<p>I posted previously about how I am now helping someone with college planning. She is a junior and has taken no Subject Area tests. She will take the SAT for the first time in May. How should she decide how many Subject Area tests to take in June?</p>
<p>Thank you very much!</p>
<p>If you're asking how many to take at one sitting you'll get a lot of different answers. My oldest took 3 and did fine, but he said it was a little tiring, so my youngest has spread them out. </p>
<p>If you're asking how many TOTAL she should take I would recommend 3, but check with the schools if she knows where she wants to apply. Many schools required only 2 this year because of the writing test change, but are going to require 3 for our juniors.</p>
<p>Last year, many kids on the SAT forum reported that they would recommend two max in one sitting. Obviously, it depends on the kid, but it would seem that taking three at a time would be tiring. Don't forget, she also has fall senior year to take a test or two....</p>
<p>Suggest two from different disciplines: math/science & english/humanities. Also, suggest the Xiggi method -- pickup the CB's Real Subject tests for practice.</p>
<p>Total, I would suggest three. I only took two, only to discover in Janaury that two of my top schools (Duke and Georgetown) both required three.</p>
<p>Thanks for your responses! </p>
<p>As you can see, I'm not exactly a finely honed machine when it comes to college advising. :) My immediate question was how many should she take in June. However, I am also grateful for input on the total number. </p>
<p>Especially with this in mind: she probably would do really well on the Spanish test. To what extent is one more or less required to do math, english, science?
If she took three, and included Spanish, which should she leave out? Or should she leave out Spanish?</p>
<p>Thanks very much again!</p>
<p>She could do math, science and Spanish. I don't think English is necessary because the SATI covers verbal and writing.</p>
<p>I agree. A math, science and anything else is probably fine.</p>
<p>Unless she is going into engineering or one of the specialized science programs (6 year med etc.) check the websites of the schools she's interested in to see if they require math or science. If not, and if she is stronger in history, english and spanish go for the Subject tests in her areas of strength. My D will only take US and World History and Lit as none of the schools she is interested in require any specific tests such as math or science.</p>
<p>My advice: unless you are a savant, and many board watchers perhaps are...don't take any SATIIs until you are committed to devote at least two hours to prep for each test and take a practice test. The practice tests will demonstrate what to expect. Tests like History are actually harder than others. Then take the SATIIs that you have a strong aptitude for, and don't torment yourself but many of them. That means skipping some sunny spring day hours and reading the prep book. The prep books are only for one hour exams and are not that big a deal. Also the Math Level Two has a more generous curve, so if you have taken advanced math courses, go for that one for respect if you are putting your math/science ability forward. Personally, I think the SATIIs are good to knock of spring of Junior year in two sittings, and the extra SAT big test final round can be done first thing in fall of senior year. Your SATIIs can be "tipping factors" in your favor and perhaps help you reach a bit higher, and think more about your college list over the summer, so warning that many members of my Son's class took them after late nights out and no prep and then had bad scores. Don't think of them as course placements, think of them as tipping factors. If my S had been motivated a bit more he could have eliminated one of three semesters of foreign language with a middling to good SATII but he didn't feel like reviewing and lost his chance for that. SATIIs are often used as placement tools for math and language but first you gotta get admitted, so be thoughtful about having this score sheet be a positive in your presentation.</p>
<p>over30 - Could I ask where you heard that many schools are going to go back to 3 subject tests (plus, I assume the writing)? I haven't heard that anywhere yet, but I'd really like to know if it's true.</p>
<p>Yeah, I have the same quesetion. Are schools going back to requiring three ,and if so, what level? Would a school like Brandeis, for example, require 3, or are we only talking about Ivy-level schools?</p>
<p>Several of the schools my son applied to like having 3 subject tests. My son took one test in 9th grade after taking Biology for a year. He took 3 tests in junrior year in June (should have taken them in May, closer to when his classes ended & he was studying for the AP exams). He also took one more in fall of senior year, Math II because he thought he could do better than he did in Math I & was/is interested in possibly pursuing math/science in college. He did much better in Math II than Math I (they had been reviewing all the material covered in Math II in both his AP Calculus AB class & AP physics class around the time he took the SAT II, so it worked out very well for him.</p>
<p>Some of the schools he applied to recommended Math II anyway, so it was good he took it. He also took US History & Physics SATIIs. If the student is taking pre-calculus or calculus, Math II is the material covered anyway & it has a more generous curve than the Math I. It would be good to borrow the SAT II books from the public library & have the student look them over to figure out which ones the student would be comfortable taking.</p>
<p>Preparing for the exam can be very helpful--taking a practice test to be familiar with the questions & timing (the exams are only an hour apiece, so speed & accuracy is important). My son didn't mention anything about how he felt after taking all 3 exams, tho he did say it was long & tiring taking the SAT I + writing (which the colleges he's applying to required).</p>
<p>Sorry if I have lost track of the calendar, but I would take math as soon as possible, because of the relative possibility of nailing down a final score. Take some others in June (2 or 3), depending on junior year courses taken, especially APs. It's nice to have none to take in the fall of senior year except for any re-do's.</p>