<p>Thanks, Soozie! That makes a lot of sense. My D probably isn’t going to score highly on these tests, but she won’t embarrass herself, either, and maybe they will give a better picture than some of the other tests have. We’ll get a review book and see what she feels most comfortable with. </p>
<p>My older D took subject tests because she was going for highly selective schools. She took US history because she’d just done the AP, and scored pretty well. What we also learned was that our math program (since changed!!!) in our public school was so dreadful she couldn’t even see herself attempting the Math II - and she was an advanced junior who was an excellent math student. Thank goodness D2 has benefitted from a major curriculum turnaround. My D1’s SAT2 Math 1 score was upsetting to her and honestly I feel an embarrassment to our school district (we also had kids way underperforming on math in ACT and SAT for the years that dumb program was in place).</p>
<p>Unless your daughter really likes biology, perhaps she should just take literature, if she is going to take a subject test. The literature test is very general…it doesn’t test factual knowledge, per se. Possibly she would have the best chance of doing well on it?</p>
<p>From the SAT website: “The Literature Subject Test measures how well you have learned to read and interpret literature. There are six to eight sets of questions on the test, each based on a different literary text.”</p>
<p>There are practice questions for the subject tests on the SAT website as well.</p>
<p>My son was all signed up to take the literature test, but something happened and he didn’t. He remembered that; I think I repressed the memory! :)</p>
<p>I agree about the Literature test. It is the one test that doesn’t really test a body of knowledge. It is more developed over time. It is not a test you would study for really, except to take practice tests to get used to the test. That is different than the US History or Bio tests for example. I don’t know your D but if she is a lifelong reader, she may do well on this test. My D likely took 2 practice tests but otherwise did not study for the Literature Subject Test.</p>
<p>Thank you!! My older D didn’t take Literature, probably should have!</p>
<p>It stands to follow that a theater geek would like that test, don’t you think? Well, at least her type. Seeing plays leads to reading plays, which leads to reading books plays are based on, and books about who wrote the plays, and who put them on and who was in them and who got awards for them, and when, and why. </p>
<p>Here’s a funny little story: Around here we have Knowledge Masters competitions, in lots of other places, too, I know. Anyway, kids at our HS enjoy it - a bunch of kids in a room answering questions on a computer simultaneously with other kids all over the place. They have a minute or two for each question, with everyone shouting out what they now until there’s concensus and they punch in the multiple choice answer. They need kids with all kinds of backgrounds so they can cover the huge variety of questions on the test. Our HS typically does exceedlingly well in this competition.</p>
<p>My D got recruited because of her encyclopedic knowledge of theater. She came home after the first big tournament in 9th grade and I asked her how it went.</p>
<p>“Fine,” she said.
“Any questions about theater?”
“Yup.”
“Did you get it right?”
“Well,” she said, “the question was: In what Broadway musical did BIFF kill Bernardo?”
“You’re kidding,” I said. “What did you do?”
“No one was answering,” she replied. “So I said very calmly, ‘His name is RIFF, not BIFF, and it was TONY who killed Bernardo, but regardless, the answer is WEST SIDE STORY.’”</p>
<p>Now, why can’t they have a subject test on that?</p>
<p>Haha, sounds like a fun competition. When I read that quote about Biff killing Bernardo, I thought, “How did Biff from Death of a Salesman wander into West Side Story?”</p>
<p>I shoulda’ realized, as quickly as your D did, that they got Biff mixed up with Riff…after all, somebody near and dear to me once played Bernardo.</p>
<p>Love what you said about how seeing plays leads to reading plays, leads to…etc, etc. This is one reason why theatre kids are not illiterate dummies, even if they are BFA students instead of BA students. :)</p>
<p>Last chapter for now: Without calling BU she’s decided she’ll go ahead and take the tests, even take 3 just in case Northwestern becomes a possibility. Probably Math, Lit and US History, but the good thing is you pick later, so she can look at the book and decide then. Sign up is by May 5.</p>
<p>I’m impressed with her attitude and willingness to deal with it amid finals and grad parties.</p>
<p>I am glad this came about without phoning the school. Save those calls to the top guys for very important questions, things you cannot decide on your own…They are very helpful people but only have so much time.</p>
<p>Yes - I weighed that. I didn’t want her just chickening out about the phone call (you know teenagers). But really I thought this might be more of an annoying question than one that would impress them as “I’m really interested.” We’d rehearsed ways to make it NOT sound like “I don’t want to take tests”! </p>
<p>I’m a little embarrassed because this whole thread is kind of like our saying the same thing here, but on the other hand I know from CC that there are little secrets you can only find out from people’s experiences. That word “recommended” is so loaded!</p>
<p>Hi, everyone - here we are a couple of months later, and the subject tests have come and gone as of noon today! Hurray! She took Math 1, Lit, and US History (just finished APUSH). She said Math was “ridiculously easy” (huh? My non-math kid? I’m glad, though, that she didn’t take the chance on Math 2, which would most likely just have been discouraging - this bodes well for raising her math ACT next Saturday, I’d think) and the other ones were harder. Mostly the room was very hot and stuffy and she was just glad to be out of there.</p>
<p>So we’ll see if BU appreciates this! Regardless, she’s one-and-done with SAT2s and can taste the end of junior year and these big tests in just a few more days!</p>
<p>I’ll post again if or when there’s a real end to this story. In the meantime, thanks for listening!</p>
<p>Emmy- I feel your D’s pain. I took Spanish, Lit, and US History. I think they went well but those tests are just daunting. Such a marathon! Thankfully, it’s another few months before I have another many-hour test. I can’t wait until this year is over (less than a week!) </p>
<p>Personally, I’m glad I took them. Even if the scores aren’t fabulous (we’ll see…) it’s nice to know that now my options are essentially limitless should I change my mind about some of the schools I want to apply to. Not to mention it’s nice to have them for BU.</p>
<p>OK, I promised to write when the scores were in. D did fine in Math, pretty well in US History, and excellently in Lit! So that’s done and over - on to bigger and better things! She already had the scores sent to BU, and we’re hoping they appreciate her making the effort.</p>
<p>Thank you for all of the support and advice on this dilemma. It’s so helpful to get the perspective from people who have been there.</p>