This discussion was created from comments split from: How much weight do these test scores carry in selective college admissions?.
Great input and info in this thread. My question is from the other end. I’m afraid of a score of his that WILL matter and might hurt him. My S20 has a pretty big outlier in his test scores (an SAT Subject test) and I’m hoping it doesn’t hurt him. Hopefully his other stats, essays, ECs, etc will compensate for that.
These are his stats:
ACT - 36
SAT - 1600
SAT Math II subject - 800
SAT Physics subject - 690 (yikes- this has me worried! He is taking AP Physics C this year, so there was a bit of material on there he hadn’t had yet. He took AP Physics 1 last year. Maybe this will be obvious if they look at his transcript?)
PSAT 1490/224 index (basead on last year’s index, he will hopefully be a semifinalist in our state)
He has mostly AP classes junior and senior year and has had 4s and 5s on most of them. He got a 4 on the AP Physics 1 exam. There are just a few schools on his list that require 2 subject tests, so we will have to submit both. UGH. There’s no time to retake Physics and it doesn’t make much sense anyway before completing AP Physics C.
Do you feel that Physics subject test score will hurt him? He’s applying to a big handful of top-tier schools (most require 2 subject tests), but also has match and safety schools on his list. Thanks for any input!
Such questions deserve its own thread. Hijacking another person’s thread is against the rules and is considered rude to the original poster. For your convenience, I split your post onto a new thread.
Yes.
He’ll get no break for taking a test for which he did not prepare. AP Physics 1 does not prepare for the Subject Test, since the AP class does not cover E&M, waves, modern physics, among many other topics. Students who opt to take the Subject Test need to learn these on their own.
While Subject Tests are just one part of the package, a 690 is a big outlier. Depending on how he’s progressing with his essays, he’d probably be well-served to prep for a Subject Test in October.
@skieurope thank you for moving this to a new thread. I appreciate that and your input. We contemplated having him re-take it in August, but it was difficult to make that date work. Now I really wish he did. He’s applying for CS. I guess he’d better get preparing for October! Unfortunately that won’t be soon enough for any EA applications to incude that new score, but should work for RD. And maybe there’s a way he can work that in there somewhere else. Thanks again. 
That really depends upon the college. Most accept October scores. Some even accept November scores. Most colleges will list last acceptable date on the website.
Also, to be clear, he may want to look at another Subject Test instead of physics, although applying for CS will likely means it would need to be bio-m, bio-e, or chem if not physics. He can run through a practice test to see which could potentially give him the highest score.
The results of October 5 test will be available on Oct 18, in time for EA.
Your son has a whole month at least to prepare. Anyone who can get a 36 ACT and a 1600 SAT can easily get an 800 on the physics subject test with a little preparation.
Read through the Princeton Review review book - 14 days at most, at less than an hour a day. Do the practice tests in that book, and also the practice tests in the Barron’s book - 7 days at most total, about an hour a day. Then get the official practice book (2 tests) from the college board and he could also do the single physics test in the big college board book that has all the subjects.
Really, he has this. The test is a mile wide but only an inch deep. You really don’t need to know much physics to get an 800 if you prepare, especially given the generous curve. The above advice is based on our own child’s experience taking the test halfway through Physics C in 10th grade.
Oh great, thank you @Noisymom , @dropbox77177 and @skieurope . He’s got to at least give this a try. Even though he wasn’t happy about it. We’ll be embarking on a 7 hour car ride in a couple days for a college visit, so I think I know what he will be doing if I can get the review books in time.
Can he take another subject test in a subject he is proficient? We are talking about quite an accomplished scholar here. The test does not have to be in physics unless so stipulated. Usually the tests submitted are a bit more diverse than a math/physics combo.
And, yes, it can hurt when those test scores are required.
@cptofthehouse Chemistry is probably the only other one he would do. For the schools where 2 subject tests are required or strongly recommended, it needs to be one of the Math (Math 2 is done) and a Science test. Biology isn’t something he would go for, so maybe he will take both Chemistry and Physics for the October exam date, just to have a couple options to choose from.
Agree that if he takes only AP physics 1 and AP physics C (mechanics only?), then he has not seen many of the topics in the SAT subject test for physics, which assumes a high school physics course that covers lots of topics at a relatively low level (AP physics 1 and AP physics 2 would cover these topics at a somewhat higher level). If he wants to take the SAT subject test for physics, he will need to self-study the missing topics.