<p>Hi, first time posting here, just need some advice on which subject tests to take.</p>
<p>I'm an international student looking to major in engineering (aeronautical, mechanical, electrical) in one of the public universities (Berkeley, Georgia Tech, etc.) </p>
<p>I haven't taken any subject tests yet; I will study over the summer then take the one on October. But which ones should I take? I know Math II and Physics for sure, but should I take another science such as Chemistry and Biology or something different? What would strengthen my application overall?</p>
<p>Yes, definitely take Physics and Math II and either Chemistry or Biology will suffice. Do the subject you enjoy the most and the review will become much easier for you.</p>
<p>Thank you for the reply.
Would you say the more I take the better?
I would say I am a proficient student in math and the sciences. Would getting a high score on all the three sciences be an advantage for my college application?</p>
<p>Not necessarily. No one really takes more than three because colleges generally only look at a maximum of three subject tests (and some only look at 2 like Davidson College). Do some research to see the Subject Test policy at the schools you plan on applying to and go from there.</p>
<p>I would say 2 is the minimum, 3 is better but there may be little advantage by taking more than 3 or 4. For engineering, you definitely need Math2 plus a science. A third subject test can be on anything or a second science. In general, it would be better to have something related to your intended major (e.g. Physics for ME, Biology for BME, Chemistry for ChemE).</p>
<p>Thank you for the additional advice.
I’ve set sights on taking Math II, Physics and Chemistry as I am not interested in Bio engineering.
Would you say 800’s are possible with 2 months of studying with prep books? I would consider myself as an A student in math in the sciences.</p>
<p>Prep books help, but the actual knowledge of the subject is still required. If you score well in prep books (e.g. from Barrons), you should be able to get good scores in SAT2. My D need little preparation for Math2 and scored 800 (1 in 7 got 800 anyway). For Chem, she took AP Chem right before the subject test. She did review using the whole Barrons book cover to cover and also scored 800. It is hard to say if it is her class or the book to prepare her better for the test.</p>
<p>I did take all three of the sciences this year so I do have knowledge of the subjects, to some extent. </p>
<p>Many people say AP is hard (I will be taking calculus, chemistry and physics next year) but how does it compare to the subject tests?</p>
<p>Also, I’ve done some research on SAT prep books here on this forum and I’m thinking of getting Barron’s for math and Princeton Review for physics and chem. Sorry this is kind of off-topic but it’ll be great if you could share some knowledge on prep books.</p>
<p>Barrons Chem for subject and AP are good too. They would get you better prepared than the PR ones. AP test is more difficult in content and format, but it is actually easier to get a 5 in AP then 800 in SAT2 in most cases.</p>
<p>Yes, definitely. My D did not spend much time to prepare for the Chem SAT2 after AP other than going through the review and practice in Barrons.</p>
<p>I would recommend Barron’s Prep books. The tests are so much harder than the real ones so the real ones are seem easier when you take them. In addition to Physics and Math 2, I would take Chem, Bio, or a language. Scoring well on a language SAT looks really good on applications and since you’re international, I’m just assuming you may know another language.</p>
<p>Also, if you’re good at math, the math 2 test really isn’t too hard. The curve for the math 2 test is great. You can get between 5-8 questions wrong, depending on the test, and still get an 800. Most people whom I know that have taken Calculus have gotten an 800.</p>
<p>Thanks for the book recommendation. Many people (if not all) recommend Barron’s for math so I’ll drop by the bookstore soon. Do you know if Barron’s is good for science subjects as well?</p>
<p>I’ve just signed up for math 2, chem and physics on October 5th. I also want to take the reasoning test once again (November) before I start applying.</p>
<p>As some schools I’m interested in have their application due dates set at the end of November, I’m assuming scores from SAT taken in December are pointless. (I’m not entirely clear about the whole admission/early admission process, I’ll have to do more research…) So as much as I want to take a SAT subject test of my native language, I’m out of time. Thanks for the suggestion though.</p>