Question re: SAT Subject tests for schools that don't require them

Parents Forum
1

<p>If you take an SAT subject test, but it's for a school that's not necessary to take one, can the subject test hurt you if you've taken one and you don't do well? Would they help you if you do well but they aren't required?<br>
I'm trying to decide whether to have my son take one since he's completing some courses here soon.</p>

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<p>If your son would like to get a better feel for how well prepared he is for the SAT subject tests he could check out the practice tests in [Amazon.com:</a> The Official Study Guide for All SAT Subject Tests (9780874477566): The College Board: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Official-Study-Guide-Subject-Tests/dp/0874477565]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Official-Study-Guide-Subject-Tests/dp/0874477565) .</p>

3

<p>One of my son’s GC’s, not this year’s, told flat out that the high scores will make a difference even to colleges that do not require them. Whether they can hurt you if they are there and admissions sees them even if they are not required, I don’t know. I’ve read in places from adcoms that it does not…but my personal opinion is that in a border line case, it does provide additional information.</p>

<p>My son applied to 4 Fairtest schools. I did not send ANY test scores to those schools because I didn’t want them to see them. They could suspect what they wanted but I didn’t want them to have any idea what those scores were. He was accepted to all 4 schools and was WL and rejected from a couple of schools with similar test profiles and selectivies as 3 out of those 4 schools. But then those 2 schools did not say they were going to ignore the test scores either.</p>

4

<p>Experiences differ.</p>

<p>Quite a few years ago, I went to an information session at our state university with my son (who is now 25 – how the heck did that happen?). </p>

<p>Our state university does not require SAT Subject Tests.</p>

<p>Someone at the information session asked whether the university’s admissions committee would like students to send SAT Subject Test scores even though they are not required. The admissions representative who was running the session said “Send them if you want to. We’re not going to bother looking at them.”</p>