US Universities: What you need to know about SAT Subject Tests

What are SAT Subject Tests?

There are 20 SAT Subject Tests in five general subject areas: English, history, languages, mathematics and science. Each Subject Test is an hour long. SAT Subject Tests are aimed highlight your strengths in areas that might be less obvious to college admissions committees. They are a great chance to draw attention to skills you’ve developed independently or to areas of your academic focus to which you’ve devoted extra time or dedication. SAT Subject Tests can also help to indicate your interests or intended path of study in higher education, and at some colleges can even help you to place out of introductory classes.

When, Where, and How

SAT Subject Tests are generally given six times in any given school year, on the same days and in the same test centers as the SAT — but not all 20 tests are offered on every SAT date.
The Language with Listening tests are only offered in November.
You can take one, two, or three Subject Tests on any test date.
You can’t take the SAT and an SAT Subject Test on the same day.
Some SAT Subject Tests require you to bring special equipment — for example, CD players for Language with Listening tests.
You choose what tests to take when you register, but on test day, you can add, subtract, or switch tests — with some limitations.

List of SAT Subject Tests

Literature

US History

World History

Math Level 1

Math Level 2

Biology — Ecological & Molecular

Chemistry

Physics

French

French with Listening

German

German with Listening

Spanish

Spanish with Listening

Modern Hebrew

Italian

Latin

Chinese with Listening

Japanese with Listening

Korean with Listening

How are SAT Subject Tests scored?

Each Subject Test is scored on a 200–800 scale. You get 1 point for each correct answer, and ¼ point is deducted for each question you answer incorrectly. That means you shouldn't necessarily answer every question, but guessing is always a good idea if you can eliminate two or three of the options.

Below is the list of SAT subject tests and their average score based on 2017 examinations: