SAT II Japanese

Applying to College
1

Hello fellow humans,

So last year I took the SAT II Japanese Subject Test and I had difficulty studying for the test due to the lack of resources. I am not a native Japanese speaker but I was able to get a 730 on the test. I was very pleased with this score but I expected a 750+. However, I did not know there was a guessing penalty on the subject tests because on the SAT and AP exams, there is no guessing penalty. Therefore, I answered every question on the exam because I thought no points would be taking off for guessing. My ultimate reach is the Huntsman Program at UPenn so do you all think I should retake the SAT II Japanese Subject Test in order to get a 750+ or should I try to study for a different subject test?

All answers are greatly appreciated :slight_smile:

2

There is no guessing penalty on the new SAT? The one I took definitely had a guessing penalty, so I guess they just kept that for the subject tests.

3

How many years have you studied Japanese for? I have heard that the Japanese SAT II is similar in difficulty to the Chinese SAT II. I am trying to take the Chinese one in 15 months, and I have been studying Chinese on my own for the last 4-5 months. Is 1.5 years of self-study enough to make a 700+ on the subject test, do you think?

4

Your score is great as a non-native speaker. Retake if you like, but that is not going to keep you from being accepted.

5

@timezd I’ve studied Japanese for about 3-4 years now (with a private tutor not a class) but there were some kanji on there that I have not seen at all. And I think 1.5 years is long enough but I’d make sure I know the majority of the Chinese characters on the test. Good luck!

6

@davidyekwonkim It was nice of you to answer the question, considering the user hijacked your thread. :slight_smile:

Personally, unless you’ve really done a lot of work outside of class with a tutor, 1.5 years is not enough. I’d say 3 years would be better, but if you’re prepared after 1.5 years, go for it. Additionally, (which I think is not a smart move on the CB’s part), you really don’t need to know Chinese characters as the questions are also written in Pinyin.

7

Most people take the SAT language test as far along in their study as they can, preferably towards the end of junior year or early fall of senior year. At that point most students are either just finishing up their third or their fourth year. There’s really no advantage to taking it earlier.