Just like the title says, I am a rising senior in Korea who is considering taking SAT Korean as my third subject tests.
As of now, I have one subject test finished up: Math Level 2. My World History test is coming up in June. College admission is approaching quite rapidly as my concern grows.
Many of the colleges require students to take 3 subject tests. By June, I will be having two scores but one lacking. No other tests seem possible for me to prepare until November (my ED school does not require subject test scores) except Korean, which is my first language, and Math Level 1. US History is also an option, but I expect to be finishing up my RD essays by then so I won’t have much time left to study enough.
Sure, the best case scenario is getting into my ED school. However, I know that it’s a difficult shot to make and, I won’t be too obsessing with the result. Realistically, I need one more subject test score.
I just diverged a little bit, but anyways, is it a good idea to take SAT subject Korean as a native Korean? Will it harm my application or make it look silly? Admissions officers will definitely know what’s going on my app…
The Korean and Chinese SAT Subject Tests are the most skewed, because lots of native speakers take them. So, 800s on these tests only impress if you are not a native speaker.
“Many of the colleges require students to take 3 subject tests.”
Is that really true? I’m not aware of any ED schools that REQUIRE three subject tests.
No, it is not true. I can count on one hand the number of colleges that request/require 3 Subject Tests if you go to a regular HS. If you are homeschool, some colleges, however, will ask for add’l tests.
Back to the original question, yes, it’s a bad idea. Many colleges come right out and say that it’s a bad idea. For example, Columbia says:
Hi, I am a Korean student who grew up in the States. Among the Korean community here, most people take the Korean subject test as a safety/backup. I've seen people(and myself) who take the test just for the perfect score. however, as someone mentioned above, the test itself is highly skewed and missing one question can greatly affect your score. Moreover, since you are living in Korea, I would say taking another test will be a better idea if you plan on applying to high rank schools.
Yes, people who live in States and speak English fluently take SAT English too, but the Korean SAT is literally a joke for natives. And I would assume that all admission officers know this fact.
So personally, I would suggest you take another test. But again, emailing the specific school's admission office might not be a bad idea to be sure.