<p>mcohen28, you are not the first. I had not heard of Intel or Siemens until I applied to MIT (which caused a lot of stress on my part =P) - and I, after almost a year at MIT, still don’t know much about these competitions.</p>
<p>You will have to look into SAT Subject Tests, though, those are required for applying =). Basically, they’re similar to the SAT Reasoning Test (the normal thing you think of with the SAT) - but they’re particular to a given subject.</p>
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<p>I disagree with this. As Matt McGann has said, MIT admits both very pointy and very well-rounded students. You do not need specific interests in math and physics. Certainly, you must display an aptitude for them - but your interests and passions need not be specific to these in order to get into MIT. Mine were horseback riding, community service, theater, etc etc - others love rowing, or track. Strong math preparation is good, but the enrichment can come from anywhere (and often does).</p>