<p>If I am taking an AP Test in a given area (say, U.S. History), is it worth taking the Subject Test?</p>
<p>I plan on taking at least Math II in June. I need to take French as well, but I will probably do that in October, seeing as I haven't exactly been prepping (which will be necessary as we accomplish very little in class, though I do well).</p>
<p>That said, I would like to get a third under my belt in case schools want it (and there is at least one school that I am looking at that wants three) -- My problem? Which one to take. I'm taking various AP tests this May and U.S. History is the only one, besides math, that also has a Subject Test. Should I take that test? Or would a college prefer a test in a different subject?</p>
<p>If it helps at all, I have zero interest in pursuing a STEM major/career. I'm leaning toward a social science and/or business (economics, international studies, politcal science... along those lines). A lot of the schools I have in mind are top tier schools mixed in with liberal arts schools.</p>
<p>Thanks for any insight you may have.</p>
<p>In general AP tests are harder. Probably because Subjects only have multiple choice. Do you excel in the open ended questions or multiple choice?</p>
<p>Most selective (under 20%) usually require at least 2 subject tests. Possibly three. I think if you’re interested in history, you should take the history test. Only math/engineering majors are required to take the scientific subjects.</p>
<p>If you are going to take the AP test you may as well take the subject test at the same time because the material is very similar and you are studying it anyway. </p>
<p>But it is true that many colleges only require 2 subject tests, in which case there is no point in taking more than 2 or 3 tests (in case you get a bad score on one of them). Some colleges will only take 2 subject tests and refuse to look at any others you take. That said, you may want to research some of the colleges you’re thinking about to see what they want to see.</p>
<p>I was mistaken about the three being required, though some do “recommend” it. I’ve looked and all of them want math (which should be fine), and one program requires french. I’ll probs end up taking U.S. History. I’m definitely not taking more than three, paying for the tests is absolutely ridiculous.</p>
<p>Thank you both!</p>
<p>AP and SAT tests serve different purposes. AP tests indicate if you meet a certain standard, while SAT tests are designed to discriminate various ability levels (at least when they are not inflated like the stupid language tests). While AP content is usually harder, it doesn’t make sense to say one test is harder than another in general. </p>
<p>I would definitely take a subject test after an AP test since the material is fresh. Just mind the subtle differences in the content specifications.</p>
<p>My kid, without my knowing, just registered to retake the SAT in May – which falls around the same time as his AP Tests (History and English). It was my hope he would take the subject tests in May and then the SAT in June, so he has some more weeks of preparation. Im bumming out about this. Should I try to change the dates?</p>
<p>There are pluses and minuses. Plus of 6/1 is additional month to study. Minus of 6/1 is that kid is studying for finals so the 5/4 forces kid to spread out the studying earlier.</p>
<p>Plus of 5/4, knowledge is still fresh from AP studying; maybe they forget a little over 1 month?</p>