SAT Subject Tests

SAT Subject Tests are college admission exams on specific subjects. There are 20 SAT Subject Tests in five general subject areas: Mathematics, Science, History, English and Languages. These test you on your knowledge of subjects on a high school level.

Mathematics Science History English Languages
  1. Math Level 1
  2. Math Level 2
  1. Biology Ecological
  2. Biology Molecular
  3. Chemistry
  4. Physics
  1. U.S. History
  2. World History
  1. Literature
  1. Spanish
  2. Spanish with Listening
  3. French
  4. French with Listening
  5. Italian
  6. German
  7. German with Listening
  8. Modern Hebrew
  9. Latin
  10. Japanese with Listening
  11. Korean with Listening

Students can take as many Subject Tests as they want to. All the Tests are independent of the other i.e. the student can take Math Level 2 without taking the Math Level 1.

Duration of the Subject Tests and Scoring

Each Subject Test is

  • one hour long
  • a multiple-choice format
  • scored on a 200–800 scale

  • Depending on the program you are applying to, some colleges ‘Require’ or ‘Recommend’ that you take SAT Subject Tests.
    What it means is this:
    • Take the Subject Test/s if the college you plan to apply to ‘Requires’ the Subject Test/s score/s, else, you will NOT be eligible to be considered for admissions.
    • Take the Subject Test/s if the college you plan to apply to ‘Recommends’ the Subject Test/s score, as it can be one of the differentiating factors in your application for admissions committees to consider.

Click here for a complete list of colleges that require, recommend or consider Subject Test scores.

  • Depending on your test scores, you might be able to fulfil basic requirements or get credit for introductory-level courses.
  • Shows your demonstrated interest in the area of study you want to pursue.

Note that not all Subject Tests are offered for testing on all SAT dates. Check the table below for International Testing Dates:

Subject Test Offered on May 02, 2020 Offered on June 06, 2020
Math Level 1 ✓ ✓
Math Level 2 ✓ ✓
Biology Ecological ✓ ✓
Biology Molecular ✓ ✓
Chemistry ✓ ✓
Physics ✓ ✓
U.S. History ✓ ✓
World History ✗ ✓
Literature ✓ ✓
Spanish ✓ ✓
Spanish with Listening ✗ ✗
French ✓ ✓
French with Listening ✗ ✗
Italian ✗ ✓
German ✗ ✓
German with Listening ✗ ✗
Modern Hebrew ✗ ✓
Latin ✗ ✓
Japanese with Listening ✗ ✗
Korean with Listening ✗ ✗

Note that you

  • can take a maximum of three Subject Tests per test date
  • can't take the SAT Subject Tests and the SAT on the same test date
  • can take only one Biology Subject Test per test date
  • can use calculators only on the Mathematics Level 1 and Level 2 Subject Tests

The following is the fee for SAT Subject Test for International students.

Test Type Fees Total
Registration Fee (for one test date) $26 + $49 Non-U.S. Regional Fee (India) $75
Each SAT Subject Test (other than Language Tests with Listening) $22 additional per test $75 + $22 per each Subject Test
Language Tests with Listening $26 additional per test $75 + $26 per each Subject Test