SAT Subject Tests (formerly known as SAT II's) are one-hour, multiple-choice exams that are designed to measure your knowledge and skills in particular subject areas. The College Board offers 20 Subject Tests that fall into 5 categories: English, history, mathematics, science and languages.  Here is a full listing:

• English: Literature
• History: U.S. History, World History
• Mathematics: Mathematics Level 1, Mathematics Level 2
• Science: Biology E/M, Chemistry, Physics
• Languages:   Chinese with Listening

        French; French with Listening

        German; German with Listening

        Modern Hebrew

        Italian

        Japanese with Listening

        Korean with Listening

        Latin

        Spanish; Spanish with Listening

Why should a student take an SAT Subject Test? If a student is very strong in a particular subject, it is an additional opportunity to highlight his achievement in that discipline beyond his high school grades.  These tests also provide students with an excellent way to round out their college applications. Not all schools offer AP classes in a discipline in which your student may excel, so taking a relevant SAT Subject Test instead can demonstrate his or her depth of knowledge in that subject.  In addition to their value in the college application process, Subject Tests can also help with course selection and placement in college. In some cases, colleges allow high-scoring students to skip certain introductory-level classes.

What is the cost? Compared to the cost of an AP exam, a Subject Test seems like a downright bargain. The flat registration fee is $20 (that fee stays the same whether you take 1, 2, or 3 exams on test day), plus a $9 fee per test. If you take a language test with listening, add an additional $20 to that test fee. So if you take the Literature and World History Subject Tests on the same day, the total fee will be $38. If you take Literature and Spanish with Listening, the total fee will be $58.  It is therefore more economical to take multiple Subject Tests on the same day.

When should a student take an SAT Subject Test? It is important to note that Subject Tests can not be taken on the same day as the SAT, so factor that into your decision making about test dates. Up to 3 Subject Tests can be taken on the same day. Check the College Board website to see what Subject Tests are being offered in your area.  Carefully consider the timing. Most students take them at the end of junior year or at the beginning of senior year, but in some cases it might make sense to take one earlier. If, for example, you take Biology in your sophomore year, it's better to take the test at the end of sophomore year while the material is still fresh in your mind. If your student plans to dedicate time to studying for a Subject Test over the summer, then it is best to wait until the fall. For those studying a foreign language, students should take the test as late as possible, prior to college application deadlines of course, in order to receive the most years of instruction in that language before being tested.

Some selective colleges either strongly recommend or require Subject Tests as part of a student's application. Swarthmore College, for example, strongly recommends that prospective engineers take the Mathematics Level 2 Test; Dartmouth College requires 2 SAT Subject Tests in two different subjects; Georgetown requires 3 SAT Subject Tests. Check with each college you are applying to about their individual requirements. If you do not score well on a Subject Test, the College Board now offers a service called "Score Choice" which allows you to eliminate that score from the test report that the colleges see. (Please note that not all colleges participate in "Score Choice," so suppressing that low score may not always be an option!) Like the individual sections of the SAT, Subject Tests are scored on a scale from 200-800 points.