<p>How significant are SAT Subject Tests in the greater scheme of things when it comes to college admissions?</p>
<p>I know they give you a chance to distinguish yourself, but I've only taken two and I've done only fairly well...plus I do not have time to take any more</p>
<p>A 700 (okay) and a 610 (not so great)</p>
<p>On the other hand, I am a straight A student and have a solid SAT score with many activities and leadership positions (sorry for being vague)</p>
<p>Should i be concerned that these will have a significant effect regarding my admission to top schools?</p>
<p>In all, it depends on the university that you are applying to. In general, the function of the SAT IIs are to see how powerful you are in a certain subject. Some universities will use it for placement purposes for different courses. In the grand scheme of things, they are a factor, but a relatively minor one compared to the SAT Reasoning Test and the GPA. Realistically though, they shouldn’t be ignored, but if you have a good SAT score, you can compensate for any SAT II scores quite easily. Don’t worry, 700 is good (by all means), but you may want to reconsider the 610. :P, I should be talking…my highest is 660…lol. </p>
<p>Anyway, you won’t be disadvantaged too much by this. It certainly won’t cripple your application based on what you have said.</p>
<p>For the top schools, ECs and a good admissions essay will set everything apart. If your SAT score is 2000+ and you have the 4.0 GPA, then the ECs will be more crucial than the SAT IIs overall.</p>
<p>If by “top schools” you mean those who accept 15% of their applicants or less, then I think that SAT II scores of 610 and even 700 will definitely hurt your acceptance chances. I know that in Math II and Physics, even an 800 is only 89th-percentile.</p>
<p>You do, after all, get to pick your best subjects for SAT II testing purposes, and if this is the best you can muster in your areas of strength, then it brings into question the grading rigor of your school, if you’re a straight-A student.</p>
<p>Of course, an exceptional essay or exceptional ECs will help your cause; however, from a purely academic standpoint, consistency across all the standard metrics (SAT, class rank and SAT II’s) is important. A lack of consistency may raise a few eyebrows and ultimately leave you on the waitlist or worse, if only because the vast majority of applicants MUST be denied admission.</p>
<p>Good point…I got a 5 on the AP History Exam, but a 700 on the Subject Test…what does that say???
I got a 3 on french and 610 on french unfortunately</p>