<p>What SAT II Subject Tests do most schools require? How many are required? Can you take a SAT II test before you take the SAT?</p>
<p>D is starting 10th grade and has World History this year. Should she take the SAT II World History test in June? Her college major will most likely be Journalism, Communications/Media, and/or French with a minor in dance.</p>
<p>My kids both took Biology SATII after 9th grade. You do NOT need to take the SAT I before the SAT II. My kids both took their SAT II in June, but next time I'd recommend taking it in May, especially for courses where they're studying for the AP exams. Son's GC recommended he take the SAT II for Math II (took Math I).</p>
<p>It's useful to look at the requirements of the colleges she's most interested in to determine whether she needs to take the SATII & in which subjects. My son took SAT II in Biology (after 9th grade), Physics, US History, and Math I (after junior year). (He likes math/science).</p>
<p>My daughter took only her SAT II in biology (after 9th grade). Their school recommends folks who are doing well (B or A) to take the SAT II in subjects in May or June of the year they're studying the subject..</p>
<p>HImom</p>
<p>Only about 60 colleges plus the UC schools require the SAT II. Until the introduction of the new SAT, most required 3 SAT-IIs; many of these required one to be the SAT-Writing. Some also required at least one to be a humanities and one to be a math SAT-II; some did not specify.
Since the introduction of the new SAT, each college has publicized different SAT-II requirements, and for the moment, these seem to be in a state of flux.So it is best to check college websites.
Nonetheless, HImom is right about timing the SAT-II. It is best taken right after the completion of a course. If your child is taking the AP test in May, she will be well prepared for the SAT-II. There are exceptions, notably in Physics. AP-Physics C covers only 2 topics, whereas the SAT-II tests covers more, but in less depth. You also need to check that the teacher covers all the materials in the SAT-II curriculum. Many do not because they run out of time. If this is a concern, it is better to take the test in June. The important thing is to take the test when the materials is still fresh in the student's mind.
Your D should wait until Junior year to take the SAT.</p>
<p>D is not taking honors/AP World History its not offered at her HS. Should she still take the SAT II this June? Math and science at not her strongest areas and she would like to avoid the SAT II tests in these areas. There are very few AP/honors courses offered at her HS, thus she will probably not be taking any AP exams. Would having the SAT II tests (e.g. World History, French, and English) on her record be a good substitute?</p>
<p>It really all depends on what the college requires. And there is no SATII in English - there used to be a Writing SATII, but it has now been incorporated into the new SAT. There are SATII study guides available at bookstores, and you can get more information about test content at the College Board website. Then your daughter can determine if she is learning the material covered by the SATII. Also note that SAT score reports include SATII scores - if she's taken any SATIIs, they will be reported along with the SAT.</p>
<p>Thanks marite and fireflyscout you anticipated my next question. Once D takes a SAT II test those results are automatically sent to the schools that she specifies should receive her regular SAT scores. Is there a way to ask the College Board to only send specific test scores?</p>
<p>tututaxi:</p>
<p>Not any more. If you are concerned about this issue, consider having your D take the ACT. You can still choose which ACT scores to send. You will need to check college websites about SAT-II scores plus ACT. If your D takes more than 3 SAT-IIs, colleges will take the highest scores.</p>
<p>I've been going on the assumption that colleges who "recommend" SAT II tests expect to see them. S is thinking of booting all of those schools off his list (exam fatigue)!</p>
<p>lderochi:
I think your reading of the situation is correct. But if your S has APs, these may be considered as substitutes if the SAT-IIs are not actually required.</p>
<p>lderochi:
I think your reading of the situation is correct. But if your S has APs, these may be considered as substitutes if the SAT-IIs are not actually required. Still, your S might consider that each SAT-II exam is only one hour long. He can take two at a time (3 is more tiring, as the student has to switch mental gears from one subject to another).</p>
<p>Marite, thanks. The "no school that requires or recommends SAT II's" policy of my S (a Junior) is a little more flexible than I indicated. Basically, he ain't taking the SAT-IIs at this point. I've given up discussing it with him. Maybe his attitude will change, but I doubt it since very few people in his HS even know of the SAT II's and it's not discussed by the GCs. He is, however, willing to apply to some schools that "recommend" the test (or in the case of one school, states that SAT II's are "helpful", whatever that means!), and understands that he may be at a disadvantage. But if they require these tests, they'll have to come off the list. 16 year old young men are so easy to deal with. In reality, it's not a huge deal. Of the 22 schools on the "big list o schools" right now, 1 says the tests are "helpful", 4 schools "recommend" them and 1 "strongly recommends" them. He will have 3 AP tests under his belt by the time he applies, so that should help.</p>
<p>TuTuTaxi - If your daughter likes history, an AP or honors course isn't necessary to do well on the World History SAT II. My son took it at the end of 9th grade after a very poorly taught regular world history class and still did very well on the exam.</p>
<p>lderochi - My daughter also had a policy of not applying to schools requiring any SAT II exams. Fortunately, none of the schools in which she was interested required them (several "recommended" them). The lack of SAT II scores didn't hamper her, as she got in ED to her first choice (a very selective school) as well as the schools to which she'd applied that sent her decisions despite her letters to them withdrawing her applications.</p>
<p>There is a Literature SAT II, which both my kids took without any prep.</p>
<p>If a student has not taken any AP courses/exams and has not taken any SAT II tests, will schools look upon the student unfavorably?</p>
<p>Tututaxi:</p>
<p>As I said earlier, only about 60 colleges plus UCs require SAT-IIs. No college requires APs. And some have made scores optional.</p>
<p>Thanks marite, D is actually a very hard worker, we are afraid she will appear as a slacker if she doesnt take the additional SAT II tests since APs arent available.</p>
<p>marite is spot on...definitely speak with the teacher to see if s/he even cover the bulk of the material on the test. Son's WH class did not, and the teacher was upfront about that at Back to School nite.</p>
<p>All of dd's colleges "recommended" SAT2s. She didn't take any, and she got into some fine schools with great merit $$ at a couple of them.</p>