The SAT II Subject Tests: 2 Pros and 1 Con for Taking Them

For many students, taking the SAT II (or SAT Subject Tests) is another route to go down during the college application process. But, there are a couple of benefits associated with taking one of these tests, as well as one major detriment. Before you make any decision on what you’re going to do, make sure you take into account both the pros and cons and decide if an SAT II test is right for you.

We’ve decided to briefly outline them for you:

Pro: They Can Be a Great Supplement to Your Application (Or They Can Even Be Required)

Taking a subject test can be the perfect way for you to truly show off your skills for a specific topic. In doing so, having a couple of great SAT II scores can be an amazing supplement to your main SAT scores and college application in general. By taking an SAT Subject Test (and doing well!), you are showing colleges that you are willing to go the extra mile, as well as showing them how much broader your academic expertise is.

Furthermore, many competitive schools actually require that you take an SAT II test if you want to get into a certain program. Make sure you double-check well before the due-date and make sure you don’t need to take a certain SAT Subject Test before you send off your application.

Con: They Can Add a Lot to Your Workload

This won’t surprise many, but taking an SAT II Subject Test can add a lot of work to your plate. You’re already doing prep work for the SAT or ACT, and you’ve got school, activities, homework, college applications, tests, and maybe even a job. On top of that, you need to have some time every day to just be a kid! Taking an SAT II can make your workload too much during an already anxiety-giving time.

You have to make sure that you can dedicate some time to studying for an SAT II—like all of the other tests you take. Many schools with selective programs will want you to take more than one test and, like the regular ACT/SAT, you should try to take each test more than once to maximize your score. This can eat up a lot of time during your final high school years.

Pro: Timing a Certain Subject With the Same Class Can Save You Time and Help You Prepare!

Fortunately, we do have one trick you can use to overcome the workload issue: take the specific SAT Subject Test while you’re taking that subject in school. Furthermore, if you time it right, you can even end up taking the test around the same time you take your final exam. So, in many ways, you’ll be able to “kill two birds with one stone.” The scheduling doesn’t always work out like this, but if it does, you may just want to take advantage of it.

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