taking SAT2 when not fully prepared

<p>Hi, I am new to CC and I'd really appreciate your help. My son is signed up to take the SAT2 biology subject test tomorrow. He just finished 9th grade and took regular biology. I signed him up to take the SAT2 subject test because he did well in the class and because he said he would study for the test. Now that he has studied it on and off for a week I don't think he is ready. So my question is, should he take the test tomorrow and risk getting a bad score, or should he skip the test. If he skips the test, would it show up on his record? That is, are there any consequences for skipping the test? Thank you so much for your help.</p>

<p>No, if he skips the test and does not do it, it won’t show on his record. He just finished 9th grade so he still has time to take it later on. I would suggest you wait until he has done AP Bio down the road. There are no consequences for skipping a test date, as a matter of fact, my son was considering it too tonight. But he does not have much time since he is a junior, rising senior now.</p>

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<p>[SAT</a> Subject Tests - Test Day Mishaps](<a href=“College Board Will No Longer Offer SAT Subject Tests or SAT with Essay – College Board Blog”>College Board Will No Longer Offer SAT Subject Tests or SAT with Essay – College Board Blog)</p>

<p>Since the subject tests cover regular high school level material (not AP level material), the question about how well he will do on it becomes:</p>

<p>a. How well did he do in the course?
b. How well does the high school’s biology course cover what is normally expected by the subject test to be covered in high school biology?</p>

<p>If my son was in your situation, I would make him take the test. He should learn that making an educational commitment is something he should follow through on. You don’t want to plant the seed that withdrawing from something you are unprepared for is acceptable. Besides, he will get great insight ino the SAT subject tests rigor.</p>

<p>While Subject tests may not cover AP level material, the best time to take them is when the student is preparing for the AP test as it then takes no extra prep.</p>

<p>My D1 did the same thing with the Chem Subject test. She took it in 9th grade on the recommendation of the Honors Chem teacher. She did OK, in the 600s, but not really the level she was looking for and mainly it was totally UNNECESSARY to take it that early since she’d be taking AP Chem jr year. </p>

<p>My advice is to have him not sit the test as it will have not effect except to lose the cost of the test, particularly if he is taking AP Bio later.</p>

<p>I don’t think this is an appropriate time for teaching a kid a ‘lesson’ about withdrawing/being prepared/understanding rigor because the premise of taking the test now was faulty to begin with.</p>

<p>Thank you everyone for responding. </p>

<p>Bigdaddy88, you bring up a good point. Normally I would make him follow through with the test. However, I am afraid that if he did really poorly it would reflect badly when he starts his college applications. Since I am not sure he will take Bio AP later, he may not retake the SAT2 Bio test. Will a bad SAT2 score from freshman year look bad to admissions officers, even if other scores are decent?</p>

<p>ucbalumnus, my son got an A+ in freshman biology. But I don’t think his teacher is very good and I am not convinced that he learned a whole lot in that class. He has been studying the SAT2 Biology prep book and there is a lot of concept in there that he is unfamiliar with. He still has about 10 -15 chapters to cover tonight, hence I am having second thoughts.</p>

<p>Hmmm, getting an A+ in the high school course but finding a lot of gaps in his knowledge with respect to what should be a not-especially-difficult test on high school level stuff in the subject is worrisome from the point of view of the quality of the high school…</p>

<p>The same goes for when a student who (presumably) aces the honors high school course does not break 700 on the subject test…</p>

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<p>I would do just the opposite. There is no valor in a low score that, like a tattoo, is permanent. Better to sleep in. It’s silly to take a test for which one is not ready.</p>

<p>No penalty for not taking the test. Heck, for a fee (of course) CB will change the test date – gotta call their 800 number, however.</p>

<p>If your S is planning on taking AP Bio either next year or Junior year, THAT is the time to take the ST.</p>

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<p>The rule of thumb that I’ve seen is that someone who scores a 5 on the AP test, will clear 750 comfortably. A 4 can equate low 700’s… Thus, my point is that scoring well is typically way beyond a typical College Prep class.</p>

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<p>Hmmm, what about the numerous students who score 800 on Math Level 2? It is likely that most of them have not had any AP calculus course (which is not what Math Level 2 tests anyway).</p>

<p>When I was in high school, I recall that scoring over 700 on Achievement tests (later renamed to SAT subject tests) (not just math) was not that difficult for a student who did well in the regular high school course (the high school was not an elite high school at the time; about a third of the graduates then went to four year colleges, mostly state universities with a bias toward nearby ones).</p>

<p>In some schools many students don’t take AP Bio until Senior year. This is the situation in my daughter’s school and the reason they suggested she & her classmates take the SAT Subject Bio as 9th graders.
Is it still the case that only the 3 best SAT subject scores need to be reported to schools?</p>

<p>My d is in a similar position. She is not sitting the test tomorrow. She bought me lunch today with her babysitting $'s to reimburse me for the lost fee. He has time to sit other subject tests.</p>

<p>I’d have him take the test. My son took 3 subject tests Junior year without extra studying Math 2,Physics and Spanish. He did well on Math 2 and Physics but the Spanish score wasn’t all that great however it did not hurt him at all. Unless you are applying to schools that require all subject tests to be sent it can’t hurt. Even then it’s just one test and he most likely will do fine anyway. Did he take a practice test from the prep book? that would give you a good idea of what his score might be.</p>

<p>My son scored 800 on math 2 and that was before he had AP Calc. You aren’t supposed to need to have taken a AP class in order to do well on the subject tests.</p>

<p>The only way colleges ever see the test scores is if you send them. I would still have my kids follow through. </p>

<p>Can’t always teach a lesson when it’s convenient.</p>

<p>Since your son is only a freshman, I see no reason that it is crucial for him to take the test. If he is not confident of the material, he may score lower than he would like. </p>

<p>Some colleges will want to see all test scores. Please consider that in making your decision.</p>

<p>If will be taking AP Bio at some point, then it might be prudent to wait until then to take the subject test. If he will not take AP Bio, he can always decide to take a different subject test. </p>

<p>Time is on your side - it’s only freshman year.</p>

<p>Good luck, whatever you decide.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t have him take the test if he doesn’t think he’ll do well, and as noted above, some schools want to see all test scores.</p>

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<p>And IFF the op’s kid applies to a school that allows Score Choice. (Unless you want to teach an ethics lesson, too.)</p>

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<p>Good point. M2 is the exception to the rule of thumb, particularly since it is such a forgiving test, in comparison to M1. OTOH, bio is not so forgiving.</p>

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<p>Well sure, back in the dark ages, before AP tests were even available in most school districts, and practically no one even considered prepping for the tests…but the world has changed. With all of those AP/IB students taking the test, to keep a semblance of a normal distribution, CB had no choice but increase the rigor.</p>

<p>But if you truly believe that a standard CP course prepares one well for the ST’s, just mosey on over the cc’s SAT threads. :)</p>

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<p>The CB does not seem to mind if a lot of students score 800 on the subject tests, particularly Math Level 2 and the language tests that attract a high proportion of heritage speakers. Given that they made it easier to get 800 on the SAT reasoning test by rescaling, it is hard to believe that they would make the other tests harder either in material or in scoring.</p>

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<p>A standard high school course should be good preparation for the subject test in the subject. Of course, some high schools’ courses may be of poor quality and prepare students inadequately even if they aced the course.</p>

<p>“Hmmm, getting an A+ in the high school course but finding a lot of gaps in his knowledge with respect to what should be a not-especially-difficult test on high school level stuff in the subject is worrisome from the point of view of the quality of the high school…”</p>

<p>My son goes to a private college prep school. I agree that he should have gotten a lot more out of the class, especially given that he got an A+ in the class, but as I always tell my son, there will always be good teachers and bad teachers no matter where you go (heck, I work at a highly ranked university and there are incompetent teachers there too). So in this case, he got a not-so-good teacher. I am happy with the school otherwise and can overlook this one teacher. And as I said, he took the regular biology class, not honors. If he had taken biology honors I am sure he would have been more prepared.</p>

<p>I am going let him skip the test because I just don’t want him to get stuck with a bad score. Besides, it was not his idea to sign up for the test in the first place. I am learning this whole process as I go. </p>

<p>Thanks again everyone!</p>

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<p>Right, that was my point earlier. He has no ‘lesson to learn’ as it wasn’t his decision in the first place.</p>

<p>BTW, when D1 made this mistake was when I started to take a very active roll in college prep, which included giving a critical eye to anything her HS GC or teachers said and finding this discussion forum ;).</p>