Hello,
I am a sophomore right now and took 2 SAT Subject Tests in freshman year (Math II and Physics and received 800s on both). Someone told me I should take 3-4 subject tests. Should I take any more or is it unnecessary? I feel like math and physics are my best subjects, and it would take me a lot more work to do well at other tests, for example, so if it’s not completely necessary or will alter my chances, I probably wouldn’t take it.
Reasearch the schools you plan to apply to. Some require 2, some none, some 3. It all depends. Do your research - then you will know.
Agree with above, but will add that hardly any colleges require three. You have two tests with top scores. You are probably done, but without checking an individual college’s website, you don’t know for sure. For future reference, if “someone” is a high school student, you can probably assume the info you are getting isn’t correct.
Georgetown is one of the few if only school that highly recommends 3.
Except if you are home schooled - than many schools want to see 3.
You could take one more in a non science subject to show range. You wouldn’t have to score 800, 700+ would be fine. Unless you’re homeschooled, this is likely only if you aim for top 25 universitied/LACs.
Taking one more subject test shows versatility (non-STEM), but considering your scores, it isn’t particularly necessary. Well done on your tests!
yeah like everyone said, most schools dont even require subject tests, but they recommend them. Ivy Leagues for example recommend 2( if you are in STEM, you need a science and a math). Taking subject tests outside the stem range shows aptitude in other areas. For right now you are fine for an Ivy league as most people just apply with a science and a math but i would recommend taking a non-stem one.
Are you going to apply to Georgetown? It is the only college that wants more than two subject tests for determining admission – it recommends three. If you are home schooled, then you may also need three depnding on college, Otherwise, every college other than Georgetown that requires or recommends subject tests requests two, and having math 2 and physics actually provides an ideal combination of subject tests that allows you to apply for any major, including engineering and science, at colleges (other than Georgetown) that require or recommend subject tests. You do not need a third to show “range.” The colleges that require two subject tests use the highest two to determine admission when you submit more than two and and generally ignore the extra ones.
Thus, if you are not applying to Georgetown and are not home schooled, you should consider yourself done taking subject tests for admission purposes. There could be a reason to take another test for some colleges but not for the purpose of determining admission. For example, there are some colleges that use SAT language tests to determine course placement in college and you might be able to meet the college’s language requirement that applies after you begin college with a high score. Also, some colleges actually give credit for high scores in certain subject tests, e.g., Georgia Tech for a high Chemistry SAT subject test score. However, whether you might consider taking a test for placement or credit depends on the particular college and it is not a large number of colleges that do so, so you need to check the particular colleges you may be interested in to determine if there could be any reason to take another subject test.