How many SAT subject tests should I take?

sfgirl101
Sun, 19 Jan 2014 17:33:57 +0000

some schools don’t require them at all. some schools require 1-3. some may specify a specific one that must be submitted for a particular faculty (ie to apply for engineering, you must take Math II)

In general, take subjects you are familiar with and perform well in. If you do poorly in your chem class, it doesn’t make much sense to take chem (though you’ll have score choice in pretty much any situation). You can take up to 3 on any given test date. In general, if schools leave it up to you, it’s best to submit 2 or 3 that show versatility (ie don’t submit US History and World History or Math I and Math II). A good combo would be:
Bio, Spanish, US History or
Lit, Chem, World History or
Math II, Bio, Lit

The math and reading comprehension on the math subject tests and Lit test are more difficult than the material on the SATI. You need to have taken pre-cal to perform well on Math II (while you don’t really need it for fair performance on the SATI)

Try to take the SATIIs after you take the subject…it’s a good idea to take Bio after AP Bio (though I took it after Freshmen honors bio and did fine), the foreign language after taking the AP course, US History after an intensive US history course (like AP or junior level history) etc. The history SATIIs differ from the AP exams in that they are all multiple choice and more about spitting back info than analyzing…it’s more difficult to bs your way through it. You really need to know the material (dates, names, etc)

You can take Lit without much preparation if you excel in reading and writing. You can probably self-study for the history ones if you’re good at history and rote memorization, but it’d be tough. Chem, bio and physics you definitely need to take the class for. Since I focused on taking them after the class, I started after freshman year (when I took Bio)

Hope this helps!