Should DS take more SAT subject tests?

[Mwfan1921]

@nextstepcollege

@tgl2023

Has your son been preparing for the tests efficiently? Does he rely solely on online prep? I think it is more useful to practice with physical copies of the tests and in a simulated test environment (timed and 3 hours in a quiet room in a library or school, for example). If he is going to retest on ACT in December, then may I remind him that ACT is about speed, about one minute is allotted for one question. For the science section of the ACT, a common strategy is to skip the paragraph, go directly to the question and then consult the data and paragraph if necessary.
I don’t recommend a re-take of the SAT literature subject test, which is a very hard test and hard to study for.

Your son is very mature as evidenced in telling you, “Mom, I want to at least try and give it all I can. I’d rather try and fail, then not try at all”. He is a fine young man and will go far.

Umm, he didn’t study for the tests at all. The 32 ACT was just showing up and taking the test. The same with the 1420 SAT. Perhaps that’s why he didn’t do as well on the SAT Literature subject test? He did okay on the Math I (710), but it certainly wasn’t outstanding. Now I feel bad. I didn’t realize we should even have him study for it?

Has your S decided what to do with regard to testing? I am in the group who would have him retake ACT or SAT before taking subject tests, if he decides to take any at all. If he does retake tests, adequate preparation would be good. Subject tests can be difficult and some don’t directly mirror the content from a given HS class…like lit, which is difficult analytically and poetry heavy. At the schools on your S’s list Math 2 would be strongly preferred over Math 1…I would not send a 710 Math 1 score to any of the top schools on his list.

With that said, I would probably have him not retake any tests, but rather focus on apps and getting good first semester grades. Good luck.