SAT Subject Tests
What are the SAT II Subject Tests
The SAT Subject Tests (also known as the SAT II) test your knowledge in particular subjects so colleges will know your ability in that subject. The purpose of the Subject Tests is to provide colleges with information and a statistical number of your knowledge for a particular subject. The idea is to test you in more detail with the Subject Tests than you would be tested with just the SAT Reasoning Test. The tests don’t follow any particular curriculum, but are based of the subject.
College Board currently offers SAT tests in the following subjects:
English
- Literature
History and Social Studies
- U.S. History (formerly American History and Social Studies)
- World History
Mathematics
- Mathematics Level 1 (formerly Mathematics IC)
- Mathematics Level 2 (formerly Mathematics IIC)
Science
- Biology E/M
- Chemistry
- Physics
Languages
- Chinese with Listening
- French
- French with Listening
- German
- German with Listening
- Spanish
- Spanish with Listening
- Modern Hebrew
- Italian
- Latin
- Japanese with Listening
- Korean with Listening
We encourage you to consider taking the SAT Subject Tests even if they aren’t required by the college you desire to go to; however, we especially encourage you to take them if they’re required or recommended. It is recommended that you have taken at least one semester in the subject you wish to test in.
What To Expect
I recently took the SAT Subject Tests in Literature, Math I, and U.S. History. I had limited resources to study. College Board was little help - I purchased their “blue book” for U.S. History, but couldn’t find any for any other subjects. I searched the web for information on the Subject Tests, but alas, I could not find much. Fortunately, the Subject Tests weren’t as hard as they are portrayed to be; however, they aren’t easy either.
English Literature was similar to the Reading Comprehension part on the SAT Reasoning Test, but has some differences. For the most part, you’ll alternatively read a small short story and then poetry. This is repeated, and the test asks you questions about each one. It asks a lot of questions about literary devices such as imagery, metaphors, similes, alliteration, consonance, poetry form, etc. It’s difficult was similar throughout.
Alternatively, the Math Level 1 test started out extremely easy. I was feeling upset I hadn’t taken Level 2. The questions were simple, basic algebra, for the most part. It then progressed and got more difficult. Three fourths of the way through the testing it was asking questions about functions and pre-calculus questions.
The U.S. History test was solid throughout. It asked a lot of questions from the Presidencies of Andrew Johnson, Eisenhower, and both Roosevelts. There were a lot of questions about Acts, such as the Alien and Sedition Acts and the New Deal. I also learned they reuse some of the test questions exactly - so get their testing prep book.
All the tests come in the same booklet. On the test day you can change the test you decide to take - it doesn’t matter. You also cannot take the Earth and Molecular Biology tests on the same day. If you cancel your scores for one subject, it cancels it for them all.
Their Actual Importance
They are important if you’re trying to get into a competitive school. If your school accepts less than 30%, it is probably a required standardized test. I recommend you take it regardless of your admission requirements. Personally, I wanted to get into NYU, which requires at least two subject tests. I was not helped in the admission process, and my school counselor actually discouraged me from taking them. They are important; and it is your job as a student to determine if you need to take the test or not.
