<p>I’m a junior in high school and looking at highly competitive colleges. Wesleyan is currently one of my top choices. I’m wondering if taking the SAT subject tests is a good idea. I’d take the ones offered in History, Literature, and French, but I’ll also take the AP version of those. Are they basically the same sort of idea? Or would a school like Wesleyan want to see both scores? I scored a 5 on the European History test last year, and expect to do about the same this year on the U.S. History test. I will take both the AP Language and the AP Literature exams, as well as the French AP exam before college, and I expect to get 4s or 5s on those. I guess my most basic question is is it worth it to take both the AP and SAT subject tests or am I ok with just one?</p>
<p>The SAT Subject tests are one hour multiple choice exams. The APs, as you know, are far more comprehensive. If you had to choose between one or the other, I think you would want to show off the AP scores. But you don’t need to choose. You need to take two SAT Subject Tests, so you’d want to take those in subjects that would help you stand out…and, generally speaking, that would include subjects in which you scored a 5 on an AP exam. (Of course it’s possible that the knowledge has gone stale in the interim or your aptitude is even higher in other subjects that you haven’t had an opportunity to take an AP exam.) AP score reporting is voluntary (on your application), but I’d report 4’s and 5’s on subjects where you’ve taken SAT Subject Tests. Wouldn’t you?</p>
<p>The basic question that you need to answer is NOT whether you’re okay with reporting just one score as between the AP and Subject Tests. The basic question you DO need to answer is which two SAT Subject Tests do you think you’ll score highest on? (And, for Wesleyan, you can always take three and choose to report the highest two scores among them.) Whether you’re already taking the AP exam in those subjects shouldn’t even come into play as you answer that basic question.</p>
<p>I would extend a note of caution about the foreign language SAT Subject Tests. Which tests students take is a matter of self-selection. The population of students who self-select to take foreign language tests is teeming with native speakers. That’s an extremely knowledgeable pool of people you’re being measured against. Even if your raw score is extremely high for an American who gets a 5 on the AP French exam, you may find out that your percentile rank is disappointing among those who take the SAT Subject Test.</p>
<p><a href=“http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/2010-sat-subject-test-percentile-ranks.pdf[/url]”>http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/2010-sat-subject-test-percentile-ranks.pdf</a></p>
<p>Thanks so much for the info. I don’t really know anyone who’s already out East for college or has been to college there recently, so I had no idea what these tests even were until last night. I’m glad I figured it out now, and not in September or something!</p>
<p>I am given conflicting information on the need for SAT subject tests. I am told that fewer schools require these exams, but I see that several schools still require them. That said, with AP courses and tests becoming more common, what does a college learn about the applicant from, say, a SAT chemistry test that wasn’t revealed with the score on the AP exam? My son took a quick look at the chemistry subject test and said that it was so easy that he would not need to study.</p>
<p>I agree that a 50-question, 1-hour multiple choice exam should bear little weight in the college admission process but the fact remains that some colleges still expect those boxes to be ticked off for your application to be complete, so you may as well muddle on and get them out of the way and, like so many aspects of college admissions, throw your hands up in the air and shrug instead of sweating over the rationale behind what it is they want and expect. If there’s a flaming hoop, just jump through it. Asking “why?” is a bad habit to get into. You’ll lose your hair by the time you get to this side of the admission process where I’m sitting, just one year ahead of you. Trust me: it only gets weirder.</p>
<p>For Wesleyan, Subject Tests, or SAT II’s, are required if submitting the SATs. If you are sending ACTS, they are not necessary.</p>
<p>As far as I’ve heard, subject tests (as well as AP scores, to be honest) bear very little weight in admissions decisions (unfortunately for me, because mine are better than my grades, haha). I wouldn’t worry about them too much- maybe pick up the prep book with practice tests for every subject test in it?
I would also definitely have to agree with D’yer Maker regarding the foreign language tests; judging by what my friends have said, they’re brutal.</p>