<p>I feel like subject tests are really gonna screw me over come admissions decision time, the physics SAT in particular. I've taken two subject tests so far: Math II (740) and US History (790). My grades, I believe, will be fine; they will not bring me down. I don't believe that my SAT will bring me down too much either. I hope not, anyway.</p>
<p>I wish to major in computer engineering, which requires me to apply to the college of engineering in the schools I'm applying to. In many of these schools, such as Carnegie-Mellon and Cornell, a science subject test is required. So, I've registered for the SAT Physics test being administered in December. I've pretty much forgotten all of biology and chemistry, and I only took AP Physics C: Mechanics last year. I really haven't gotten around to looking over the material covered on the exam other than mechanics, so I know I will do pretty poorly on the exam.</p>
<p>So then, I ask: how much weight would a college put on a really poor subject test score? Would a 600 on the Physics SAT break me? The following colleges I'm applying to require a science subject test for engineering: Carnegie-Mellon, Cornell, and MIT.</p>
<p>Is there any way you can take the test in January? A 600 would be pretty bad, to be honest, at least for a school like MIT, and especially if you want to major in engineering. On the other hand, if every other part of your application is great, it should not ‘break you.’ As I have said though, if there is any way for you to push back the date and study the other topics on the exam, it would be in your best interest.</p>
<p>I don’t really expect to be able to get into MIT anyway. The rest of my stats aren’t on-par for MIT; my SAT’s a 2140, and I don’t have insane volunteer work or extracurriculars. It’s kind of a shot at the moon for me. CMU and Cornell, however, I think I have a much better shot at.</p>
<p>My friend that took the SAT Physics exam last month really only knew mechanics as well walking into the exam. The class he took was simply algebra-based mechanics in contrast to our calculus-based class. He got a 680. Can I expect similar results or did he get very lucky?</p>
<p>The subject tests are actually less important than most people on CC give them credit for. Isaac Newton could probably get around a 750 or so on the Physics Subject Test (would not do well on electricity and nuclear questions), so a 770 would be OK.</p>