Subject test scores??

Georgetown recommends 3 subject tests and Penn 2, but my language score is SERIOUSLY lacking. I got a 760 on literature, but a 570 on spanish. I’m taking US history and Math 1 this saturday, which I’m pretty nervous about. I understood US history really well when I took it sophomore year (i got a 5 on the AP exam), but I didn’t know about subject tests back then. Now I’m trying to recall all the information I had once known, and am worried about scoring badly. Do these schools care about poor subject tests? Will it keep me from being admitted (if they like the rest of my profile) or is it a red flag for admissions? Has anyone experienced this before?

Also, the first time I took the SAT, I got a 670 on math which I boosted to a 750, but math isn’t my strong suit. Is math 1 similar to SAT math?

I might make you more nervous!
According to my DS, AP test for US history is quite different from us history subject test, the latter has a lot more (painful?) details requiring memorization and if you don’t know the answer, you just don’t know. He got 5 on APUSH and 750 on the subject, he took the subject right after the APUSH. Don’t know whether you could get hold of a Barron/other prep books and cram for two days.
As for math subject tests, I think most students take Math II instead of Math I. Math I’s “curve” is tough afaik, so it is actually harder to get better score on math I than Math II.
Good luck!

this is so relatable!! failed the chinese sat ii.

i hear USH subject test is very factual based, not like the AP test. i’m still not sure about which sat ii tests to take, if i should even take any at all. does anyone have any input?? does anyone know about the sat ii literature test?

@kanagawa apparently language tests are really meant for people that can speak fluently! Wish I’d known that lol. Literature is pretty similar to the reading portion of the SAT but it’s more focused on interpreting/analyzing poetry and narrative writing than understanding the factual/scientific/historical pieces on the SAT. I think you’re right about the US history test- from the practice tests it seems like you have to know a bunch of facts more so than understanding huge trends and events cause/impact one another. If you’re better at reading/writing I think literature or one of the histories would be a good idea, but you really only need take them if your colleges recommend or require them.

No, they’re not. Obviously fluent speakers will score well, but the exam itself tests at a low-intermediate level of proficiency.

@Izzypayne166
Just as an FYI, Georgetown requires you to submit ALL subject test scores, so you can’t send your three highest. And as others have pointed out, the USH subject test is very factually based and requires lots of memorization. Very different from the AP test.

@makemesmart I heard that too and I’ve been cramming a good deal for history since I doubt there’s too much I can do for math. Hmm, I might take math ii on the same day as the other ones in case I score better, I just don’t understand/remember a lot of precalc and trig from when I took it sophomore year. I’ve been using a bunch of APUSH review videos which has been helping. I guess we’ll see!

@PepperJo Yeah, I know that. My view is that if I have 3 good scores and one bad one they’ll focus less on the latter.

@skieurope I wouldn’t say that the language tests are at a low level. Have you taken any? I’ve been studying Spanish since I was a kid, am in AP 5 currently, and have received medals on all the National Spanish Tests I’ve taken, but this test was definitely difficult comparatively. Most of the people I’ve heard from have reported a similar experience.

@Izzypayne166 That’s not what I said. I said it tests to a low-intermediate level. Put another way, it tests at the B1 level on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages scale. And it does test to a lower level than the AP exam (which tests only to a slightly higher level of proficiency)…

@skieurope That may be how it tests in theory, but in practice (at least regarding how languages are taught in the US), even extremely proficient students will likely find difficulty in performing well. The standard deviation of scores for all of the written language tests are substantially higher because of the difference in scores of classroom-learners vs at home speakers, and universities are aware of this. For example, at Boston University, a student receiving a score of only 560 on the Spanish language test can begin to take higher level courses their freshman year of college without needing another placement exam. My point above was that students who are not fluent in Spanish should not take the exam if the wish to score at least in the 700s, which is my personal opinion.