All You Need to Know About SAT Subject Test (SAT II)

The SAT is one of the two standardized exams (the other being the ACT) that most universities request as a requirement in the application. The SAT Subject Test is an opportunity to demonstrate more advanced knowledge. There are 20 different exams of one hour in specific areas or subjects. 

Certain competitive universities require that you take one or two of these exams, but you can also send the results to schools that do not require them. In particular, they ask for the SAT Subject Test in math and / or science if they are applying to an engineering school. 

You can take these exams in any year, and it is advisable to take them soon after completing a course in the subject of the exam, especially if it is an AP class. This exam is offered at the same time as the SAT, and one can take up to 3 exams of different subjects on the same day. 

What Are Subjects Being Tested?

The subjects of the exams available are the following:  

  • literature 
  • American history
  • World history
  • level 1 maths (algebra I, algebra II, and geometry)
  • level 2 maths (level 1, pre-calculation, and trigonometry)
  • biology (ecological / molecular)
  • chemistry
  • physical
  • French, French with auditory, German, German with auditory, Spanish, Spanish with auditory, modern Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Mandarin with auditory, Japanese with auditory, and Korean with auditory

How to prepare for SAT II

It is important to study in advance for this exam and take practice exams. Being familiar with the information evaluated as well as the exam format is a great advantage. Programs like KlassTutoring offers affordable but guaranteed programs to prepare. This SAT training website offers practice questions for each exam.

How and when to register

It is important to know the deadlines to register to take the exams. Normally the deadlines are one month before the exam. 

If you pass the first deadline, you will have to pay an additional cost to register. It is also a good idea to see the dates of the exams well in advance because they do not offer all the subjects on each date. To register, visit the CollegeBoard website.

Exam Cost

SAT Subject Tests cost $22 plus $11 for each test or more $22 for each listening test. 

For example, if you take the physical and Spanish exams with hearing, it would be $22 + $11 + $22. If you take the world history, French, and biology exams, it would be $22 + $11 + $11 + $11. 

These prices are for one day of examination. Therefore, it is convenient to take three in one day if you like instead of taking the same three on three different days. 

If you do not have the financial resources to pay for the cost of the exam, you can talk to your counselor, who can give you an SAT Fee Waiver. This coupon will cover the cost of up to three exams on the same day, will allow you to send your test results to four additional schools.