Does my kid need SAT II's?

[Daria]

DS's education has been a little choppy.  

 

8th grade -- public school, 2 HS credits 

 

9th grade -- public school 7 credits

 

10th grade -- online school -- 4 credits (We used Florida Virtual, which is an accredited public school, but we aren't in FL)

 

11th grade -- public school -- 5 credits

 

12th grade (and maybe super senior year) -- mix of online school (2 credits) and dual enrollment (5 credits)  or more if we do the super senior year.

 

I don't think he'll end up with anything where I provided any of the grading.  Even though he's "homeschooled" by our state's standards, everything is outsourced.

 

Several of the schools we're looking at recommend, but don't require, that homeschooled students have 2 SAT II tests to show their level.  They don't ask for SAT II tests from kids coming from public or private schools.  

 

Do you think that, given the circumstances we need them?  I feel as though the combination of 11th grade grades, and grades from college classes and ACT scores should be enough, and don't really want to go through the stress of more testing.  

[Gwen in VA]

It depends how competitive the colleges are that he is applying to.

 

* SAT-2's allow an apples-to-apples comparison of students with widely differing backgrounds. Most applicants to tippy-top schools WILL have one or two or three SAT-2's, even if they are not required. Many many top students take them. (Even back in the 80's, when college admissions was less crazy, basically all of the top 20% or so of my high school graduating class took several SAT-2's. We started with bio in 9th, chem and math level 1 in 10th, etc. Yes, I attended a stellar public high school!)

 

* Just because the SAT-2's are listed as "optional" does not mean that most applicants do not have them. 

 

* If your son is applying to schools that accept 50% or more of applicants and SAT-2's are not listed as required, he can probably skip taking them. But if he is applying to schools that accept less than 30%, I'd think twice before I encouraged a student to skip them. Most top students will have taken multiple SAT-2's, and at competitive colleges THOSE are the students he is competing with in admissions.

 

[JanetC]

SAT subject tests are declining, both in the number of kids taking them and the number of schools requiring (as opposed to accepting or recommending) them. A lot of kids taking APs are not adding on the subject test.

 

The Math Level 2 plus a physical science still seem to be required or highly recommended at the top STEM departments.

 

Depending on your overall college list and future major, your outside grades may be enough. I would ask admissions reps directly if you have a list to make sure.

[bettyandbob]

Some colleges require them some don't. My dc took them before they narrowed college search.t hat way they weren't limited or scrambling to get them done

[creekland]

As others have stated, it all depends upon the selectivity of the college and the soundness of your student's application.

 

None of my boys have needed them.  They were all easily in the top 25% (ACT/SAT) of the colleges they applied to and all had at least one DE class(es).  Middle son who went to the most selective college also had 2 AP scores (both 5s) at the time of application.

 

If my applicant weren't in the top 25% of applicants, I think SAT II scores would probably help - assuming they were decent scores.

 

That said, I'm glad we didn't need to worry about them.  Not many students from my high school take them TBH.

[Daria]

Thanks, you guys have put my mind at ease.  He's not looking at schools that are academically competitive. Some of the schools he is interested in are artistically competitive, so he'll put his energy towards preparing for those instead.

[Lynn in Caribbean]

My dd did not want to take any SAT subject tests.  

 

This ruled out most of the selective schools, which require them.  

 

However, she actually did not want to be in a super-competitive college atmosphere.  She is now very happy at her not-selective-but-still-very-good college.   Her SAT score was on the high side for this college, so she ended up with a magnificent scholarship at a school she loves. 

 

So, look at the schools you are interested in, and work backwards from their requirements.  If they say "recommended" I would regard that as "required."   She did apply to a couple of more selective schools where subject tests were "recommended" and did NOT get accepted, even though she had dual enrollment courses and and an excellent application otherwise.  Who knows if the subject tests were the reason, but if your student's heart is set on a particular school where they are "recommended" I would say to do a couple of them.   Better to cover your bases, than to wonder later if that was the reason for a rejection.