<p>I'm not sure if what I'm hearing is right or not... some saying it matters, some doesnt. blahblah... for one thing, I know that it's not a huge difference taking math I instead of math II. I'm native korean but I've been in the US for like 8 years so I don't think they'll look down upon that.</p>
<p>I'm sorry gouchicago, did you get that information from an admissions counselor at a top school?</p>
<p>^ Nope, but being an international student, I've never seen any person from my country get into a top school with lesser than a 2300 from 3 SAT II Subject tests. It might be lower for Americans; I'm not sure about how things are there.</p>
<p>Just face it. The whole package matters! Since the ad coms don't know any of the applicants, everything that is sent their way matters. If it truly didn't make a difference, there would be no need to do it. Interviews... matter. Supplements... matter. SATs of all shapes and sizes... matter (some of it more than the rest). ECs, rec letters, essays, money, location, URM status, demographics. The whole shebang. If you don't like it, I can understand it. But it's all important in one way or another. Just follow directions on the schools' web sites, do what they ask, obey deadlines, pray to whatever god or goddess you prefer, keep your fingers crossed, and then realize that you have done the best you can do and you cannot possibly do more. Relax...</p>
<p>A lot of schools don't even require SAT IIs, especially if you submit the ACT instead. </p>
<p>I haven't taken any SAT IIs because I would've had to drive two hours to take them, and no one from my school ever takes them. I only had my ACT score. I still found a million schools I could apply to and many I liked. In the end, I applied to 8 schools, none of which required SAT IIs if you submit ACT. I don't regret not having SAT IIs at all. :)</p>
<p>I took 4 satII's and only scored one over 700. My sat I's were really good, but I don't think my lower subject tests have hurt me in any way. I have already been accepted to WashU, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Colgate, and Washington and Lee with those sat II's</p>
<p>SAT II's are just a way for colleges to see you have a basic understanding of a subject independent of any school's particular curriculum.</p>
<p>This, understandably, is most useful for places like MIT and Caltech, that need to be really sure that you have a good math/science background before admitting you to their tech-heavy curricula.</p>
<p>they are not going to be a breaking factor, promise. I dont knwo how muc h they really matter becauseim majoring in bioogy (hopefully) but i got a 650 on bio sat subject test and it hasnt made a diff. got into NYU. i think that if your application is strong one detail like that isnt gonna make a diff, seriously. </p>
<p>also i agree, i dont see the point of taking alanguage that is your native tongue, doesnt seem like theres a point. and do take math level 2.</p>
<p>I'm going to mention this again, I believe us from smaller schools with no opportunity to take AP/College courses are significantly disadvantaged on SAT II's. Hopefully colleges take this into account.</p>
<p>Good SAT II's can pull up a relatively mediocre GPA (for HYP, a 3.9 or so) and make your school seem more rigorous; relatively poor SAT II's (for HYP, low 7's) can make you look like a beneficiary of grade inflation or a member of an uncompetitive school. The "test-taking skill" measured in the SAT II's for tests like history and math aren't much different from the tests you take in school, so it's not as if it measures some sort of test-taking moxie. They adhere very closely to many curricula for subject matter; Math II measures precalculus and algebra, while U.S. History is a fairly comprehensive test of ... U.S. history. They are very legitimate, and in certain situations can make an impact. Colleges are well aware of the GPA fudging and lack of standardization among secondary schools, so anything that can convince them of your academic excellence will be beneficial. If you don't think Harvard won't sit up straight when they see 800/800/790 for SAT II's, I'd be inclined to believe that you're wrong.</p>
<p>the notion that low 7's on an sat II can make you look like a beneficiary of grade inflation is just ridiculous.</p>
<p>Hypothetical:
APUSH Grade - 97
SAT II US History - 700</p>
<p>I don't know about you, but those stats would seem kind of sketchy, especially since the SAT II test has a huge curve. There is such a thing as grade inflation.</p>
<p>I think the OP knows the gist by know..but I read somewhere (either in an article or an interview) that Fitzsimmons of Harvard is considering placing more emphasis on SAT Subject Tests as opposed to the SAT I. In any case, at this point, everything matters and counts</p>
<p>@Panic- but what you learn in school and what happens to be in the 100 question on the SATII may just not add up</p>
<p>I took AP US History, did well in the class, and got a 5 on the AP test, and I can honestly say there were at least two questions on the SATII with names with which I was not all familiar. It's quite possible that in a class that covers 100's of years of material, the small sample of questions on the SATII may just happen to not overlap as well.</p>
<p>OK, I'm guessing they're more important than the transcript, recommendation, essays, extracurriculars?</p>
<p>no way! how'd you come to that conclusion? try to look at it as the whole package, not each individual aspect superseding the next (although, everything starts with the transcript; as I once read on a college website: something like 'Good grades might excuse relatively average SAT scores but a high SAT score will never explain a low GPA.')</p>
<p>cj_svu6: It's true that anything can happen on one test. However, you can get around 25 questions wrong for a 700. 65/90! If the same student also has a 95-100% in APUSH, it would just seem weird, wouldn't it? I was in the dumb history class and still managed a 760.</p>
<p>But whatever, it's really no big deal.</p>
<p>^That's true. I guess I didn't realize how big the curve is. I would still say that anything 700+ and you're fine. I don't think a 750 (as another poster suggested) is actually necessary.</p>
<p>i think all of you are overrating the importance of some of these tests. any adult and admissions officers are adults, knows that most kids takes a few sat lls on the same day.. now anyone can have a bad day. that is why you retake the sat. but you don't typically retake the sat ll. so as long as your scores on all of the tests are in the same range, you are fine. or if one test score is terrible, it is assumed that you had a bad day. logic is you don't have a 4.0. 1500 sat, 700 on sat ll and then 600 on another without a reason.</p>
<p>i dont think admissions officers at top colleges are going to entertain the notion of students having a "bad day." especially when there are so many kids applying...</p>