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I like that there are a couple of weeks between the AP tests and the June SATs so you can do a practice test or two and see if there is anything extra you need to work on a bit</p>
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<p>Yeah, there’s only a little thing called finals in between the AP tests and the June SAT II’s!</p>
<p>At most high schools, there are no final exams for AP courses; the AP exam is the final.</p>
<p>wjb, really? It makes sense for schools that end in May, not for those of us whose schools end in June. But how can grades be assigned if the AP test is the final, since the AP results don’t come out until later in the summer? Is grading postponed?</p>
<p>Gee, I don’t know about the rest of the country. I just know about schools around here, including both the high schools my kids have gone to. APs were essentially over after the exams. Maybe there was a small project or paper, but no big final test, and grades were largely based on the projects, exams, labs, etc. completed before the exam. My son had one AP teacher who is fabulous, but notoriously tough; there have been kids who have gotten Cs in the course and 5s on the AP exam!</p>
<p>Sorry I overstated my case. I will revise: “At some high schools, there are no finals for AP courses.” It’s worth checking out.</p>
<p>PG - First, I think 3 tests is definitely doable. They are only an hour each and I know that my son had no problem taking all three at the same time. Second, be sure that you cover the SAT IIs that the specific colleges your kids are considering, as PCP said some are fairly specific (but Math/Science and other cover most). Third, it is my understanding that Math II is “easier” than Math I in the sense that the curve is so high in Math I that one or two wrong answers will substantially drop your score. Fourth, I don’t believe that there is a lot of correlation between AP and SAT II scores. My son took the AP Spanish, SAT II Spanish and the IB Spanish SL all at the end of Junior year. He got a 3 on the AP, a 700 on the SAT II and a 6 (of7) on the IB. I will say that I have heard that AP languages are “killers” because you have to be almost fluent to score a 5.</p>
<p>Personally, I think that SAT IIs are a great way to distinguish yourself from other high-GPA and high-scoring SAT students.</p>
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<p>I agree, even for schools that take ACT in lieu of SAT I plus SAT IIs. I think SAT IIs are a good vehicle for showing mastery of a specific subject.</p>
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<p>The students I know of that fit the above description all have high SAT II’s. You need to have high SAT II’s just to keep up with them.</p>
<p>This regimen worked out well for both my Ds, who are science kids and who needed 3 SAT Subject tests:</p>
<p>Take the May SAT Subject tests junior year in Math and American History. No additional prep needed since you are taking APUSH and should have taken math through Algebra 2 by then. </p>
<p>Prep in summer with an SAT subject test prep book for a science subject test and take the SAT subject test in Oct of senior year (one took the bio test; the other took the chem test). Our school science classes don’t cover all the material tested which is why they needed the extra prep time in the summer.</p>
<p>If you are not a science person, but a person who does well in English–then I’d take the Literature Subject test–after going through a SAT Lit practice book. The one person I know who needed one more SAT subject test, but didn’t have time to prep for a science one, took the Lit one after quickly through a reading a prep book and got over 700.</p>
<p>Anything over 700 is very good. Anything over 750 is exceptional. If a school recommends SAT subject tests but do not require them, I’d take the test and report the results if they are over 700.</p>
<p>Our HS is like wjb’s, the AP courses are essentially over with the AP tests. Our school gets out in June, so some teachers, depending on the subject, spend the last month helping the kids prep for the June SAT IIs by giving practice tests and covering material that they didn’t have time to cover for the AP tests. There might be some random quizzes and presentations the kids have to give on the new material, but nothing stressful. So June is a great time to take for our kids to take the SAT IIs.</p>
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<p>As a soph, S got a B in AP USH and a 5 on the exam, so that makes sense to me; he’s currently getting a B in AP EuroHist so I’m hoping the same :-). I had checked and the schools around here (as you know, we live in different parts of the greater Chicago area) don’t use the AP as the final for the class. In fact, you’re not required to take the AP exam if you don’t want to, though of course it’s highly recommended.</p>
<p>Thanks all for your help! I’m going to try to step back, give all the thoughts to my kids and let them decide their own strategies for testing in May / June and even October …</p>
<p>You can’t pick and choose the SAT II scores, though, can you? Like if you take 3 but only want to send the results of 2?</p>
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<p>Yes, you can, absolutely. The College Board has always allowed you to pick and choose which Subject Test scores appear on your score reports; if you take 3 and bomb 1 on a given date, you can send just the 2 scores you like from that date, and add the scores you like from subsequent test dates to your score report. Beware, though; a few schools are now asking applicants to submit ALL SAT scores. They say they’ll only rely on the top scores, but a lot of people doubt this.</p>
<p>We’re also in an ACT-dominant part of the country, but it’s always been my view that good SAT II scores can only help an applicant. If the school doesn’t require them you don’t need to send them, but even if they accept the ACT in lieu of both the SAT I and SAT IIs (as many schools do), the SAT IIs can help distinguish the applicant—provided they’re good scores. But you won’t know unless you take the tests.</p>
<p>I did not take these tests so my answer is heresay. </p>
<p>But my D took 3 tests in one day (she NEEDED 3 tests AND didn’t know if she’d have any future available dates). As far as “can” you take 3 in one day - I don’t think it’s that much different than taking the SAT I. She excelled on 2 of hers, and not the 3rd. But it was not the third she took…it’s just the subject she doesn’t like. She studied and retook that subject by itself and still didn’t do that well. </p>
<p>And, yes, you can “walk” on tests, take fewer - you can even take more, the’ll just bill you - or you can CHANGE which tests you take.</p>
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<p>Yes, BUT some colleges require you to send ALL scores. Such colleges include Yale, Cornell and the UCs, for example.</p>
<p>For those with science & math kids, some schools require Math Level 2 & a science. Others are even more specific: Math Level 2 & either chemistry or physics.</p>
<p>Note that AP Physics C does NOT cover everything you need for the SAT Physics test. AP Physics B may prepare you better for the SAT II. I think self-study of the difference between C and the SAT II is possible (assuming that you’ve done both mechanics and E&M), but you need to know that there are additional topics…</p>
<p>1) Only Harvard and Georgetown still require 3 Subject tests. Princeton dropped that requirement this year.
2) Some kids can take 3 in one sitting and do well. Most kids don’t seem to do that.
3) If your kids have finals in between AP’s and the June date, maybe they can take two in May and 1 in June. But, make sure that they have finished all the subject matter by the very beginning of May, because the subject tests are generally given the first week in May, whereas the AP exams may be a couple of weeks later.
4) College Board does have score choice available for subject tests but there are schools which do require that all scores be sent. Here is the link to find which schools use score choice and how they use it. <a href=“http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/sat-score-use-practices-list.pdf[/url]”>Higher Education Professionals | College Board;
<p>Mine spread out three tests : physics and math 2 one spring, and lit on another date. That worked well in terms of scores. He did very well on all three. The first two were just after he finished physics, and calculus, the lit was after a lit class but really, we just had him do a sample test first. We figured three was good for showing some variety in ar</p>
<p>sorry…computer burped. …
areas of of interest/ability. Just get the sample tests and have your kids run through those. Two is probably enough - I won’t sweat the third - and if you decide you do need it, kids can take SAT2s on lots of dates.</p>