AP test scores are rarely considered for admission, except at very highly selective schools (but then SAT II’s are required there anyway.) It is not even required nor recommended to send the AP test scores at most schools.
AP test scores are used for coure placements/credits after admission.
A college freshman said she had no use for any of her AP test scores and wished she had not taken them.
I am not sure if DS will need Subject test scores for admission either, but am having him take the tests just in case we have one college that needs them.
I remember seeing some Science/Engineering major choices require Math 2 and Chemistry or Physics Subject tests. Thus, not only the school but also the major may need specific tests.
I am pretty sure DS does not need 3 Subject scores (Georgetown requires 3, I think.)
I figured if DS is taking the AP tests, it would not be a burden to add another test, so he is taking Chemistry test in May in the middle of AP test week.
Many students actually prefer to take the May Subject test than the June test. Be done sooner.
It depends on the child. DS has zero test anxiety. He has so little anxiety that he does not prep and takes the tests cold (that’s another problem.) :))
Ok,another silly question, if he only wants to take the subject tests, does he take them at the same time the other kids are taking the regular SAT? It looked like he could sign up for only the subject tests but not the SAT. Has anyone else only taken the subject tests and not the SAT? He took the SAT in December and was happy with his score.
The testing stuff is really crazy, @Mom2aphysicsgeek. This was D’s second ACT, and I considered opting out of this one since it’s being done by her HS, and I just don’t have any idea how well proctored it is. But, she really wanted to improve her Writing score, so she’s going to retake with the hope that she can do that without lowering any of her other scores. She’s confident now that she has studied the new Writing rubric that she can dumb-down her writing and get a better score. Go figure! (Plus, most schools don’t really care about Writing )
And, you’re right. That’s not ‘Science’ they are being tested on…it’s just another set of Reading passages.
DS took his first ACT with writing, and his score was out midnight CST yesterday.
He is taking state-mandated ACT without writing today (long story*) and is likely to take another one in June and will be done regardless of the outcome.
In January, the district announced that juniors will take state-mandated SAT in April, so I registered him ACT in April. Lots of protests and complain later, the district announced that juniors will take the ACT one last time. Since the state test has no writing, they gave vouchers to take a national one instead if desired. Those juniors who took the vouchers are staying home today and enjoying free time. DS ended up taking both national and state-mandated April ACT tests! I should have taken the voucher and moved April one to June but the school gave 24 hour notice to decide and I did not act quick enough. Oh well. Did I say he has no test anxiety fortunately?
@jedwards You may take EITHER the SAT I (reg SAT) or SAT II (subject test) on most dates. You cannot take both on the same date. Some dates do not have SAT IIs scheduled, so if you see both, then you may sign up for one or the other.
When DD was filling out the AP exam registration at school, there is a choice to send scores to colleges. Is it better not to send any scores at this point since most schools don’t require AP scores?
My D has a few schools on her list that ask for subject tests and they aren’t super selective schools. So she plans on taking 3 that she is also taking AP tests for - Chem, US History, and Math II (well, she should have taken that freshman or sophomore year). She is signed up for the May subject tests.
@4beardolls I’m not sure it really matters for AP tests (my D has yet to take any, though). Schools don’t use them for admissions (right? Anyone?), so I don’t think it can hurt to send them. Are these ‘free’ scores getting sent? If so, I would advise my D to pick some schools and send them.
I think lot of mid-tier schools also ask for SAT II subject tests. As most people recommend, it’s better to take at the end of school year for the subjects kids took in that school year especially if they are taking Honors or AP classes. My DS took a official practice test (from blue book) couple of months before the June test date this year and studied the topics he missed. He is planning to take one more this June and hasn’t started preparation yet with so many tests and tournaments coming up.
@2muchquan Some schools will use them for admissions, some won’t. But note that AP scores are self-reported at the admissions stage. The student only needs to submit the official score report after they’ve matriculated and are seeking credit. Definitely double check each school’s requirements. Something others may find helpful…I created a document for my D with all admissions requirements and deadlines for each school, so that she will have them in one place. Once essay prompts are out, I’ll update the document with the essay prompts so that she can group them and decide how many different essays she really needs to write.
@4beardolls@2muchquan Many schools have you enter up to some number of AP scores, but I haven’t heard of any that require you to send official scores. Selective colleges look at the AP scores as part of admissions, but in the context of what you have available at your school, I believe. Since they don’t ask for AP test scores to be sent until you register at the one college, I suppose at that point if they found out you said you had all 5s and you had 1s and 2s, you would have lied on your application, which is grounds for cancelling your admission.
Ha! @itsgettingreal17 you’re geeky like me. I have a series of linked Google Docs for each school with similar stuff…I’ll add links to admissions requirements, View Books, YouTube/Vimeo videos, Course Guides, CC Comments…all sorts of stuff.
It’s great, because you can share it and it’s always available in the cloud, so I can add stuff from my phone…or any computer.
@2muchquan Your system is much more sophisticated! My D loves Google Docs, but I’m old school and used it for the first time last week when she asked me to review one of her summer essays and I needed her to walk me through using it. I do have a number of separate docs going though with various links, statistics, and data for each school. I had to remind her the other day how lucky she is that I’m doing so much of this for her while many of her friends are on their own with the entire college admissions process.
@jedwards70 If you sign up Subject test, you go to the same building at the same time, 7:45 AM on Saturday as regular SAT takers. They lead students to different classrooms. Subject test takers are done sooner, around 9:30 AM for single subject test, around 11:30 AM for three subject tests.
You can sign up for one subject test (say, Chemistry) and, at the test site, change mind and choose to take another subject test (say History) or take more tests. (You cannot change between Subject and Regular SAT.)
College Board charges the credit card later if more tests are taken than registered.
@jedwards70 – Re: Subject Tests. A student can register to take either the SAT I or up to three subject tests on one day. Subject tests are administered on same day as six of the SAT I sittings, but not offered in March. Some subject tests are offered on all six dates but some are offered only periodically. I think Language with Listening may only be offered in Nov, but confirm that on the CB site as my boys have not taken language exams.
You do not need to know what test you will be taking when you register. I think CB asks you to select one, but your child can change his mind when he shows up on testing day. Further, if he registered for only one but decides to add another, he can do so on the spot. When my older son did this a couple of years back, CB mailed me a paper bill that I could only pay with a paper check via the US mail. This struck me as amusing.
If your child decides to not sit for any test on a day he has registered to test, part of the booking fee can be carried forward and applied as a credit against future testing.
I have registered son to take a May SAT II, but I am skeptical b/c he has AP exams on Thurs & Fri, then subject test on Sat, and another AP on Monday. Seems like a rough schedule to me, especially waking up early on Saturday.
If he backs out of the May date, I will apply the money toward the June date when he already plans to take Physics. He thinks he should take USH while taking the APUSH exam. He seems to think he will need to teach himself some of the physics for the subject test, hence, the June schedule.
I still recall registering to take three Achievement exams, but deciding to leave after taking two, as I had not prepped at all. Wandered around outside the school for an hour in the cold December weather until my mother arrived to bring me home. I have no idea why I thought I should be taking three Achievement exams!
@payn4ward —Just saw your post and will assume you have more current info about payment than I do as I haven’t dealt with this in a couple of years. Am glad to hear they now charge your CC. I thought it was a huge waste of time to be mailing paper bills and payments around, especially when everything else was electronic.
I blocked out the testing angst from the first time around but it’s back with a vengeance. Ds was recently
cut from the tennis team after playing two years. A new crop of skilled freshmen tried out and the sport went from no cut to more than a dozen boys off the team. At first ds was pretty bummed but he’s feeling relieved these days. He’ll be taking 3 subject tests, the SAT and 2 APs in a few weeks time. All of this testing is tiresome, to say the least.
My STEM DS won’t be using US History Subject test score for admission, so decided not to take History Subject test in May. He will take Chemistry test.
(Previously mentioned freshman at Johns Hopkins said she never needed/used AP US History test score.)
My argument failed. It was to take the Subject test in case he scores high enough for a history course credit in case AP test score comes out low.
His argument is that he needs only one, either AP or Subject test score, for possible course credit. If he does not get necessary 3 on AP test on Friday, he is unlikely to score high enough on the Subject test the next day. So he will end up with good scores from both tests (2) or from neither tests (0). Since he needs only 1, he can take only one test. End of argument
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