@nevergiveupp Didn’t mean to stress you out. What’s done is done for JHU now so no point in wondering what you could have done differently after the fact - it will drive you insane.
My rationale all comes down to percentiles and the fact that JHU is likely getting the most competitive math and science subject scores (which all are highly skewed scores based on percentiles already) from its applicants (this is speculation since they don’t publish the average subject scores of applicants/accepted students since they aren’t required). In that light, I would avoid comparing yourself (which is exactly what standardized tests are meant to do) unnecessarily, especially when there is a good chance you will lose out in the comparison.
In the case of JHU - who cares? - you’ve done all you can at this point. Moving forward, it will be tough to determine what schools (that don’t require subject tests) you should send them to. If they’re more competitive I would raise the threshold of what one deems is a good score (and this 700+ in all situations then really becomes silly from my perspective). Nonetheless, this process is not a science since there is no data available on what other students are applying with.
What is very important is how your grades and AP scores reflect your mastery of these subject test materials. If you demonstrate these same competencies with stellar grades and/or AP coursework and good AP scores then you don’t even need the subject tests, right? Place yourself in these committee’s shoes when making any decisions about your application and think about what you would be looking for when determining if A) Can this applicant succeed at our school? and B) How will this student contribute to our school?
At the end of the day, all assessment is being utilized to answer these two questions.