I did really bad on my subject tests: 780 in math 2 which isn’t bad at all considering I winged that one, and I’m not applying for engineering or math. But a relatively bad 690 in physics (I honestly don’t know what happened that day. I felt 800 confident after I took it and was getting 790/800 on the practice tests. I want to say I just messed up filling in answers but I’m not that full of myself) Anyways, I was pretty upset, and it’s gonna be difficult to retake the physics one now with all these deadlines approaching. I’ve gotten a 5 on the AP Physics 1 test (I know it’s different than the subject test, but at least displays I can learn similar, complex material) and have test scores and GPA on the higher end of Princeton’s average. Would you recommend not sending the scores at all, which could come off as lazy on my part or just send them, hoping the admissions officers realize I might’ve had a bad day when I took the test?
I attended an information presentation by admissions officers from Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Wellesley and UVA. A student asked whether ‘recommended’ meant ‘you had better have subject tests or else a really good excuse’.
The lady from Harvard said that ‘recommended’ meant ‘you had better have subject tests or else a really good excuse’.
The guy from Princeton and the guy from Yale both said that good subject tests would be a plus on your resume, but the absence of subject tests would not be a negative. They understand that some people just don’t test well on the day, and they are looking for reasons to admit you, not for reasons to deny you.
So don’t send the tests if you don’t feel confident. Princeton will not judge you for their absence.
If you aren’t planning on a STEM major, I would send them. I think it looks worse to not have them at all and your math score is strong.
What’s wrong with the 780? Or are you not being serious?
If you aren’t aiming for engineering or math, why physics, why not a test in the arena you ARE interested in? And do you have a humanities subject test?
Honestly, your bigger problem will be this focus on getting 800s and thinking scores and gpa are all it takes. You could have gotten solid 800’s in everything and still get excluded for not understanding the rest of what they must see.
In any fiercely competitive pool, saying omitting scores won’t be a negative isn’t the full story. It doesn’t mean all is hunky dory and they won’t notice they’re missing and wonder why. The risk is they’ll assume they were much lower.
I hope you are joking that a 780 and 690 are ‘really bad’, please do not let that type of sentiment show through in your applications.
I would consider sending both scores because even though Princeton reps may say it’s not a negative to not have them, those who do have them typically benefit, especially if scores are 700+. Clearly your math 2 is strong so it’s a no brainer to send that one. I think the 690 physics is good enough too, but will leave that up to you.
yeah I wasn’t talking too much about the math one. That one’s good enough, but the physics score will probably be a red flag. Thanks for the input.
@lookingforward I know 780 is good enough. The physics score is the one on the lower end. I took physics because I had just taken physics 1 and am taking physics C. As a hopeful bio major, I thought it would’ve been difficult for me to score well on the biology subject test since I wasn’t able to take a similar course other than freshman biology, and my “spike” is my experience in biological research. I think the consensus is that I should send them, so thanks for the advice.
Ok. But watch out for assumptions about spike.
The difficulty you face is that if you do send the scores and are not admitted, there may be a temptation to blame the physics score. If you don’t send them and are not admitted, blame may be assigned to the absence of the scores. It’s quite a conundrum! The reality is that admission to Princeton is a far reach for most well-qualified, unhooked applicants (the category you appear to fall within) and even with perfect scores there is still a low probability of an offer of admission.
Realistically a 690 on a subject test in an area you do not intend to concentrate in is not a “really bad” score at all, nor is it a “red flag”. My bigger concern would be the admissions officer reviewing your file being left with a question about why you did not include subject test scores. What might they infer by the absence of those tests?
If you do receive an offer of admission, some of the perfectionist tendencies will need to go by the wayside to preserve your sanity. Princeton is very rigorous academically and if admitted you need to be resilient enough to be able to live with a lot of B’s and perhaps even the occasional C. Even without grade deflation, A’s are not easy to come by and those students who expect to maintain a perfect 4.0 GPA are going to experience significant stress. Reporting a slightly lower score may assure the admissions department that you can live with being less than perfect on occasion without losing your confidence or enthusiasm.
Hearing that is good for kids’ confidence and good for the college from the standpoint of USNews rankings and application fee revenue, but it doesn’t change the fact that 95% of applicants will be rejected.
I rate it 4 Pinocchios.
At the information session I attended for Princeton they gave the classic answer, “subject tests are not required, but they really are if you want a competitive application.” They added, Many student do 2 subject tests and some even 3." The take away I got was do the subject tests and to be competitive at this super ultra competitive school best do 3 subject tests.