SAT Subject Tests

Recently I heard that a lot of 11th graders are curious about SAT Subject Tests, and are considering taking some. I almost took some subject tests last year, but I'll get into that later. Subject tests, also called SAT IIs, are hour-long tests on a specific subject, such as English or Math. Some of the more competitive colleges require or recommend that you take them in addition to your SATs. Generally, you choose two or three subject tests to take, probably in topics that you excel in at school. Even if the colleges you're applying to don't require subject tests, they can be a good way to make you stand out from other students. They are also a good way to show colleges some areas that you are particularly strong in that they wouldn't be able to tell by looking at your SAT scores. If you plan on taking SAT Subject Tests, you should go to the websites of your colleges beforehand and see if they recommend or require that you take a certain number of subject tests, or one on a specific topic. If not, then you are free to choose the ones that you will perform best in!

In the beginning of the school year, I was considering applying to the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University, and it was the only one of my colleges that required SAT Subject tests. So I begrudgingly signed up for the Biology and Math I subject tests, and bought the practice test books. To my dismay, I soon learned that the content of the biology subject test was very different from what I learned in 9th grade Biology. I realized I had 3 weeks to learn the entire subject of Ecological and Molecular Biology. For about a week I struggled to memorize as many chapters as possible, but upon quizzing myself and finding I had retained absolutely nothing, I gave up. This story is why anyone who plans on taking a subject test should not do what I did. If you're going to take one, make sure you actually know or have enough time to learn the content.

Here is a link to the College Board's description of SAT Subject Tests. You will find a list of all the possible tests you can take, and information on them. It's also where you can sign up to take the tests.
http://sat.collegeboard.org/about-tests/sat-subject-tests

One more note--If you are someone who plans on taking the ACT instead of the SAT, quite often the ACT writing portion can substitute for SAT Subject tests. This is not the case for all schools, so you should check on the website of the schools you plan on applying to.

Isabel