D is a junior and is being recruited in a D3 school. She is wondering if she has to take the SATII test if the school doesn’t require it? Thanks in advance for any replies.
If the school does not require it, do not take it. Only a handful of schools require the SAT IIs, if you’re not applying to any of those schools, save yourself the $40-$50 bucks and the your kid the two hours of testing.
@QuadMaster Thanks! I almost forgot she still has to prepare to apply to other schools just in case any oops in ED to this D3 school. I shall check the other schools if they require it right now.
Wait…what if they say it’s not required but recommended?
It depends. For higher ranked schools, if they say ‘recommend’, what they really mean is ‘required’, for other schools, if you’re ACT/SAT I and grades aren’t up to par then good SAT II scores might help even things out.
Thanks again @QuadMaster ! I just checked and she will need to take Eng and Math for the other schools that she needs to apply if ED doesn’t go through. So I guess here goes my $100 and her couple hours in life.
It’s a good idea to go ahead and take them. The advice we received from D’s college counselor is that you don’t really know where she may apply to next year and it’s better to go ahead and take them in just in case. I know one senior this year who had to drop 2 colleges off his list because they required the SAT II and he hadn’t taken them. They weren’t on his “radar” until late fall of senior year.
There are much more than a handful of schools require SAT2. Some would waive it if submitting ACT score. There are plenty of schools that recommend SAT2 scores. For top schools that only recommend it (e.g. Stanford), treat it as required.
Thanks for all the replies!
When it is recommended, it means that they really want to see it, but will understand if a first generation student in a high school where few go to college is missing that item due to not having heard of the need to take it (from counselor, other students, parents) before it is too late to take it. I.e. if you are a typical (for these forums) higher SES family with college graduate parents and a student in a school where applying to highly selective colleges is common, treat it as required.
But also pay attention to how many and which ones may be asked for. Math is often recommended or required (level 2 if precalculus/trigonometry is completed in 11th grade or earlier). For prospective engineering majors, physics or chemistry is often asked for. A subject test in a foreign language that is a native or heritage language learned at home from early childhood should only be used as an additional test beyond those otherwise recommended or required (i.e. if two are recommended or required, the native or heritage language test can be the third after two other ones).