So I just got a 1500 on the SAT and am wondering if I should have taken subject tests. I’m a senior. Will I be limited in my college search by not having any, or are they mainly just important for people scoring 1500+? I’m just kind of in a panic because I’ve never learned a thing about these. And my dad is a guidance counselor.
Where do you live? What universities are you thinking of applying to?
Some schools require SAT subject tests, some require SAT subject tests for some majors and not others, and some do not require them at all.
I’m in NY, my top picks are Northeastern and U of Rochester.
Look at the website of each college you are planning to apply to and see if they recommend/require SAT II tests.
Yes, you’ll need to get used to checking the websites of the colleges you plan to apply to. Not just to see testing requirements, but to learn what they want in courses as well as clues to use to match yourself. (Not just match to what you want, but to understand what they look for.)
Obviously, it would have been advantageous if you were in a high school environment where counselors and other students mentioned SAT subject tests while you were in 11th grade, so that you can take them at the end of 11th grade for courses you were completing then. Or if your parents were familiar with them.
But since that is not the case, you now have to work harder to achieve to the same level as those who did have these advantages.
Side note to avoid confusion - if you see “SAT II”, “SAT 2”, or “Achievement Tests”, those are all former names of the current SAT Subject Test.
T Northeastern Subject Tests are recommened onoy for home schooled applicants. They are not required for anyone.
I know each school is different, but neither of my older boys took an SAT subject test, and both got into their school of choice (one T50, the other T20). Of course, go to the school’s website to see what’s required, but I would think your killer SAT score will go a long way.
Btw, for some reason I love your thread title. It is so authentic!
My D didn’t bother taking any subject tests as none of the schools she was interested in required them, and only one recommended it. That school wasn’t her top choice so she didn’t bother.
If it makes you feel any better, I was talking to an admissions officer at a college this morning and he didn’t know what an SAT subject test was either. Granted, it’s a college that’s pretty far off from the T20, but he had no idea what I was talking about.
SAT subject tests seem to be used mainly by some of the more selective colleges, who
(a) get most applicants from high SES or prep schools whose counselors tell students to take the SAT subject tests, and
(b) have so many academically well qualified applicants that losing a few is not a big deal to them.
However, some of them list SAT subject tests as “recommended”, probably as a signal that they expect most applicants to have them, but that those from low SES or disadvantaged situations (where they may not have even heard of them until it is too late) may be given a pass on them.