On Subject Tests and Score Choice
October 11, 2019
Every year, parents ask me for advice on SAT Subject Tests, and in particular, about the Subject Test in Biology that some Form III boys consider taking. As is often the case in college guidance, the answer is somewhat lengthy, and hinges, in part, on the colleges’ changing requirements, and on the College Board's Score Choice policy.
It helps to start with a vocabulary lesson: what many refer to as the "SAT" or the “SAT I” is actually called the "SAT Reasoning Test.” It reports two scores, one for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and one for Math, and includes an essay. A sitting of this test is called an "administration."
SAT Subject Tests, formerly referred to as “SAT II’s” are multiple-choice assessments in subjects including English, history, languages, mathematics and science. With Score Choice students pick which administrations of the Reasoning Test and which individual Subject Test scores they want to send colleges. They can make different selections for different colleges.
Most (but not all) institutions still require either the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT for admission. Subject Test requirements have all but disappeared, although several schools still recommend them and most encourage the submission of strong scores. (The only schools that still require Subject Tests are Caltech, MIT, Harvey Mudd, and McGill). However, not every school allows for Score Choice, and, until recently, many highly selective schools, such as Pomona, Stanford, and Yale, didn’t. That meant their applicants were required to submit the results of all Subject Tests and all Reasoning Tests. While I think it unlikely that schools would start requiring Subject Test scores again, it would be within their prerogative to do so.
“A boy need not take any subject tests before junior year. He will have plenty of time at the end of Form V or the beginning of Form VI.”
Personally, I have another concern. Score Choice requires that the student selects which scores to include on every score report. If the student forgets this, or is not sufficiently careful in his selection every time, then all scores are sent by default.
So, what should a student do?
Most students should take the Reasoning Test (or the ACT) twice. Aim for once in the spring of Form V (March and June are optimum,) then once more, often in late summer or early fall of their senior year.
Students should only take Subject Tests for which they are extremely well prepared, and that preparation should include completion of several full-length practice tests. In the case of the Biology Subject Test, our teachers prepare the boys well, but the science department recommends boys also invest a significant amount of time outside of class to review. If your son is scoring above 600 (out of 800) consistently on full-length practice tests he may go ahead and take the real thing if he wants. If he does not feel confident about this test, however, he should not take it. If he takes a subject test in Form III and is not happy with his results, it could be a blow to his self-esteem heading into the increased academic rigor of Form IV.
A Boy Need Not Take Any Subject Tests Before Junior Year. He will have plenty of time at the end of Form V or the beginning of Form VI to take two or possibly three Subject Tests.
Carnegie Mellon University offers this perspective on their website:
“We believe that college admission testing in the 9th and 10th grades adds to the anxiety of a process that students will not encounter for several years. As a result, we’re generally not in favor of any 9th or 10th grade SAT Subject Tests. While they may measure subject knowledge at the time the tests are taken, that level of knowledge degrades over time and doesn’t remain representative of the subject knowledge students bring to college freshman-level courses.”
I do believe that most boys are not ready to begin high-stakes testing as early as Form III. If you are in doubt, wait. Mostly, I want to make sure that you are helping your son make a rational and well-informed decision for his own situation.