<pre><code> This is my first post on this site, so go easy on me if people inquire about this topic often. I ask this question because I don't know all that much about the subject tests. To be honest, the college admissions process seems to have snuck up on me. Before my junior year, it was always a distant worry, but now it is looming over me. I have just taken the SAT and am engaged in general college-prep-related activities (I am researching different colleges, careers, and scholarships), but I know that I need to learn about (and do) many more things. So, if any of you have any advice relating to the above, feel free to blurt it out.
Anyway, my main question is whether or not I should take any subject tests during my senior year. I think that some colleges require them, but I'm not sure.
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<p>Most top colleges require two Subject Tests. Georgetown is the only school that requires three. Most other colleges do not require them (and many do not even consider them).</p>
<p>The only situations in which specific Subject Tests will be required is when you are applying to engineering/science/math-oriented universities (e.g., Caltech and MIT) or the engineering colleges of some universities. In those cases, you must usually take a math test (most commonly Math Level 2) and a science test.</p>
<p>I need to take them also. I am a rising senior and I was told the only time I can still take them is this fall. I am probably going into physics/astronomy so I was thinking I should take Physics and Math2. The only problem is that I am taking my first physics class my senior year. Time for a lot of self-studying!</p>
<p>One rule runs paramount: take the tests on which you will succeed. Secondary considerations: offering an application that is simultaneously diverse but cohesive.</p>
<p>As to what SAT IIs are required, you should always check for that info on the college sites for the specific colleges you are considering. Generally, colleges that require them take any two (or three as required by Georgetown) as long as they are in different subjects, and they do not have to be related to desired major. The exception is applying for engineering and at some places science, in which a number require that you have a math and science (usually a choice between physics or chemistry or often biology; in other words it does not have to be physics if applying for physics; moreover, one is not preferred over the other). An issue is whether you need the tests at all. Go here for a list of colleges that require, recommend or consider SAT IIs: [Compass:</a> Admissions Requirements](<a href=“SAT Subject Test Requirements and Recommendations - Compass Education Group”>SAT Subject Test Requirements and Recommendations - Compass Education Group) I am aware of one update to that list – Michigan now considers (but does not require) IIs. If the colleges to which you are applying are not on the list, you won’t need SAT IIs.</p>
<p>It’s an excellent idea to take standardized tests, because not all curricula are standardized. An B at one school could mean more than an A at another, and Subject Tests are the best way to show at least you know what you’re talking about.</p>
<p>You can take as few as the schools you’re applying to require, as many as you can do well on.</p>
<p>Let’s say your school has a very rigorous program in [subject], and you’ve been getting Bs and Cs. A 750+ will go a long way in softening the blow.</p>
<p>A very small number of elite colleges and universities, plus the University of California system, require SAT IIs, but even some of those will accept the ACT (with writing) as a substitute for both the SAT I and SAT II. A smaller number require SAT IIs whether you submit the SAT I or the ACT. If you’re not planning on applying to those elite schools, SAT IIs are probably not necessary, and they may not even be considered by some schools. </p>
<p>On the other hand, a few schools have now gone “test-flexible.” NYU, for example, now requires either 1) the SAT I, or 2) the ACT (with writing), or 3) three SAT IIs (one humanities, one math or science, one non-language test of your choice), or 4) three AP test scores (one humanities, one math or science, one non-language test of your choice). If you apply to NYU and your SAT I or ACT is very strong, you might not want to bother with SAT IIs. On the other hand, if your SAT and/or ACT are not top-notch, it might be worth taking some SAT IIs as some people do better on the subject tests—and you won’t know whether you’re one of them unless you try. </p>
<p>I expect the trend toward “test-flexible” and test-optional to continue at colleges and universities that fall just outside the super-elite, in part because it’s a way for them to game their U.S. News rankings. In a test-flexible or test-optional system, it’s generally only the top SAT/ACT scorers who will submit those test scores with their applications, so the reported 25th/75th percentile SAT/ACT scores for the school will get a boost.</p>