Why do people take so many SATIIs?

<p>Yeah... I was wondering, lol. The average CCer here seems to take around 3~5 (if not MORE, which is usually the case) SATIIs? I mean, WHY? Does it look THAT much better to universities/colleges if you have 5 high scores instead of 3? Do you have a better chance of getting into where you want to go?</p>

<p>If not, does it look worse with just two SATIIs (math + science, something like that) like they require in comparison to someone else who has another SATII?</p>

<p>... just wondered, cause I'm confused lol.</p>

<p>yes, 4x800 looks better than 2x800; and 2x800 in different disciplines looks better than 2x800 in math/science, unless, of course, you are applying to a top engineering program.</p>

<p>Most colleges require three. Some kids take more because they find out that others are not legitimate for their college after they've taken theses tests. (Like Math IC, instead of Math IIC....colleges also frown up taking Chinese SAT II as a language SAT II if you're Chinese). Also, students might take more than three SAT's to pass undergraduate courses in history, language, and sometimes math and science.</p>

<p>Ocd.......</p>

<p>I don't think college's necessarily frown upon taking SAT II Chinese if one is chinese; I just think the 800 will help you less.</p>

<p>Yeah, I didn't really mean that. They just don't weight as much...I think</p>

<p>I'm forced to take 5 because I took 2 sciences (If I knew 1 would've sufficed, I would've never taken the 2nd). 2 Maths, (Took Math IC, now I'm looking at schools like MIT so I gotta take IIC), and now that I'm informed that I need to take a test from 3 different subjects, I'll need to take US History in June.</p>

<p>My friend plans to take over 7 SAT IIs, which is pretty ridiculous. I think he knows that 3 would be enough, but he wants to take 7 anyway - I don't know why =/</p>

<p>There's a risk that you will not do well on some of them and then you are stuck - a student at DS's school took 6 and bombed one. It's also distracting to prep for them - it is more imprtant to get good grades and to do well on the SAT I.. I think taking the minimum required makes more sense - most schools that want them only want two.</p>

<p>Well, I'm taking them because they're right after AP exams, so I will have already studied for the topics anyway. Plus, I have awful grades, so I need to show colleges I'm not incompetent.</p>

<p>Becuase people at CC have crappy college counselors who don't even bother to tell them that SATII's hold next to no importance in the admissions process.</p>

<p>s_snack, that's not really true. While most colleges don't care, some schools REQUIRE the SAT-II's. So you can't say that they don't hold any importance. </p>

<p>Also, they're useful for people with crappy GPA's who need to show that they're not stupid.</p>

<p>I think they hold enough weight that you need to make sure you do well on them.</p>

<p>Would it help significantly to have more than the minimum if you were applying to highly selective schools like Stanford, or not?</p>

<p>I don't think so. Seriously, if you get good scores on two or three, don't worry about it. Spend your time on school, EC's, and essays.</p>

<p>Stanford? Absolutely! They like to see breadth.</p>

<p>SATII's are really just used to make sure you're scores correllate well w/ your grades. Anything above a 720 (750 for 2C) or so will be fine.
They just want to make sure you're not a straight A student with 600's on subject tests.</p>

<p>Ok... how many do you guys think I should take then? I'm pretty sure I'll go with math level 2, French, and chem... how many more?</p>

<p>And can you even take them as a senior, or does it not make sense because they won't be on college apps? Because I'm planning on taking AP bio as a senior, so I'd really like to have that SAT II, since I want to go into premed or biochem or something.</p>

<p>i took SAT's in january and i'm a senior, the scores i will send out will go to those schools from the jan. administration</p>

<p>your three subjects are just fine, if you think you can nail those, then by all means get em. if there are any other subjects that you are proficient in however, then another one doesn't hurt, if you can get a nice looking score. however, dont feel compelled to take another one, if all you're going to get is a 650-700, only take that extra one if you have the extra background and can probably get a 740+</p>

<p>Three should be enough for any college I apply to? And does anybody know anything about taking them as a senior?</p>

<p>yes
and the senior question
depends on what school you apply to. ivy leagues take any test up till january, UC's will take anything up to december, it all depends on what school and when you're applying to them (early vs. regular).. it's all spelt out in the application instructions</p>