<p>OMG, I remember taking the SAT IIs like yesterday....only now I don't have the low-income fee waiver to take as many tests as I please. (Adulthood sucks.) </p>
<p>Do you really need them? What are they good for? When would they be a good idea? (I happen to officially majoring in two sciences (and would otherwise qualify for three, if my school allowed triple majors). Is Biochemistry redundant if you're taking Biology and Chemistry subject tests?</p>
<p>SAT II (subject tests) are not bad and some colleges probably require them or at least like to see them.</p>
<p>Taking GRE subject tests is generally a horrible idea. I don’t know about every subject they offer and how it applies to your field, but as far as I know 1) you don’t need them in the slightest, and 2) they are extremely difficult and comprehensive and perhaps eccentric and should be avoided at all costs.</p>
<p>Many science/math programs require the GRE subject test, and it is much more rigorous than an SAT II. The exams purport to test the knowledge one would customarily acquire in the major, and provides a common measuring stick for grad schools to compare applicants from various undergrad programs. Check with the application requirements of the grad schools in which you are interested to determine whether you need to take the exam. If these sites say the exam is recommended and you are considering ignoring the recommendation, consider how your application might compare with the applications of those who took the exam and did well.</p>
<p>As is in the GRE subject test a compensation if you come from a less-well-known school?</p>
<p>For some grad schools it can be. When a grad school is unfamiliar with the quality of education at your school, good scores on the subject GRE may provide confidence that you’re well-prepared for grad school.</p>
<p>How is important is it if your school is part of the top 25?</p>
<p>Also is taking the Biochem Subject Test redundant if you’re taking the Bio and Chem subject tests? (My majors are biochemistry, physics and biology.)</p>
<p>I haven’t heard of anyone that has taken more than one subject test, nor have I heard of grad programs that require more than one subject test. You usually only take the test that is in line with the kind of program you are applying for. This isn’t an all out test buffet like the SAT Subject Tests.</p>
<p>And obviously you should only consider taking them if you want to apply to grad school. They are worthless outside this one single context.</p>
<p>I am applying to grad school for interdisciplinary programs, and am applying to different sorts of programs across chemistry, biology and biochemistry, and maybe even physics. That’s why I’m worried about having to study for four subject tests.</p>
<p>Most interdisciplinary programs require just one subject test, if any at all. They usually just ask you to take the one you feel most prepared for. </p>
<p>Are you looking at a Masters or a PhD? If it is the latter, it is slightly unusual to be applying to programs across such a wide range. You usually focus on your research interests and just apply to the subject area it falls under.</p>
<p>Whether or not it is important to admissions committees is something you will have to try to infer from their web pages. A school in the top 25 is meaningless; it depends on how the department to which you’re applying views the department from which you are graduating. Note: not the school, the department.</p>
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<p>I have quite wide interests; I have done research with the Department of Energy on single-particle tracking in live cells, at the same time my current research is behavioural research with fruit flies and the Circadian clock (with some clock genes involved). Both involve image processing. In addition, I have interests in (but no professional experience) in food chemistry, such as the use of bitter blockers and gastronomic neuroscience.</p>