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What
is
the
difference
between
Subject
Tests
and
APs?
A:
Subject
Tests
are
high
school-level
tests,
while
AP
Exams
are
college-level
tests.
Thus
an
AP
exam
covers
more
advanced
topics
than
the
Subject
Test
on
the
same
subject.
Generally,
if
a
student
is
taking
an
advanced
class,
such
as
an
AP
or
IB,
then
the
student
should
be
familiar
with
all
of
the
topics
covered
on
the
corresponding
Subject
Test.
Q:
What
is
a
good
Subject
Test
score?
A:
Each
Subject
Test
is
scored
on
a
200-to-800
scale.
Obviously,
an
800
score
is
best,
but
a
score
that
is
not
an
800
may
have
a
high
percentile
rank.
Keep
in
mind,
that
percentile
ranks
vary
from
test
to
test.
Q:
How
many
Subject
Tests
should
a
student
take?
A:
If
a
student
is
planning
to
apply
to
colleges
and
universities
with
competitive
acceptance
rates
(i.e.,
below
50%),
then
the
student
should
take
as
many
Subject
Tests
in
which
he
or
she
can
do
welleven
those
tests
that
may
not
correspond
to
majors
that
the
student
is
interested
in.
Remember,
a
scores
percentile
rank
helps
determine
whether
a
score
is
good
or
not.
Generally
speaking,
a
score
with
a
percentile
rank
of
90
or
above
is
very
good.
Q:
Which
Math
Level
should
a
student
take?
A:
For
many
students,
either
level
is
fine.
However,
an
800
on
the
Level
1
is
harder
to
achieve
than
on
the
Level
2.
Since
college
admissions
officers
know
this
fact,
they
might
be
more
impressed
by
an
800
on
the
Level
1
than
on
the
Level
2.
Better
still,
if
a
student
is
very
good
in
math,
then
the
student
might
want
to
demonstrate
his
or
her
math
abilities
by
getting
800s
on
both
the
Level
1
and
Level
2.
Q:
What
is
Score
Choice?
A:
Score
Choice
is
an
optional
feature
that
allows
students
to
choose
which
SAT
Subject
Test
scores
to
send
to
colleges,
in
accordance
with
each
colleges
stated
score-use
practice.
When
a
student
opts
for
Score
Choice,
the
student
can
choose
which
scores
(by
test
date
for
the
SAT
and
by
individual
test
for
Subject
Tests)
to
send
to
score
recipients
(i.e.,
colleges).
A
student
can
choose
up
to
four
score
recipients
for
free
with
registration.
If
a
student
chooses
to
send
more
than
four,
or
to
send
scores
after
the
registration
time
period,
the
student
will
be
charged
$10
per
score
send.
If
Score
Choice
is
not
used,
all
scores
are
sent
to
the
selected
score
recipients.
A
student
should
not
worry
about
sending
all
scores,
since
most
colleges
consider
a
students
best
scores.
Answer: Subject Tests are standardized, multiple-choice tests that allow students to show colleges and universities the specific subjects in which they excel. Moreover, some schools use Subject Tests as placement exams for certain courses.
Q:
Do
all
students
have
to
take
a
Subject
Test?
A:
It
depends
on
which
schools
a
student
plans
to
apply
to.
Many
schools
do
not
require
Subject
Test
scores;
however,
competitive
colleges
and
universities
tend
to
require
at
least
two
Subject
Test
scores.
Also,
many
students
who
apply
to
these
competitive
schools
tend
to
submit
more
than
two
Subject
Test
scores.
Q:
Which
Subject
Tests
should
a
student
take?
A:
Again,
it
depends
on
which
schools
a
student
plans
to
apply
to.
For
example,
applicants
to
either
Cornells
College
of
Arts
and
Sciences
or
Columbia
College
are
required
to
submit
at
least
two
Subject
Tests
on
any
two
subjects,
whereas
applicants
to
Cornells
College
of
Engineering
and
Columbia
Engineering
have
to
submit
one
Math
and
one
Science
score
(Columbia
Engineering
requires
that
the
Science
be
either
Chemistry
or
Physics).
Furthermore,
an
applicants
who
declares
a
certain
major
should
submit
Subject
Test
scores
that
correspond
to
that
major.
For
example,
if
an
applicant
intends
on
majoring
in
history,
it
will
help
the
applicants
candidacy
for
admission
to
have
a
high
score
in
one
of
the
History
tests.
Q:
When
should
a
student
take
a
Subject
Test?
A:
Students
should
take
a
Subject
Test
when
they
are
most
familiar
with
the
topics
on
the
test
and
have
prepared
for
it
by
completing
a
class
or
test
prep
program.
For
example,
if
a
9
grader
is
taking
biology
and
feels
as
if
he
or
she
has
a
good
comprehension
of
the
subject
(i.e.,
is
getting
at
least
a
B),
then
that
student
can
take
the
test
in
June,
since
he
or
she
is
most
likely
preparing
for
a
school
final
th exam
in
biology
at
that
time
(or,
as
in
the
case
of
many
9
graders
in
New
York,
the
Living
Environment
Regents
Exam).
Some
of
the
Subject
Tests
(such
as
the
Literature
or
one
of
the
Languages)
require
a
cumulative
understanding
of
the
material
that
may
take
more
than
a
year
to
develop.
For
example,
unless
a
student
is
a
native
speaker
of
French,
it
would
be
unadvisable
for
the
student
to
take
the
Subject
Test
in
French
unless
he
or
she
has
taken
three
years
of
the
language.
th
SAT
Subject
Tests
facts
The
SAT
Subject
Tests
are
offered
six
times
a
year
(January,
May,
June,
October,
November,
and
December)
in
the
United
States
and
at
international
sites.
other
tests,
however,
are
offered
on
various
test
dates.
Literature,
Math
Level
1
and
2,
U.S.
History,
and
the
Sciences
are
offered
all
six
times.
The
Students
can
take
one,
two,
or
three
tests
on
a
single
test
date.
Each
takes
one
hour.
All
Subject
Tests
consist
of
multiple-choice
questions,
but
some
have
unique
features
or
formats.
The
types
of
questions
change
little
from
year
to
year.
The
Language
with
Listening
tests
are
always
given
in
the
first
hour
of
testing
and
are
only
offered
once
a
year
(only
in
November).
Only
one
listening
test
can
be
taken
per
test
date.
test.
However,
they
may
change
which
tests
they
take
up
to
the
test
dateexcept
for
Language
with
Listening
Tests.
Students must indicate which SAT Subject Tests they plan to take when they register for a
Q:
What
if
the
class
I
took
in
school
doesnt
cover
all
of
the
topics
on
a
Subject
Test?
A:
Subject
Tests
are
national
tests
meant
to
cover
topics
learned
in
most
high
school
courses
around
the
country.
Nevertheless,
not
all
high
school
courses
are
alike,
and
what
is
taught
in
one
classroom
is
not
necessarily
taught
in
every
classroom.
Moreover,
students
do
not
have
to
get
every
question
on
each
test
correct
to
receive
the
highest
score
(i.e.,
800)
for
that
test.
Many
students
do
well
on
the
tests
despite
not
having
studied
every
topic
covered
on
the
test.
Still,
the
best
way
to
ensure
that
a
student
is
fully
prepared
for
a
Subject
Test
is
for
that
student
to
take
a
review
course
and
do
as
many
practice
tests
as
possible.
Please
meet
with
a
SEED
advisor
for
more
information.
Students choose the section they feel most prepared for at the start of testing. After completing the 60 core questions, test-takers move on to the section that they chose.
Chemistry: This test includes approximately five questions that ask students to evaluate
two related statements based on equation balancing and/or predicting chemical reactions. Students answer these five questions in a special section of the answer sheet, labeled "Chemistry." without the use of at least a scientific or graphing calculator. Mathematics Subject Tests are developed with the expectation that most students will use a graphing calculator.
Mathematics Level 1 and Level 2: These tests include questions that cannot be answered