SAT -II

SAT 2 / SAT Subject Tests

SAT Subject Tests are 20 multiple-choice standardized tests given by The College Board on individual subjects, usually taken to improve a student's credentials for admission to certain colleges in the United States. A student may take up to three SAT Subject Tests on any given date at a flat rate $24.50 (+$28 for international test takers) and $13 per test (unless it includes a listening portion, then it is $24.50 plus $24 per test). Most SAT Subject Tests are offered on the same day as the regular SAT Reasoning Test; therefore, students cannot take both the SAT Reasoning Test and Subject Tests on the same day. 

These are the only national admission tests where you choose the tests that best showcase your achievements and interests. SAT Subject Tests allow you to differentiate yourself in the college admission process or send a strong message regarding your readiness to study specific majors or programs in college. In conjunction with your other admission credentials (your high school record, SAT scores, teacher recommendations, etc.), they provide a more complete picture of your academic background and interests.

Some colleges also use Subject Tests to place students into the appropriate courses. Based on your performance on the test(s), you could potentially fulfill basic requirements or receive credit for introductory-level courses.

Each individual test is scored on a scale of 200 to 800; however, some of the tests are scored on such generous curves that it is impossible to get a 200; for example, if someone gets every question wrong on the Mathematics Level 2 test, he/she might receive a score of 310; it all depends on the version of the test.

Most selective colleges recommend applicants to submit scores for any two SAT Subject Tests. Engineering schools may recommend or require Chemistry or Physics and Math Level 2.  A handful of the most competitive schools still require three Subject Tests in addition to the three sections of the SAT Reasoning Test, such as Georgetown and Harvard, 'strongly recommend' taking three Subject Tests. Information about a school's specific test requirements should be checked from its official website.

There are 20 Subject Tests across five general subject areas: history, mathematics, science, English, and foreign languages. The SAT Subject Tests that you take should be based on your interests and academic strengths. The tests are a great way to indicate interest in specific majors or programs of study (e.g., engineering, pre-med, cultural studies).

You should also consider whether the colleges that you’re interested in require or recommend Subject Tests. Some colleges will grant an exemption from or credit for a freshman course requirement if a student does well on a particular SAT Subject Test.

Think through your strengths and interests

• List the subjects in which you do well and that truly interest you.
• Think through what you might like to study in college.
• Consider whether your current admission credentials (high school grades, SAT scores, etc.) highlight your strengths.

Consider the colleges that you’re interested in

• Make a list of the colleges you’re considering.
• Take some time to look into what these colleges require or what may help you stand out in the admission process. 
• Use College Search (https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-search) to look up colleges’ test requirements.
• If the colleges you’re interested in require or recommend SAT Subject Tests, find out how many tests are required or recommended and in which subjects.

SAT 1 Reasoning Test vs. SAT Subject Tests

SAT I is largely a test of verbal and math skills. True, you need to know some vocabulary and some formulas for the SAT I, but it's designed to measure how well you read and think rather than what you know. The SAT II is very different. It's designed to measure what you know about specific disciplines. Sure, critical reading and thinking skills play a part on these tests, but their main purpose is to determine exactly what you know about writing, math, history, chemistry, and so on.

The exams themselves are not tests of the students' mastery of the course material in a traditional sense. Rather, the students themselves set the grading rubrics and the scale for the "AP Grades" of each exam. When the AP Reading is over for a particular exam, the free response scores are combined with the results of computer-scored multiple-choice questions based upon a previously announced weighting. The Chief Reader (a college or university faculty member selected by the Educational Testing Service and The College Board) then meets with members of ETS and sets the cutoff scores for each AP Grade. The Chief Reader's decision is based upon what percentage of students earned each AP Grade over the previous three years, how students did on multiple-choice questions that are used on the test from year to year, how he or she viewed the overall quality of the answers to the free response questions, how university students who took the exam as PART A experimental studies did, and how students performed on different parts of the exam. No one outside of this is ETS is allowed to find out a student's raw score on an AP Exam and the cutoff scores for a particular exam are only released to the public if that particular exam is released in total (this happens on a staggered schedule and occurs approximately once every five years for each exam). The AP Grades that are reported to students, high schools, colleges, and universities in July are on AP's five-point scale:

• 5: Extremely well qualified
• 4: Well-qualified
• 3: Qualified
• 2: Possibly qualified
• 1: No recommendation

University credit In the United States

Many colleges and universities in the U.S. grant credits or advanced placement based on AP test scores; those in over twenty other countries do likewise. Policies vary by institution, but most schools require a score of 3 or higher on any given exam for credit to be granted or course prerequisites to be waived (and some will award an "A" grade for a 5 score). Colleges may also take AP grades into account when deciding which students to accept, though this is not part of the official AP program.