I took the Math 2, US History, and Physics subject tests in May and got a 770, 610, and 600, respectively. I used College Board’s free score reports to send all of my scores to four Ivies in October. Will the low subject test scores hurt my chances of acceptance? Should I retake the subject tests in December?
Are those scores reflective of your skill level with the work, i.e., in line with what your grades look like for those subjects?
Would taking the test the next time be a mad reach for a higher score, or would you have the time and inclination to better prepare for the exam, learning the structure and general substance of each one, giving you a better strategy for doing your best work next time around?
The Math II exam may not be a killer, depending on the rest of your application, though of course there are those among your peers who will have received a higher score. I think the 770 is pretty great. How do you feel about it?
It would be difficult to teach yourself material at this point, assuming you are in 12th grade and also completing applications and fulfilling all the rest of your life’s duties. If you test again, make sure you prepare, and rest.
Good luck to you.
the 600s definitely are not going to look good
My final averages in Physics and US History were in the high 90s due to homework and project grades, but my test scores were often in the mid-80s. Do you know if a mid-80s test grade translates to a 600 on the subject test? @Waiting2exhale
No, I don’t. Conversions such as that are out of my range. There may be someone here on the boards who can tell you that, though. (Sorry)
Sometimes even strong students simply don’t test to their actual demonstrated ability. If you have an overall student profile which presents you in a particularly strong light, strong recs and stellar essays and ECs, that would put you in your best standing.
Are you familiar with sites that help you to see scattergrams and other forms of graphical information on the student population of both those who apply, as well as accepted students, to colleges and universities? Sites like College Data Set, and others? There are all sorts of sites which will claim to help you gauge how strong your stats are inside of the collected information they have on the stats of previous years’ applicants/acceptees.
Look at Common Data Set for information on specific colleges and the range of scores of their accepted students. This is actually the only type of data set I have used when aiding my children, as I try not to get caught up in the score-as-determinant mind frame.
Finally, remember to look beyond the Ivies. There really is a world of happy, thriving, incredibly bright students living and learning in college and university communities beyond those on the Ivy short list.
@Waiting2exhale Thank you so much for all your help.