SAT Subject Tests
- Subject Tests are one-hour tests in specific subject areas.
- These tests may be taken at any grade level.
- Subject Tests MAY NOT be taken on the same day as the SAT.
There are a number of schools who require or recommend Subject Tests as part of their admission requirements. Please pay special attention to these requirements and make sure you take Subject Tests at the appropriate time.
University of California Subject Test Requirements
The University of California website indicates: If you are applying for admission for fall 2012 or beyond, you will have to submit scores for the ACT Assessment plus Writing or the SAT Reasoning Test only. SAT Subject Test scores may be considered in the evaluation of your application, but they no longer will be required.
Counselor note: Please pay special attention to departmental or specialized majors within the UC that may continue to require Subject Test scores as part of their admission requirements.
Subject Test Tips
Subject tests should be taken in the content areas that are the student’s strength. Also, students need to consider specific college and major requirements when choosing their subject tests. Engineering majors may require that a student complete a subject test in Physics.
Students should sign up to take a subject test in a specific area when they have completed the highest level course in the content area. For example, if a student is enrolled in Biology Honors and will not be taking advanced course work in science, the student may want to take the subject test in biology upon completion of Biology Honors.
Colleges typically require subject tests from different content areas. Some colleges require two tests, and a few require three subject tests. See the subject requirement chart on the following page for information.
Students may choose to test in the area of foreign language, even if they have not taken a course at the high school. This is particularly true for students who speak another language fluently at home or study at an outside institution.
Students may register for up to three tests in one day. Each test is one hour long and covers the focused content area.
For more information about Subject Tests, go to www.collegeboard.com
Equivalency Chart of Subject Tests and FHS Courses
SAT Subject Test |
FHS Course |
| Biology E/M (Ecological/Molecular) | Biology AP |
| Chemistry | Chemistry AP |
| Chinese with Listening | NA |
| French | French AP |
| French with Listening | French AP |
| German | N/A |
| German with Listening | N/A |
| Italian | N/A |
| Japanese with Listening | N/A |
| Korean with Listening | N/A |
| Latin | N/A |
| Literature | English 3 AP, English Language, or AP Literature |
| Math Level 1 | Algebra2/Trig or Algebra2/TrigHonors |
| Math Level 2 | Pre-Calculus or Pre-Calculus Honors |
| Modern Hebrew | N/A |
| Physics | Physics 1 AP or Physics 2 AP |
| Spanish | Spanish AP |
| Spanish with Listening | Spanish AP |
| United States (U.S.) History | US History or US History AP |
| World History | World History or World History Honors |