<p>S hasn't taken any subject tests. He is studying for Math II this summer. He'll wait until after junior year to do other kinds of subjects. Because he can take two tests in one sitting, what about doing Math I and Math II in one sitting and seeing which one he does best on? I understand the tougher curve for Math I, etc., but if he's applying will it just look bad to only take Math I and he should totally skip it anyway? And what's a "bad" score?</p>
<p>How much prep do your kids do for these subject tests anyway?</p>
<p>This doesn't directly answer your question, but my suggestion would be to see whether schools your child will be applying to require the SAT subject tests. We had assumed my son would need to take them, but after some investigating we decided to skip them. He missed the best time to take some of the tests (right after completing the course) and he is not the best standardized test-taker. So we figured his scores were not likely to be outstanding, and only one of the schools he was initially considering--Haverford--absolutely requires the subject tests along with the ACT. So that made his Swarthmore or Haverford or both decision easy!</p>
<p>Unfortunately, yes, some of them do require these tests that I was clueless about until joining cc. Grrrr. He should have taken math I after his freshman year. His school routinely sends kids to the most selective colleges in the country. Why it doesn't advertised these important tests is beyond me.</p>
<p>We have a book that has both Math I and Math II tests. In his first practice for Math I, he made a 690 and in Math II he made a 660 or so. I'm wondering what's the tipping point in making the lower score in Math II still look "better" than the higher score on Math I.</p>
<p>What does he intend to study? If science, engineering, economics, etc., I would recommend Math II. He can easily improve his score to above 700 by doing more (and more) practice tests. My D received a score of 740 cold (no practice or studying) and after doing eight practice tests, obtained a score of 800.</p>
<p>If he has taken pre-calc, then he should definitely take the Math II. </p>
<p>My D studied for all of her SAT subject tests, however they were usually in conjuncture with taking an AP exam in the same subject.</p>
<p>A bad score depends on the schools he is applying to. For selective schools, in the 700+ is good, 750+ is great (IMO). Of course this has always got to be taken in context with the entire application, so this is only a general guideline.</p>
<p>In my experience, kids who have completed precalculus (especially those who have JUST completed precalculus) tend to do better on Math II, which has a heavy precalculus content, than on Math I.</p>
<p>Being misinformed or underinformed about SAT Subject Tests is one of the most common problems I see among students and parents on these boards. In order for students to choose the most appropriate tests and take them at the times when they are best prepared, they really need to be thinking about Subject Tests in 10th grade or earlier. But high school guidance counselors and college advisors tend not to bring up the topic until mid-11th grade--if they discuss it at all. I think one of the most useful things visitors to CC can do is read up on some back threads on Subject Tests to get an idea of what might work out best for a particular student.</p>
<p>I don't think there is any point in taking both Math 1 and Math IIC. If he has taken pre-calc, he should just take Math IIC. If he hasn't taken pre-calc yet, just wait.</p>
<p>I gather he's a rising junior? If so, he isn't "behind" in his SAT II schedule. Having said that, it is nice to knock one off sophomore year <em>if</em> appropriate for the student, and take a bit of the testing pressure off junior/senior year. If there is another subject that he finished this past spring and did very well in (Chem or Bio, for example), then he could take that in October if he wants to brush up with a study guide.</p>
<p>My S has a classmate entering H this fall who took ALL of his SATIIs in the fall of his senior year. So don't worry too much. :)</p>
<p>He did the two tests right in a row and said he was too tired to do well on the Math II. We'll abandon Math I. Thanks. I'll save the Math I portion of the book for his little brother. :)</p>
<p>I think October is the best time to take a test in a subject that was studied the year before. Why? </p>
<p>First, October is usually low-stress academically, as opposed to May/June which is filled with tiring end-of-the-year stuff.</p>
<p>Second you need a little bit of time to go through a review book, and make sure your class in the subject didn't skip whole chunks of the SAT II test material. It might take a little while to fill in the gaps.</p>
<p>Take Math II, as the curve is generous. In my opinion, there is really no reason to get below an 800 on an SAT subject test. They offer them 6 times per year, so there is really no reason to go in unprepared, you can back out and reschedule if you feel ill. And the curve is so, so, generous that any child that can get an A in the class should be able to study their way to an 800.</p>
<p>I certainly wouldn't make this argument for the SAT I which is less predictable and unforgiving with respect to a few careless mistakes.</p>
<p>The best time to take a subject test is in the spring one is taking the course. If taken the following fall do prepare- the precalc review in calc is NOT sufficient, regardless of what your son may tell you...</p>