<p>Well I took my SAT Subject tests, but when I came home and read on collegeboard to see what my prospective colleges required, subject test wise.</p>
<p>Most, if not all, (UC San Diego, Berkeley, Univ of Michigan, Rice, etc) say that if you decide to submit the ACT test with writing, you do not need to submit any SAT Subject tests.</p>
<p>Is this true?</p>
<p>If it is, I think that I just need to study crazy hard for the ACT and get a high score, then I do not need to take or report any SAT Subject test.</p>
<p>If you know for sure which colleges you’re applying to, and you know that they don’t require the subject tests, then there’s no need to take them.</p>
<p>The problem for my kids is that they’re never sure which schools they want to apply to at this stage of the game. (I’m assuming you’re a junior/rising senior.)</p>
<p>There are definitely colleges out there, particularly selective ones and engineering/math ones, that DO require Subject Tests. </p>
<p>So if you decide not to take any SAT II’s, you may restrict yourself from applying to a school that you discover, and really like, later on down the road.</p>
<p>For that reason, I would suggest that, if you’re interested in (and a contender for) our nation’s top schools or in our top engineering/math/science schools, you should complete at least 2 SAT II’s. That way you’re prepared for just about any college you discover between now and application time!</p>
<p>The UCs require SAT IIs even if you submit ACT, Rice takes ACT in lieu of both the SAT and SAT IIs. Michigan does not require any SAT IIs. Can’t answer for your “etc.” without knowing what they are.</p>
<p>It is true that some schools that require SAT II’s in addition to the SAT I don’t require subject tests if you take the ACT with writing. Your best bet would be to check each schools website to see their policies.</p>
<p>The reason is because some schools in the Midwest that require the ACT don’t have a clue about the SAT subject test (my school, most of my teachers don’t have a clue what an SAT subject test is), so they want to encourage people from the Midwest to apply. However, if your school does offer SAT subject tests and you decide to just send an ACT, it may not look so good… But that’s just my guess. I’m not sure.</p>
<p>I agree, so if you can, OP, then I would recommend taking them just to be on the safe side. If it’s a financial issue, then I think you can apply for fee waivers.</p>
<h1>1: No high school “offers” SAT subject tests, only the College Board does. Certain high schools do serve as SAT testing sites; however, SAT tests can also be taken at churches, community centers, and similar facilities. Colleges do not keep track of the testing sites, so they have no idea if your particular high school is a SAT testing site or not.</h1>
<p>Comment #2: If the college says that you can just submit the ACT with Writing in lieu of the SAT subject tests – then it means what it says. It does not care! Otherwise, it would just require the SAT subject tests!</p>
<p>Obviously they won’t hold it against you if you don’t submit them, but I have a hard time believing that the school doesn’t care about subject tests if they don’t require them</p>
<p>^^ No, I agree with worried_mom. I’ve heard many an adcom say so themselves. If they don’t require you to submit subject tests, they don’t care if you don’t submit them. They realize that some school districts and regions make a big deal of subject tests and that students in other districts and regions have never even heard of them.</p>
<p>Could a plethora of subject tests break a tie? Probably. But, in general, the schools that don’t require them are looking for “the whole kid.” They don’t really want a bunch more stats from their appliacnts – they want to get to know you, through your application, and evaluate your whole person, not a bunch of scores.</p>
<p>“No high school “offers” SAT subject tests”</p>
<p>True, no high school offers SAT subject tests, but some high school counselors tell students about the subject tests and others, like mine, don’t. </p>
<p>Generally, only East coast schools require Subject tests. If a high school does not expect to send many students to those schools, they would not even tell students about Subject tests, and for some reason (possibly because the ACT is easier or maybe because the ACT is standard in the midwest) they administer the ACT. Midwest kids that are determined to get into ivys may apply their senior year with loaded EC’s and a 35 on the ACT but not have an SAT. That’s why some ivy’s exclude the subject tests.</p>
<p>If you look in the required column you will see some with an * next to the number. That means the college takes the ACT in lieu of both the SAT and SAT subject tests. Some of those, such as Yale, Penn and Brown, have stated that if you are relying on the ACT they will not consider the SAT subject tests for admission even if submitted. </p>
<p>I am aware of two updates to the list. Michigan now “considers” subject tests and Rice now accepts the ACT in lieu of both the SAT and SAT subject tests (meaning it should have an * in the list). </p>
<p>You will note that the only public universities in the US that actually require SAT subject tests are the UCs and beginning with entry class of 2012 they will drop that requirement. Virginia and Georgia recommend them and UNC, Texas and Mich will consider them if submitted (most students do not). Outside of those, public universities in general will not consider subject tests if submitted. The majority of private universities are the same although not your high ranks. Of the high ranked privates, Stanford recommends subject tests but does not require them, UChicago neither requires nor recommends them but will consider if submitted. Northwestern recommends three as does Johns Hopkins. NYU used to require two but has now gone to a different method–you have your option to submit SAT, ACT, three SAT IIs, or three AP scores (your choice of one of those four). </p>
<p>As to any colleges preferring SAT or ACT, Princeton still mentions a preference for the SAT. Until recently all others had gone to stating no preference. That changed last year when the California Polytechnics went from stating no preference to stating a preference for the ACT (a interesting move from colleges that are in a state where high school students traditonally take the SAT and not the ACT)</p>
<p>I looked on the Standardized Test section of the Princeton website, and I could not find anywhere where they stated a preference of one over the other.</p>
<p>Although most schools do not require SAT subject tests with the ACT, I think (please doublecheck) Georgetown requires 3 subject tests even with the ACT. I believe a few other schools do, too.</p>