Among all of the components of a college application, SAT Subject Tests stand apart as one of the least understood. Students and parents often come to us with questions, and—of greater concern—some who should be coming to us with questions do not. This, to a large extent, is because most students don’t need subject tests. Nonetheless, everyone can benefit from understanding these exams.

What Are Subject Tests?

Subject tests are 60-minute, multiple-choice exams administered by the College Board (makers of the SAT) in 20 different subjects: Literature, US History, World History, Mathematics Level 1 (Algebra 2) and Level 2 (Pre-Calculus), Biology (Ecological or Molecular), Chemistry, Physics, Chinese with Listening, French and French with Listening, German and German with Listening, Modern Hebrew, Italian, Japanese with Listening, Korean with Listening, Latin, and Spanish and Spanish with Listening. Each of these tests evaluates students’ understanding of a given subject area and is designed only for students who can demonstrate a high degree of mastery.

Who Should Take Subject Tests?

Most students will not need Subject tests for their college applications, but some do. There is a short list of highly competitive colleges that require Subject Tests, including Caltech, MIT, and Cornell University. Georgetown stands out as the only college that currently requires three subject tests (two is standard). After these schools that require the tests, there is a group of colleges that “Recommend” subject tests. These schools include many Ivy League schools as well as other name brand schools like Duke, Carnegie Mellon, and Emory. The “recommend” concept can vary from one school to another, but generally it means that students who don’t submit subject test scores should have a good reason for it (such as financial hardship). If you just don’t feel like taking them (or think you can’t score highly enough to make it worthwhile), the college will often view your application in a somewhat less positive light. Finally, there is a third and even larger group of schools that “consider” Subject Tests. This means that you do not need to send scores, but if you do, the school will take them into consideration. Think of this in the same light as serving on student council or playing first chair violin in the orchestra. Although of course those are not required to apply to college, they’re a feather in your cap. Subject Tests offer students a way to show off their academic strengths on a level playing field.

When are Subject Tests offered?

Subject Tests are always offered on the same day and time as the SAT Reasoning Test, meaning that students must choose between the SAT and Subject Tests on a given test day. Most tests are offered on every SAT date except March, when no Subject Tests are offered. Of note, language tests with listening are only offered in November, and World History is only offered in August, December, and June. Students can register to take up to three Subject Tests on a single day.

Which Tests Should I Take?

Students should generally take the tests on which they can score highest. If you are considering Subject Tests, please reach out to us for free scored practice tests that will help identify tests worth taking while also familiarizing you with the test format and content. Note that certain programs (like some engineering programs) will expect to see strong scores on Math and Science tests.

How Does Scoring Work?

SAT Subject Tests are scored on the same 200 – 800-point scale that may be familiar from the SAT Reasoning Test. However, the scores mean very different things. As a general rule, students who want to apply to the highly competitive schools that recommend or require subject tests should hope to land in the top 50% of test takers on a given test. The score needed to hit this mark can vary from a 630 on Literature to a 720 on Math all the way to a perfect 800 on Chinese or Korean. Recognize that the percentile rank only compares testers to other testers—an extraordinarily competitive pool—which is why being in the top half is so impressive. While there are nearly 2 million students who take the SAT Reasoning Test each year, only tens of thousands take any given Subject Test.

If you have questions about SAT Subject Tests, please contact our Founder and President Scott Moser at (720) 605-6622 or via email at scott@mosereducational.com.