WHAT ARE THE SAT SUBJECT TESTS?
The SAT Subject Tests are a series of tests administered by the Educational
Testing Service (ETS). Unlike the regular SAT, the SAT Subject Tests are
designed to measure knowledge in very specific areas. Many colleges require
that you take one or more of these tests in order to qualify for admission; but
even at colleges that do not require that you take them, administrators view
student performances on the tests as an important factor that contributes to the
decision to grant or withhold admission. Additionally, at some schools, a high
score on one or more of the tests might enable you to “place out” of certain
required college courses. For example, if you do well on the SAT Chemistry
Subject Test, you might be exempt from fulfilling the science requirement at one
or more of the schools to which you’re applying!
Which SAT Subject Tests Should I Take?
The colleges that do require you to take the SAT Subject Tests will expect you to
take two or three of them. In order to find out which tests are required by the
colleges to which you’re applying, you can ask your guidance counselor, call the
admissions office of the colleges, or check in college guidebooks. Alternately,
you can visit the College Board website at sat.collegeboard.org and use their
college search engine to look up the colleges you’re interested in; each school on
this search engine has a profile in which this information is provided.
Once you find out which, if any, tests are required, part of your decision making
is done. The next step is to find out which of the tests will show your particular
strengths. After all, the SAT Subject Tests are given in a variety of subjects:
Literature, U.S. History, World History, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, French,
German, Spanish, Modern Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Japanese, Korean, Chinese,
and English Language Proficiency. You should take the tests on which you think
you’d score the highest. If you’re fluent in Chinese, take the SAT Chinese Test.
If, however, you’re most comfortable in the world of moles, atoms, and
titrations, take the SAT Chemistry Subject Test.
When Are the Tests Offered, and How Do I Register for Them?
The SAT Subject Tests are usually administered in October, November,