So I screwed up on my SAT subject tests and now that there is no January SAT, I don’t have another shot. Harvard’s website says: “While we normally require two SAT Subject Tests, you may apply without them if the cost of the tests represents a financial hardship or if you prefer to have your application considered without them.” I don’t have financial issues so I feel like I basically must submit two tests. My math I is good enough (760) but I also took literature (650) and history (660) I think 55th and 46th percentiles, respectively. Will it hurt me more to not send two or to send two but the second one is bad? The rest of my app is good, 1600 SAT and 4.6 GPA, but I really just had a bad day on the subject tests. Help
I am of the opinion that you will be disadvantaged if you turn in no scores (unless you are low SES), and you will be disadvantaged if you turn in low scores. Which is worse? That’s the great unknown question. I’m also of the opinion that one should submit no scores or two scores, since basically nobody only takes one Subject Test. Sending one, Imo, signals that you are trying to hide a second, lower score, which, let’s be honest, would be the case. At the end of the day, though, if the scores don’t start with a 7 or 8, then they probably won’t help you anyway.
Don’t submit the scores beginning in 6.
Perhaps in the addt’l info section you can say something about the missing scores; you were sick on that day, you don’t feel they represent your academic achievement or potential etc. But to submit them would be to own them and I don’t think you need/want to do that.
Nope. Don’t do that. This will only come across as whining. That explains why the December scores were not as high as the OP hoped, but does not explain why the OP waited until the last minute. Harvard is not interested in excuses.
The OP needs to own the decision, whichever one s/he makes.
Let me add a contrarian opinion here. You have a perfect SAT score and your unweighted GPA is probably equivalent to a 4.0 – so in all other respects you are a Polly Perfect or Mighty Max. Submitting all three SAT Subject Tests scores (760, 650 and 660) demonstrates to the Admissions Committee that you are indeed HUMAN and not a DRONE, and that I think can work to your advantage, as colleges tend to dislike drones. Therefore, I would submit all 3 SAT Subject Tests and let the chips fall where they may (which I think is better than submitting just one SAT Subject Test or not submitting any of them). IMHO: If you are rejected it WILL NOT be because of your two lower SAT Subject Tests.
I believe you can retake in January and submit after your application, but check with admissions.
Unfortunately the January SAT series is not being offered in 2018, which has been causing a lot of difficulty for OP and other students applying EA/ED on this forum (I believe it is being replaced by an additional testing date in August). The next test series is not until March which will be too late.
@livv13, I doubt it will make a huge difference either way, but personally, I would not submit them - your grades and SAT score are strong enough to represent your academic ability on their own. Sending average/below average (the 46th percentile one stands out) SAT II scores muddies the water unnecessarily - SAT IIs are the only content-based academic test that gives an indication as to how the applicant ranks up in the subjects they are strongest in against the entire country (GPA is unreliable due to how different syllabuses are across schools and how differently different schools calculate it). A low SAT II score might leave the officer wondering about the context of your school and grades, such as if you went to a school with a more lenient grading system to get such a high GPA but average scores relative to the rest of the country. IMO, not a risk worth taking.
Just for reference I submitted my 670 Literature score and was accepted SCEA. Scores will not kill you lol.
Also for reference, I submitted my 650 Literature score and was also accepted Early Action.
@MaybeHarvard2022 @Ace11 thank you- that really eased my nerves. congrats on getting in- I’m jealous !!
@livv13 If I were unhooked I would not submit any of the scores. Others stories may be reassuring, but you don’t know what else is in their application
in case anyone was wondering I only submitted the math I score. I got rejected. Not sure if it’s because I’m a middle class white girl with no hooks, applied regular decision, or because of the subject tests lol