When to Take an SAT II Subject Test
The best time to take an SAT II Subject Test is right
after you’ve finished a year-long class in that subject. If, for
example, you take Chemistry in eleventh grade, then you should take the
SAT II Chemistry near the end of that year, when the material is
still fresh in your mind. (This rule does not apply for the Writing,
Literature, and Foreign Language SAT II tests; it’s best to take
those after you’ve had as much study in the area as possible.)
Unless the colleges you’re applying to use
the SAT II for placement purposes, there is no point in taking any
SAT II tests after November of your senior year, since you won’t
get your scores back from ETS until after the college application
deadline has passed.
ETS usually sets testing dates for SAT II Subject Tests
in October, November, December, January, May, and June. However,
not every subject test is administered in each of these months.
To check when the test you want to take is being offered, visit
the College Board Web site at
www.collegeboard.com or do some research
in your school’s guidance office.
Registering for SAT II Tests
To register for the SAT II test(s) of your choice, you
have to fill out some forms and pay a registration fee. We know,
we know—it’s ridiculous that you have to pay for
a test that colleges require you to take in order to make their jobs
easier, but, sadly, there isn’t anything we, or you, can do about
it. (It’s acceptable here to grumble about the unfairness of the world.)
After grumbling, however, you still have to register.
There are two ways to go about it: online or by mail. To register
online, go to
www.collegeboard.com. To register by mail, fill out
and send in the forms enclosed in the
Registration Bulletin, which
should be available in your high school’s guidance office. You can
also request a copy of the
Bulletin by calling the
College Board at (609) 771-7600 or writing to:
College Board SAT Program
P.O. Box 6200
Princeton, NJ 08541–6200
You can register to take up to three SAT II tests for
any given testing day. Unfortunately, even if you decide to take
three tests in one day, you’ll still have to pay a separate registration
fee for each.
