Subject Test Issue

So the PENN website states this:

SAT Subject Tests are recommended but not required. Applicants who do not take SAT Subject Tests will not be at a disadvantage in the admissions process.

And I am shooting for Wharton, which specifically recommends Math 2 with I have an 800 in. However, my predicament is that I also took the US History subject test which I got a 660… My school sends all subject scores on the transcript and says that I either need to write them a letter to take ALL my test scores off (including SAT/ACT which I’m happy about) or they send ALL my scores no matter what. Will this 660 hurt me? What if I just had them take all my scores off the transcript and manually sent them in through ACT/SAT? If my high school still sends my test scores, do I still need to order them through CollegeBoard?

Thanks!

If you want Wharton, you have no choice. Recommended means required unless it is a financial burden to take the test.

I am also taking the Chinese test in November, and I know I will get a 790 or 800.

Are you a native/heritage speaker of Chinese? If so, the SAT II won’t be that impressive.

No, I am an chinese-american, I am just fluent due to my upbringing in a chinese family

Then you are a heritage speaker (as opposed to someone who has learned the language in a classroom/academic setting) Feel free to take the test if you like, but keep in mind that even an 800 in the SAT II in Chinese is unlikely to impress many admission officers given that you have learned the language growing up rather than in an academic/classroom setting. Your fluency in Chinese reflects more about your upbringing than your academic ability.

Hmmm tbh, Ive never heard of a school sending the SAT scores instead of having them sent officially through College Board. I would guess you would still need to have scores officially sent from College Board.

So, If I were you I would have your school remove your score on your high school transcript and then just send the 800 Math2 score from College Board along with your ACT/SAT score.

Where are people getting the Chinese score from? If you indeed have a 800 on the Chinese language SAT2, then send that too, but I wouldn’t send the 660 USHistory.

An 800on the SAT subject test for Chinese is the 64th percentile - for a heritage speaker of the language this is not going to add much to your application. If you really want to take it and send it, that’s fine. It won’t hurt, but I don’t think it’s going to add much,

I would have your school remove all standardized test scores and then send the subject test scores directly from Collegeboard. I also agree with other who have said that for a heritage speaker, even a score of 800 won’t help much if any.

Yeah thank you everyone, I am just taking Chinese because I am applying to the Huntsman program which requires a subject test in the target language which you want to study during the program to showcase proficiency

Also, is the 660 really that impactful? I did get a 5 on APUSH junior year (after I took the SAT subject), and my target major is not directly related in anyway to history, so is it worth the hassle? Would a college be suspicious if my transcript doesnt have any scores on it as if I’m hiding something much worse

bump

I second the comment above advising you to remove all scores from your transcript and send them manually. Even if you kept the scores on the transcript, I was under the impression you still had to send them through College Board (at least, that’s how it was at my school.)

On the other hand, I don’t think it’s the end of the world if the 660 shows up on the transcript. I took the Literature subject test twice – increasing my score from a 690 to a 780 – and both scores were included on my high school transcript. It didn’t seem to hurt me.

no it doesnt matter. im not taking any of them, youll be fine

I am a current freshman in Wharton and I did not take any subject tests. Recommended does not mean required, I did just fine without them.

Many people have said recommended means required unless it is a financial burden… implying only low SES applicants are excused from not submitting subject test. If you don’t mind me asking, do you fit that implication?