t appear in Infinity War. Subject Test scores represent Ant-Man. 
And have patience young grasshopper and avoid bumping after 45 minutes.
@skieurope ok thanks. I guess I can slack off a little bit now lol. I wasted quite some time on a test that doesn’t really matter.
There are a small number of schools where Subject Tests are somewhat important. You can easily Google and of the lists out there - those that “recommend” them consider them moderately important.
Others that say they will “consider” them means they are of minor but non-zero importance. A top score can top the balance of a marginal application.
For a majority of US Universities, they don’t matter at all.
And all of the above have been reduced in importance for the upcoming admissions cycle - Subject Tests are almost always taken in May/June and those weren’t offered this year.
Achievement Tests/SAT II/Subject Tests have been of decreasing importance over the last couple of decades. With MIT and Caltech bailing, I think they’re in a race to obsolescence with the SAT/ACT Essay.