<p>My S took 6. Only one of the colleges he applied to required any and they only required 2. He took the first ones the end of his soph year and if he was sitting for one why not do 3? When he signed up jr year, same rational, if he was sitting for one why not sit for 3?</p>
<p>I guess the answer to the question, if you’re sitting for one, why not three? is that you need to be prepared to take the test and do well. The two weeks in May that sandwich AP tests with an SAT filling are pretty stressful as it is, as well as exhausting: my daughter took an AP test on Friday, two subject tests on Saturday, spent all day Sunday studying for the AP on Monday, and had a final AP on Wednesday. Yes, she might have taken a third SAT test on Saturday, but she was pretty burned out already. And she was successful, in that she got an 800 Bio and a 790 USH, but between prepping and taking that battery of tests, she might well have done less well on three than she did on two. Certainly, if you can take three and ace them, more power to you.</p>
<p>She did sign up to take more SAT IIs in June, in case she had to, but I am not at all sure that the time between tests was sufficient to study much more, especially given the–oh, yeah–schoolwork that is also ramping up for finals.</p>
<p>I’m not questioning that sometimes kids need to take, or retake, tests to get scores they’re happy with, but the many stats I see that list multiple tests with 750+ scores. I guess if Harvard wants them, that’s the answer to my question, although I do wonder (with Marian) whether that’s enough reason to spend so much time and energy on them, especially if you’re also taking AP tests and will have those scores to report (Are 5s on APs easier or harder to get than 750+?).</p>
<p>Well, at S’s school if you are in an AP class, the AP exam is the final and finals for regular classes are in the beginning of June. My S took the SAT2’s in June soon after he had finished the AP exam or had the final for that class. He did spend some time reviewing for things that might show up on the SAT 2 that he wasn’t previously tested on but it wasn’t hours and hours and hours. Of course, he is not one of the tippy top typical CC kids anyway.</p>
<p>I see that; may as well take them, then. Except, my cynical heart says to me, that you are already paying for the AP tests, so why give College Board more money to take the SAT IIs, if you don’t need them? (I know, it’s a comparatively small amount more, but still).</p>
<p>I am concerned by the relentless stranglehold CB (a private company) seems to be taking over high school curricula and college admissions; I understand the need for some standardized testing, but the push seems to be for more and more of what are generally admitted to be flawed and relatively 2-dimensional measures of students’ “achievement.” I say this because I have seen my daughter, who loves Biology, find absolutely no intellectual pleasure in the AP Bio course, which has been so stuffed with rote learning and information that there is no room for experimentation, discussion or even diversion from the CB-mandated curriculum. I can’t wait for her to get to college, so that she can find out that school doesn’t have to be this way, but I think it’s really tragic that high school has become such a grind of testing, which says nothing about learning the other skills that are important for college and for work.</p>
<p>maybe slightly off topic here, please bear w/ me:)
it would be really interesting if there are SATII subject tests on:
~ Common sense & everyday etiquette
~ Basic cooking & housekeeping
~ Abstract thinking of life & things
~ Basic Survival skills
and see how these kids do…maybe they’ll do really well too ( or maybe not )</p>
<p>some colleges that my D looked at ( but did not apply to ) asked for 3 SATII & often stated 2 specifically + 1 your choice…like “3 = Chem or Physic + Math” or “3=1 Science+2 your choice”
so I think 3 would be good in case the school you’ll apply to ask for them…having 8+ SATII ( like another person mentioned in another thread post ) are a bit too much & over the top…imho</p>
<p>^ My D would fail the Basic cooking and housekeeping and Basic Survival skills SAT tests. And based on the uniformly disgusting state of the dorm rooms I’d say most of the others in her school would too.</p>
<p>She would ace the common sense, etiquette and abstract thinking of life tests, so if only 2 were needed from among those 4, she would be OK.</p>
<p>I’m planning on taking seven SAT IIs, in addition to 22 AP tests, because I like seeing how much I’ve mastered the material and how well I can learn on my own. The school is paying for the AP tests and my parents are willing to pay for any other costs; to them, nurturing my intellectual curiosity is worth many costs.</p>
<p>
I thought Georgetown was the only holdout that still asked for three. What schools are asking for more than two tests currently?</p>
<p>Well, that’s fine, if you consider taking that many tests “nurturing your intellectual curiosity.” Outside validation can be very satisfying.</p>
<p>My son took 3 basically because you could take three in one sitting and since most of the colleges he applied to wanted 2, he figured he’d send the highest 2 scores. He took Math, Chemistry and History. Ended up sending all his scores to all schools, rather than cherry picking information. He got into all but one school he applied to, so the strategy worked for him.</p>
<p>My D1 took 3 and submitted the 2 best and was admitted to her first choice college, a highly selective LAC.</p>
<p>Another reason some students might take more: some colleges have now gone “test-flexible” and will accept 3 SAT Subject Tests in lieu of the SAT Reasoning Test or ACT. If you’re not confident your SAT/ACT scores will be as strong as you’d like and are considering one or more test-flexible schools, it might make sense to take 5 or so SAT Subject Tests to see whether your top 3 will look stronger than your SAT I or ACT. Ironically, instead of taking the pressure off standardized testing as advertized, test-flexible admissions policies might actually drive test-mania to new heights, simply because it creates so many new angles students might use to try to gain a competitive edge. And all it takes is one test-flexible school on your target list to push you in that direction.</p>
<p>Some kids like to take more SAT IIs so they can see and recognize their achievement and mastery in a subject. There is nothing wrong with that. I’m doing NYSSMA for my senior year because I love music even though I won’t be considered for an all-county/state music group.</p>
<p>If my memory serves me… Princeton requires 3 SAT II’s if you plan on the B.S.E. degree…</p>
<p>I have to take 3-5 SAT II’s for college since I’m homeschooled.</p>
<p>Now I’m really confused. According to this August 2010 article from Inside Higher Ed Georgetown dropped the three test requirement this year, now ‘strongly recommending’ but not ‘requiring’ three. Seems like splitting hairs but the requirement is gone. Ironically we all know students will submit more tests than ever. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/08/09/subject[/url]”>http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/08/09/subject</a></p>
<p>which one we had looked at ( but did not apply to ) asked for 3?
i have read so many school’s website in the last few months so they all have blurred together.
my memory is definitely fading very quickly,
some of the schools we’ve researched “recommended” 2 or 3 & that students can send in 3 to them, according to their own admin Q&A board post…so it gives the impression to prospective students that they like to see 3, even though their website say 'recommended 2".
sorry i couldn’t be more helpful.</p>
<p>P.S.
all it take is that people will hear from some other parents in their carpool / swim group /social circle ( without any proof ) that so-&-so, who is a val & sal,
turned in 8 or 7 or whatever# of SATII, then these parents are going to go nuts asking their kids take “more than 2” !</p>
<p>my kid only took 2</p>
<p>This is hearsay, but I was told that Columbia looked upon more than their required 2 tests with <em>disfavor</em> I wouldn’t swear to it, but you might want to check it out.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I don’t think this is right. Their admissions website says that applicants “must submit ALL SAT Subject Test Scores from ALL test dates” (emphasis added). They want to see your whole file.</p>
<p>Columbia also requires homeschoolers and students from schools that do not give conventional letter or numeric grades to take two additional SAT Subject Tests, for a total of 4.</p>
<p>If you score well on two SAT2s and your SAT1s and grades and everything else is in line, there is no reason to take additional SATs. But if you feel you can do better on other subjects, substantially better, it might a good thing to do. </p>
<p>For homeschoolers seeking admissions to highly selective schools, the SAT2s are very important, The more, the better if the scores are high especially, of course. Also kids who come from schools without AP courses and off the radar of selective colleges but who know their subjects well and can score high on the SAT2s will benefit. Kids from schools that don’t give traditional transcripts can also benefit as could kids whose SAT1s are on the low side but can crank it up with the SAT2s. Many of the top schools use a 5 subject SAT number, the SAT1 comprising 3 parts and the highest Sat2s the reset.</p>
<p>Foreign students can also benefit from more SAT2s. And some colleges will exempt kids from language and certain courses based on SAT2 results.</p>