However, most colleges required that students take (in addition to the SAT I) the SAT subject tests in writing and math, because they wanted to see how much academic knowledge (beyond the minimum standards) a student actually possessed. And if you wanted to get into a specialized college program then you had to sign up for even more SAT subject exams to increase your chances of getting accepted. For example, if you were applying to a pre-med or pre-law program, then most likely you took the SAT subject test in biology (for pre-med) or the U.S. history SAT subject test (for pre-law), whether the schools required those tests or not.

But in 2005 all that changed, making it a little harder now to decide if you actually need to take any additional SAT subject tests when you take the SAT I. That’s because as of Fall 2006 the SAT I test rolled in the old SAT II subject tests for writing and (for most of) math. And to make matters even more confusing, they continued to offer the SAT II writing and math tests. So the question comes up, do you still need to take those extra writing and math SAT subject tests in order to boost your chances of getting into the college of your choice? In fact, of all the SAT subject tests offered, which ones should you take?

Finally, An Answer!

First and foremost, find out what the colleges (and degree programs) to which you are applying require. Some of them come right out and tell you which tests you need to take to even be considered for their schools. However, don’t stop there. If you are really good at one or more subjects for which there are SAT subject tests, then by all means take them! Doing well on these tests (even if they aren’t required) will only make your college application look better. For example, if you’re fluent in French, then take the SAT French subject test. Or if you’re a whiz at physics, sign up for the SAT subject test in physics. However, DON’T sign up for these extra subject tests unless you think you’ll do well in them. You don’t want your overall SAT score to go down because you tanked on one of the subject tests.

But what if the college you’re applying to requires only the SAT I? Do you still sign up to take the SAT subject tests in writing and math? Again, ONLY if you think you’ll do well on them. Now that the SAT I test includes much of the old SAT II writing and math questions, many colleges don’t require the additional writing and math subject tests anymore. BUT if you sailed through math in high school, exhausting all the math courses they had to offer (and got As) then by all means, take the SAT subject test in math. A good score can only help your chances of getting accepted to the school of your choice.

The Downside

There is an extra cost to taking SAT subject tests, in addition to the $49 it costs to take the SAT I test. So if you don’t need the subject tests (and you don’t think you’ll do well enough on them to increase your overall score) you may want to forgo the extra subject tests altogether—UNLESS the college to which you’re applying requires you take them.

Also, there’s the time issue. The subject tests each take about an hour, and in most cases can be taken on the same day you take the SAT I test, however, that’s not always the case. So either make sure that you have enough time on your SAT I test day to take the additional SAT subject tests, or schedule them on another day (which means you have to go back to the test center at a later date).

There’s no doubt that today’s SAT I test is harder than the SAT I test your parents took way back when. However, the flip side of that is you don’t have to take a bunch of add-on tests, unless you think they can help you get in. Hey, we’ll take simplifying the college application process anywhere we can get it!

Have you taken one or more of the SAT subject tests? If so, share your experiences and if you thought it helped you get into the college of your choice.

Now think about this slowly.  If you have a score of 500 divided by 800 total, what is the result? Times up! It's 62%, which means students are barely passing.  Sorry, I just wanted to make sure that you were following, since, by the looks of it, students need to go back to remedial math, writing, and reading.  

There were about 1.5 million students that took the SAT this year, and they received even lower scores than last year’s class of 2008. That means some students may have done really well, but most did poorly.  Now, instead of parents and colleges congratulating students for their high grades, they will have to settle by giving prizes and slots to "American Idiots."  In order to accommodate this difference, the "C" average on the bell curve will need to be adjusted to a "D".

These results show that students are not ready for college, and public education is failing.  Since the government can't seem to fix this problem, maybe they should make another grade that serves as a prep year for college. Oh wait, that's what the previous 12 years are supposed to do. Okay, strike that- it was a bad idea. 

Here's another idea: instead of trying to raise the standards, they could just lower them and make the test easier. Maybe then students could show how smart they are by getting questions correct, although the government would have to be careful because the knowledge of these students is limited and that would be exceptionally embarrassing if they made the test easier to show students were ready for college, and they ended up with worse results. 

The whole purpose behind the SAT is to show that high school graduates are ready for college.    On the other hand, we don't want the government in charge of anything else. They can't seem to manage the U.S. Postal Service, public education, or Social Security.  At any rate, students are not prepared for the basic skills that are required in order to be ready for college.

Many students, despite the fact that they do poorly on this test, go to college anyways. Many work hard despite the shortfall and succeed in earning a college degree. In this case, the American Dream does exist. On the other hand, many end up dropping out of school because of personal, financial, social, and academic problems. Or many even say that they don't fit in and they feel like a little fish in a big pond. Get over it, that's how life is. You can't always be the center of attention, plus that's not why you went to  anyway.  It was to learn.

Kids in Asia go to learn and to better their economic situation. That is also why most Americans go. Except there is one difference: Asian countries keep squashing us when it comes to education and the amount of college graduates. Many Americans lack the skills and drive that are involved with earning a degree. They would rather go down to the local bar, get wasted, and pick up on the opposite sex than finish their midterm project.

Despite all of the negative, but truthful, things that have surfaced in this blog, Americans are very intelligent and hardworking. They just aren't motivated academically, like many Asians are.  So, needless to say, President Obama's goal of having the most college graduates out of the top developed countries is nearly impossible. 
Hopefully, President Obama has a trick up his sleeve because many things need to change if America is going to keep up in the global economy.  The U.S. needs massive numbers of educated and qualified workers.  College degrees not only help you in your personal life, but they also help the country.