What SAT Subject Tests Should You Choose?
Feeling bewildered and worried which SAT Subject Test to choose? As there’re a lot of SAT Subject Test options, it’s extremely hard to choose the best Subject Test for college applications.
Don’t worry. TestprepKart has gathered all the articles you need to consider for selecting the SAT Subject Test. After going through this article, you’ll be good enough to choose the best SAT Subject Tests you have to do.
We’ll start with some questions asking you. Which subjects are you excel at? Then What do your colleges require? What’re My Future Goals? And the best time you need to take the SAT.
How Many SAT Subject Tests are there?
Before we start discussing the SAT Subjects you should take have a look at all the 20 SAT Subject Tests once.
- Biology E/M
- Chemistry
- Chinese with Listening
- English Literature
- French
- French with Listening
- German
- German with Listening
- Italian
- Latin
- Japanese with Listening
- Korean with Listening
- Mathematics Level 1
- Mathematics Level 2
- Modern Hebrew
- Physics
- Spanish
- Spanish with Listening
- US History
- World History
Address Your Strengths & Weaknesses
The SAT Subject Test showcases your mastery of a particular subject to the colleges so that you can onboard the best college. So list the subjects that you really excel at. SAT Subject Tests aren’t alike SAT which examines your reasoning skills. SAT Subject Test examines your knowledge of the subject/content.
To address the subjects you’re solid at, you have to ask yourself a few questions:
- What have I studied?
- What do I know well?
- Which topics have I excelled at?
If you always love reading & writing and love to attend English classes, then the English Literature test fits you well.
If you love immersing yourself in understanding the natural world and have taken Biology in your junior college year then Biology Subject Test works for you.
If you’re already acquainted with French and want to show your mastery of the French language, opt for the French Subject Test.
But you’re likely to address some common issues when selecting the tests between the French or French with Writing, Mathematics level 1 or Mathematics Level 2, Biology E or Biology M. You have to resolve this issue by examining the topics you’re good at in the Subject Test. Say that, you are bewildered about the selection between Mathematics Level 1 & Mathematics Level 2.
Now check the syllabus of Mathematics Level 1 and ask yourself:
Are you familiar with all the areas – Number and Operations, Algebra & Functions, Geometry & Measurement, and Data Analysis, Statistics, & Probability?
If you are familiar with Mathematics Level 1, then go to the Mathematics Level 2 syllabus and check it. If you’re quite familiar with the Level 2 syllabus as well then you can do the Mathematics Level 2 Subject Test. If not so, then stick to the Mathematics Level 1 test alone.
List out the Colleges You Are Interested in?
Once you shortlisted your colleges, now check each college requirements. Use the College Search to look up colleges’ requirements.
- How many SAT Subject Tests your college is expecting? – 1, 2 or 3 SAT Subject Tests.
- Do you have to demonstrate your technology skills? – Yeah, for majors in technology you have to typically showcase your expertise in Maths, Physics & Chemistry.
- If you’re aiming for liberal arts college, ensure if they like to see your expertise in Literature & Mathematics?
Colleges typically offer admission to the students that possess a diversity of knowledge across various domains.
These days more colleges are offering Test Optional & Test Flexible Policies. I.e. they do offer admissions via the diverse variety of options. That is, SAT Subject Scores alone or ACT/SAT scores, SAT General Score or 3 SAT Subject Tests, SAT General Score or ACT Score etc. Check out the test-optional & test flexible policies for further details (Coming soon).
Some schools even use the SAT Subject Test for placement purposes. Check out the college website and contact the admission officer directly to dig into more details. Most admission officers feel happy to assist and appreciate you for your detail-oriented approach.
Take a Look at Your Current and Recent Course Load:
The best time to take SAT Subject Test is at the very end of the SAT coursework as the topics are still fresh in your mind. So prior registering for the Subject Test we suggest you accomplish your coursework. May and June are the popular and perfect dates to do SAT Subject tests as the academic year is ending.
Practice some SAT Subject Test practice questions online to familiarize yourself with the SAT practice tests.
You don’t need to wait until the junior year or senior year to take the SAT Subject test. As Subject Test is about content readiness, you can plan it at the beginning of the junior year or at the ending of the sophomore year.
Most colleges love considering your highest scores. So you can take SAT Subject Test if you’re not satisfied with your score.
Keep Future Goals in Mind:
Your Subject Test should reflect your futuristic goals. If you’re aiming to do majors in Engineering/Technology, then Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry are good options. Biology is a good bet if you’re gearing up for a major in Medicine/Pre-Med program.
Some liberal arts colleges also love to see diversity in your test choices, one from humanity and another from Mathematics/Science. To ensure the test choices you have to go for by calling at the admission office directly.
Are You Fluent in a Language?
If you’re fluent in a language apart from English, then SAT Subject Test in that language could be a fantabulous way to showcase your expertise in multilingualism. It’ll be a good option for you as the majority of the students score highly on language tests. Make out some time to prepare for the test and ace it with the great score. This score will showcase your expertise on your college applications.
Language test won’t be a good option for you if you’ve just studied in the classroom and have no exposure to speaking and listening skills. College Board recommends at least two years of preparation to ace the language test. Go and practice some test papers if you’re unsure about the language skills.
Think About The Easiest Subject Tests:
When choosing the Subject Test you’ve to address the average score of the test taker. A low mean score indicates that the test is extremely challenging. If you’re aiming to do core subject tests, you’ll need to give more attention to the 9 core subject tests as students get very high average scores and the competition will be extreme.
Wrap Up
Before asking the question “Which SAT Subject Test should I choose? Ask yourself the below questions once:
- What are my strengths and weaknesses?
- What colleges am I applying to?
- Have I completed the course recently?
- What are my future goals? Is this subject test associated with my career goals?
- Are my language skills advanced?
- What are the easiest subjects?
You’ll be able to pick up the best SAT Subject Test for you after answering all these questions. And finally, you can showcase your expertise on your college applications by doing the SAT Subject Test you’re keen on.
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