I’m a rising sophomore and I was just wondering about SAT subject tests! If I’m taking Chemistry, Western Civilization, AP Bio, Pre-Calc, AP Micro, and Spanish IV, what SAT subject tests do you recommend me taking? Are they really that hard?
Also, since I’m basically fluent in Chinese, do you think it’s necessary if I take SAT Chinese subject test?
Additionally, what are a good SAT subject test score for ivy league schools? What are the most common SAT subject tests that people take and which SAT subject tests did you guys take??
Since you will already be covering Bio in depth for the AP test in May, Bio might be a easy one to prepare for and take in May. Also, since you are taking Pre-Calc, Math II would be right up your alley (before you forget the concepts) and you can take that in May or June. You only really need 2 subject test scores for schools that recommend or require them, but if you need a third (e.g., Georgetown), you have junior year take one aligned with another AP class you will take (e.g., US History, World, etc).
I don’t think achieving a great score in Chinese will be impressive given your fluency in Chinese, so would not recommend you spending the money (or a Saturday morning) taking the SAT Chinese.
Most will tell you that anything in the mid 700 range is your target score for these SAT subject tests if you are looking to be competitive at the tippy top schools.
I don’t think it matters which subject tests you take, unless you are applying to engineering programs (which usually require a math and science) or other specialized programs (e.g., BS/MD). Always check the specific schools and programs for requirements.
It really depends on what you intend to major/apply as for college. Esp for Premed/Sciences, you certainly must need a science SAT II so chemistry or bio would be a good one. And for you, Math, because that’s usually a staple.
Generally, SAT II’s are not as hard as AP’s (at least in my opinion), but that’s assuming you study for both exams. If you just study for the AP and then take the SAT II that does NOT mean you would score well on an SAT II.
Do not take Chinese, especially if your ethnicity is Chinese.
SAT II’s of 700+ is considered safe for an ivy but 750+ puts you in a more competitive range.
If Western Civilization is a history course (my school didn’t offer a class like that so I don’t know anything about it) you should take either the US or World History subject test. Even if you’re a STEM major, one high score on a humanities test wouldn’t hurt, especially if your reading/writing scores on the SAT’s turn out to be lower than what you’d expect. The history SAT II’s are pretty easy to study for compared to subject tests like Literature. Also, there is a space on your Common App where you can put which languages you are fluent in. If you put down Chinese, colleges won’t require you to prove it by taking the subject test.