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SAT Subject Tests

Many leading universities in the U.S. require or recommend the SAT Subject Tests. These are hour-long, content-based tests that allow students to show what they know in specific subjects areas where they excel. There are 20 SAT Subject Tests in five general subject areas: Math, History, Science, Literature and Languages. Each Subject Test is an hour long. They are all multiple-choice and scored on a 200–800 scale. Subject Tests test knowledge of subjects on a high school level. The best way to prepare is to take the relevant courses and work hard in them.

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.

For detailed information about all the Subject Tests, including information on individual test requirements, scoring, College Board programs, strategies, test dates and practice questions please see Getting Ready For The SAT Subject Tests (2015-2016) published by the College Board. Most everything you will need is included in this great publication. Additional links and summary information for specific tests can be found below.

Be sure to check out the other College Board videos on this site for more information on the SAT, SAT Subject tests, and other College Board programs.

How Are The Tests Scored?

All SAT Subject tests are scored in a similar manner. You get one point for each correct answer and lose a fraction of a point for each incorrect answer. You get no points for answers left unanswered. Hard questions count the same as easier questions. You may not be able to complete all the questions in the time given, but it is not necessary to get every question correct to receive the highest score for the test.

Each correct answer receives one point. Each incorrect answer is subtracted as follows:

  • 1/4 point subtracted for each 5-choice question.
  • 1/3 point subtracted for each 4-choice question
  • 1/2 point subtracted for each 3-choice question
  • 0 points subtracted for questions that you didn’t answer

Mathematics Tests

Mathematics Level 1

The Mathematics Level 1 Subject Test assesses knowledge gained from three years of college-preparatory mathematics, including two years of algebra and one year of geometry. The test has 50 multiple choice questions that are to be answered in one hour. All questions have five answer choices. The questions cover a broad range of topics. Approximately 10-14% of questions focus on Numbers and Operations, 38-42% focus on Algebra and functions, 38-42% focus on Geometry (including Euclidean, coordinate, three-dimensional, and trigonometry) and Calculus, and 6-10% focus on Data analysis, Statistics, and probability. For more information:

Mathematics Level 2

The Mathematics Level 2 Subject Test covers the same material as the Mathematics Level 1 test — with the addition of trigonometry and elementary functions (pre-calculus). The test has 50 multiple choice questions that are to be answered in one hour. All questions have five answer choices. The questions cover a broad range of topics. Approximately 10-14% of questions focus on numbers and operations, 48-52% focus on algebra and functions, 28-32% focus on geometry (coordinate, three-dimensional, and trigonometric geometry are covered; plane geometry is not directly tested), and 8-12% focus on data analysis, statistics and probability. For more information:

History Tests

United States History

The SAT Subject Test for United States History has 90 multiple choice questions that are to be answered in one hour. All questions have five answer choices. The questions cover a broad range of topics. Approximately 31–35% of questions focus on political history, 13–17% focus on economic history, 20–24% focus on social history, 13–17% focus on intellectual and cultural history, and 13–17% focus on foreign policy. The questions also vary with respect to time period; approximately 20% focus on period of the Pre-Columbian era to 1789, 40% focus on the period between 1790 and 1898, and 40% focus on the period between 1899 and the present day. For more information:

World History

The SAT Subject Test for World History covers all historical themes (political and diplomatic, intellectual and cultural, social and economic) from ancient times to the present. The SAT World History test is not taken frequently. Only around 11,000 students take this test, compared to the over-110,000 students who take the United States History Subject Test. Also, unlike the other Subject Tests that are administered monthly, this test is only administered twice a year; once in December, and once in June. This puts pressure on the applicant, because if the student does poorly, it is difficult to retake.

The test has exactly 95 questions that are to be answered in one hour. There are no sections in this test, and so students will answer 95 multiple choice questions without section breaks or rest periods. The types of questions include specific recall of facts, events, or historical knowledge. Cause and effect questions are on the test as well. Students are required to understand major historical developments, such as modernization, imperialization, and explain them the developments through events and other circumstances, and also explain how they happened. Lastly, some questions, include material on how historians perform historical research and analysis. Finally, a very small minority of the questions test historical interpretation of primary source material. These questions tend to be very rare, and a student typically can expect 6-8 at most on this 95 question test.

Chronology of the Test: Prehistory to 500 C.E.: 25%, 500-1500 C.E.: 20%, 1500-1900 C.E.: 25%, Post-1900 C.E.: 20% and Cross-chronological: 10%. Geography of the Test: Global or Comparative: 25%, Europe: 25%, Southwest Asia: 10%, Africa: 10%, East Asia: 10%, South and Southeast Asia: 10%, and The Americas (excluding the U.S.): 10%. For more information:

Science Tests

Biology E/M

The Subject Test in Biology assesses understanding of the major concepts of biology typically learned in high school. There are two variations to the Biology test: Biology Ecological (Biology-E) and Biology Molecular (Biology-M). Biology-E leans toward biological communities, populations, and energy flow. Take this test if you feel more comfortable answering questions pertaining to ecology, evolution, and diversity. Biology-M is geared toward biochemistry, cellular structure and processes, such as respiration and photosynthesis. Check with the schools you wish to apply to find out which version of the test is required. Of all SAT subject tests, the Biology E/M test is the only subject test that allows the test taker a choice between the ecological or molecular tests. A set of 60 questions is taken by all test takers for Biology and a choice of 20 questions is allowed between either the E or M tests.

This test has 80 multiple-choice questions that are to be answered in one hour. All questions have five answer choices. The questions cover a broad range of topics in general biology. There are more specific questions related respectively on ecological concepts (such as population studies and general Ecology) on the E test and molecular concepts such as DNA structure, translation, and biochemistry on the M test. For more information:

Chemistry

The Chemistry Subject Test assesses understanding of the major concepts of chemistry and the ability to apply these principles to solve specific problems. For students planning on studying science or engineering in college, taking the Chemistry Subject Test can help demonstrate interests and showcase strengths in the subject. The test consists of 85 multiple-choice questions covering the following areas: Structure of Matter (Atomic Structure, Molecular Structure and Bonding): 25%, States of Matter (Gases, Liquids and Solids, and Solutions): 16%, Reaction Types (Acids and Bases, Oxidation-Reduction, and Precipitation): 14%, Stoichiometry (Mole Concept, Chemical Equations): 14%, Equilibrium and Reaction Rates (Equilibrium Systems, Rates of Reactions): 5%, Thermochemistry: 6%, Descriptive Chemistry: 12%, and Laboratory: 8%.

Three types of questions are used: classification, relationship analysis, and five-choice completion questions. For more information:

Physics

The Physics Subject Test assesses understanding of concepts from one year of introductory physics on the college-preparatory level, as well as reasoning and problem-solving skills derived from lab experience. Students planning on pursuing a math- or science-based program of study (such as science, technology, engineering, or math) should consider taking this test. The test has 75 multiple choice questions that are to be answered in one hour. The score is then converted to a scaled score of 200–800. Skills covered in the context of physics include:

  • Recalling and understanding of the major concepts of physics and the application of these physical principles to solve specific problems.
  • Understanding simple algebraic, trigonometric, and graphical relationships and the concepts of ratio and proportion and the application of these to physics problems.
  • Application of laboratory skills in the context of the physics content outlined in the questions

Topics covered include Mechanics (Kinematics, Dynamics, Energy and Momentum, Circular Motion, Simple Harmonic Motion, Gravity): 36-42%, Electricity and Magnetism (Electric Fields, Forces and Potentials, Capacitance, Circuit Elements and DC Circuits, Magnetism): 18-24%, Waves and Optics (General Wave Properties, Reflection and Refraction, Ray Optics, Physical Optics): 15-19%, Heat and Thermodynamics (Thermal Properties, Laws of Thermodynamics): 6-11%, Modern Physics (Quantum Phenomena, Atomic, Nuclear Physics, Relativity): 6-11%, and Miscellaneous (General, Analytical Skills, New Topics in Physics): 4-9%. For more information:

Literature Test

The Literature Subject Test gives the student the opportunity to highlight their strengths in reading and interpreting literary texts from a variety of historical periods and genres. This test has an average of 60 multiple choice questions about six to eight passages to be answered in one hour. Of the passages, about half are prose and half are poems. Up to twenty percent can be drama excerpts. 30% are passages written before 1700, 30% are written between 1701 and 1900, and 40% are written after 1900. Half of the passages were written by British authors and half by American authors, although the College Board stipulates that up to 20% may be written by authors from other English-speaking countries. While the author is usually not given, the date of first publication usually accompanies each passage.

Concepts covered in this exam include meaning and theme, argument, word connotation, form, structure, and organization, genre, figurative language, specifically imagery, narrative voice, and characterization. Familiarity with specialized analytical terms, including irony, stanza, imagery and tone is recommended. For more information:

Language Tests

Chinese with Listening

The Chinese with Listening Subject Test assesses knowledge of written and spoken Mandarin. Skills covered include Listening Comprehension, Usage, and Reading Comprehension:

  • Listening Comprehension: These questions test the ability to understand the spoken language and are based on short, spoken dialogues and narratives primarily about everyday topics. There are two kinds of questions: (A) a spoken statement, question or exchange, followed by a choice of three possible responses (also spoken); (B) a spoken dialogue or monologue with a printed question or questions (in English) about what was said.
  • Usage: These questions ask you to select the answer that best completes a Chinese sentence in a way that is structurally and logically correct. Questions are written to reflect instructional practices of the curriculum. This section of the test is therefore presented in four columns across two pages of the test booklet to allow each question and its answer choices to be shown in four different ways of representing Chinese: traditional and simplified Chinese characters on the left page, and phonetic transcriptions in Pinyin romanization and the Chinese phonetic alphabet (Bopomofo) on the right page. You should choose the writing form with which you are most familiar and read only from that column.
  • Reading Comprehension: Reading comprehension questions test understanding of such points as main and supporting ideas, themes, and the setting of passages. Some of the passages are based on real-life materials such as timetables, form, advertisement, notes, letters, diaries, and newspaper articles. All passages are written in both traditional and simplified Chinese characters. Most questions deal with understanding of literal meaning, although some inference questions may be included. All reading comprehension questions are in English.

The test is made up of 85 multiple-choice questions. The Listening Section is 20 minutes in length and covers Listening Comprehension. The remaining 40 minutes of the test is the Reading Section, of which 20 minutes are for Usage and 20 minutes for Reading Comprehension. For more information:

French

The French Subject Test assesses knowledge of written French. The test is made up of 85 multiple-choice questions and covers the following areas: Vocabulary in Context: 30%, Structure: 30-40%, and Reading Comprehension: 30-40%. These are further defined as:

  • Precision of Vocabulary: These questions test knowledge of words representing different parts of speech and some basic idioms within culturally authentic contexts.
  • Structure: These questions measure the ability to select an appropriate word or expression that is grammatically correct within a sentence. One part of the test contains vocabulary and structure questions embedded in longer paragraphs.
  • Reading Comprehension: These questions test understanding of such points as main and supporting ideas, themes, and setting of a passage. Selections are drawn from fiction, essays, historical works, and newspaper articles or everyday materials such as advertisements, timetables, forms, and tickets.

Note: The French test includes reading only — you read in French and answer multiple-choice questions. The French with Listening test given only in November also includes a listening portion — you listen in French and answer multiple-choice questions. Although students report feeling more anxious about the listening portion, they also tend to do better on that part of the test. Plus, many colleges indicate the French with Listening test gives them a fuller picture of your ability and may be more useful for placement purposes. For more information:

French with Listening

The French with Listening Subject Test assesses knowledge of written and spoken French. The test is made up of 85-90 multiple-choice listening and reading questions. The listening section makes up 20 minutes of the test and the reading section the other 40 minutes. The listening section has three parts:

  • Pictures: Identify the sentence that most accurately describes what is presented in a picture or photograph.
  • Short dialogues: Answer general content questions based on short dialogues or monologues.
  • Long dialogues: Answer more specific questions based on longer dialogues or monologues.

The Reading Section questions are based on selections from fiction, essays, historical works, and newspaper articles, as well as advertisements, timetables, forms, and tickets. This section tests vocabulary (16-20 questions), structure (16-20 questions) and reading comprehension (20-25 questions). For more information:

German

The German Subject Test assesses knowledge of written German. The test complies with the German spelling reform (Rechtschreibreform) as much as possible. The test is made up of 85 multiple-choice questions and covers the following areas: Vocabulary in Context and Structure in Context (grammar): 50% and Reading Comprehension: 50%. These are further defined as:

  • Sentence Completion and Paragraph Completion: These questions test vocabulary and grammar, requiring you to know the meaning of words and idiomatic expressions in context and to identify usage that is structurally correct and appropriate.
  • Reading Comprehension: These questions test understanding of the content of various materials taken from sources such as advertisements, timetables, street signs, forms, and tickets. They also examine your ability to read passages representative of various styles and levels of difficulty. There are several prose passages followed by question that test your understanding of these passages. The passages, mostly adapted from literary sources and newspapers or magazines, are generally one or two paragraphs in length and test whether you can identify the main idea or comprehend facts or details in the text.

Note: The German test includes reading only — you read in German and answer multiple-choice questions. The German with Listening test given only in November also includes a listening portion — you listen in German and answer multiple-choice questions. Although students report feeling more anxious about the listening portion, they also tend to do better on that part of the test. Plus, many colleges indicate the German with Listening test gives them a fuller picture of your ability and may be more useful for placement purposes. For more information:

German with Listening

The German with Listening Subject Test assesses knowledge of written and spoken German. The test is made up of approximately 85 multiple-choice listening and reading questions. The listening section makes up 20 minutes of the test and the reading section the other 40 minutes. The listening section makes up 35% of the test and has two parts:

  • Short dialogues/monologues: Contains short dialogues/monologues with one or two multiple-choice questions. Dialogues/monologues, questions, and answer choices are spoken. Questions are also printed in the test booklet.
  • Long dialogues/monologues: Contains longer dialogues and monologues with several multiple-choice questions. Dialogues/monologues and questions are only spoken and not printed in the test booklet. Answer choices are not spoken; they appear only in the test booklet.

The Reading Section questions make up the remaining 65% of the test. The overall content for the reading section is the same as for the general German Subject test above – only the amount of time and number of questions in the section are different. For more information:

Modern Hebrew

The Modern Hebrew Subject Test assesses knowledge of and ability to recognize appropriate language patterns in Modern Hebrew. The test is made up of 85 multiple-choice questions and covers the following areas: Vocabulary in Context: 30%, Structure in Context (grammar): 30% and Reading Comprehension: 40%. These are further defined as:

  • Vocabulary: These types of questions test knowledge of words representing different parts of speech and some basic idioms within culturally authentic contexts.
  • Structure: This kind of question tests grammar, including parts of speech as well as ability to recognize appropriate language patterns.
  • Reading Comprehension: Reading comprehension questions test understanding of passages of varying levels of difficulty. These passages are generally adapted from literary sources and newspaper or magazine articles. Authentic material, such as advertisements, has been added to the test. While some passages have biblical references, no material in the test is written in biblical Hebrew.

For more information:

Italian

The Italian Subject Test assesses knowledge of written Italian. The test is given once a year in June (no longer offered in December). It is made up of 80-85 multiple-choice questions and covers the following areas: Vocabulary: 30%, Structure: 30%, and Reading Comprehension: 40%. These are further defined as:

  • Passage Completion: These questions test knowledge of commonly used vocabulary, appropriate idiomatic expressions, and language structure in the context of paragraphs.
  • Sentence Completion: These questions test familiarity with grammatical structure and vocabulary.
  • Reading Comprehension: Reading comprehension questions test understanding of the content of various selections taken from sources such as newspaper and magazine articles, fiction, historical works, advertisements, tickets, brochures, forms, and schedules. Commonly taught grammatical constructions are tested, and all questions reflect current standard Italian.

The test questions range in difficulty from elementary through advanced, although most questions are at the intermediate level. For more information:

Japanese with Listening

The Japanese with Listening Subject Test assesses knowledge of written and spoken Japanese. The test is made up of 80 multiple-choice listening and reading questions. The listening section tests Listening Comprehension and lasts for 20 minutes (33% of the test). The reading section lasts for 40 minutes and is made up of the following sections: Usage (33%) and Reading Comprehension (33%). The three sections are further defined:

  • Listening Comprehension: These questions are based on short spoken dialogues and narratives, primarily about everyday topics. A brief explanation about each selection and the questions are given in English. Explanations are also printed in the test booklet.
  • Usage: These questions require the student to complete Japanese sentences in a way that is appropriate in terms of structure (grammar), vocabulary, and context. Usage questions are printed in two different ways of representing Japanese. In the left column, the Japanese is written in the most common type of Romanization (romanji), a modified Hepburn system. In the right column, the Japanese is presented in standard Japanese script with furigana for all kanji. The student should choose the writing system they are most familiar with and read only from that column on the test.
  • Reading Comprehension: The reading comprehension questions are in English and test understanding of such points as main and supporting ideas. The selections in this section are taken from materials one might encounter in everyday situations, such as notes, menus, newspaper articles, advertisements, and letters. The text is written in hiragana, katakana, and kanji without furigana.

For more information:

Korean with Listening

The Korean with Listening Subject Test assesses knowledge of written and spoken Korean. The test is made up of 80 multiple-choice listening and reading questions. The listening section tests Listening Comprehension and lasts for 20 minutes (33% of the test). The reading section lasts for 40 minutes and is made up of the following sections: Usage (33%) and Reading Comprehension (33%). The three sections are further defined:

  • Listening Comprehension: These questions test ability to understand the spoken language. They are based on short, spoken Korean dialogues and narratives, primarily about everyday topics. All listening questions and answer options are in English. The questions are spoken on a CD and also printed in the test booklet.
  • Usage: These questions are written entirely in Han’gul and require students to complete Korean sentences or phrases so that they are structurally and logically correct. Areas covered include vocabulary, honorifics, and various aspects of grammatical structure.
  • Reading Comprehension: The reading comprehension questions test understanding of such points as main and supporting ideas. All passages in this section are written in Han’gul and all questions are in English. Most questions deal with understanding literal meaning, although some inference questions may be included. The Korean selections are drawn from authentic materials, such as notes, diaries, newspaper articles, advertisements, letters, and literary texts.

For more information:

Latin

The Latin Subject Test assesses knowledge of written Latin. The test is made up of 70-75 multiple-choice questions and covers the following areas: Grammar and Syntax: 30%, Derivatives: 5%, and Translation and Reading Comprehension: 65%. The reading comprehension part has 30 to 37 questions based on three to five reading passages, at least one of which is a poetry passage. A set of questions following a poetry passage always includes one question requiring the student to scan the first four feet of a line of dactylic hexameter verse or to determine the number of elisions in a line. For more information:

Spanish

The Spanish Subject Test assesses knowledge of written Spanish. The test is made up of 85 multiple-choice questions and covers the following areas: Vocabulary and Structure: 33%, Paragraph Completion: 33%, and Reading Comprehension: 33%. These are further defined as:

  • Vocabulary and Structure Questions: these questions ask you to identify usage that is both structurally correct and contextually appropriate. Other reading questions test vocabulary and grammatical usage in longer paragraphs.
  • Reading Questions: these questions are based on selections from prose fiction, historical works, and newspaper and magazine articles, as well as advertisements, flyers, and letters. They test points such as main and supporting ideas, themes, style, tone, and the spatial and temporal settings of a passage.

Note: The Spanish test includes reading only — you read in Spanish and answer multiple-choice questions. The Spanish with Listening test given only in November also includes a listening portion — you listen in Spanish and answer multiple-choice questions. Although students report feeling more anxious about the listening portion, they also tend to do better on that part of the test. Plus, many colleges indicate the Spanish with Listening test gives them a fuller picture of your ability and may be more useful for placement purposes. For more information:

Spanish with Listening

The Spanish with Listening Subject Test assesses knowledge of written and spoken Spanish. The test is made up of 85 multiple-choice listening and reading questions. The listening section makes up 20 minutes of the test and the reading section the other 40 minutes. The listening section has three parts:

  • Pictures: questions as you to identify the sentence that most accurately describes what is presented in a photograph or what someone in the photograph might say.
  • Rejoinders: questions test your ability to identify a plausible continuation of a short conversation.
  • Selections: requires you to answer comprehension questions based on more extensive listening selections.

The Reading Section questions are based on selections from prose fiction, historical works, and newspaper and magazine articles, as well as advertisements, flyers and letters. This section tests vocabulary and structure, paragraph completion, and reading comprehension. For more information:

Testing Locations and Dates

International students can register for the SAT and SAT Subject Tests in three ways: online, by mail using the SAT paper registration form, or through an SAT representative. To register online you’ll first need to create a College Board account if you have not already signed up. Note: The SAT test is not generally available in mainland China. Instead students from the mainland will need to take the test in either Hong Kong, Macau or elsewhere outside of China.

Test centers can be found by using the College Board Find Test Centers page. If you register online you will need to supply the test center codes for at least two locations. If registering by mail please be sure to review the International Paper Registration Tips paper from the College Board. If you want to enlist the assistance of an SAT representative they are listed on the Find an Advising Center page run by the United States Department of State.

Hong Kong Test Locations and Procedures

The SAT, SAT Subject Tests, and the AP tests are run by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), an independent, self-financing statutory body. The SAT (sometimes referenced as the SAT I Reasoning Tests) are given at AsiaWorld-Expo near the Hong Kong airport. SAT Subject tests are given at various locations around Hong Kong. Both set of tests are given six times a year in October, November, December, January, May and June. The SAT and the SAT Subject Tests cannot be taken on the same day.

According to the HKEAA registration for taking SAT in Hong Kong must be done online via the College Board website. The HKEAA provides additional documentation specific to the Hong Kong testing, including Frequently Asked Questions and Guidelines and Instructions for Attending SAT in Hong Kong documents. Both of these documents should be considered required reading for any Hong Kong bound takers of the SAT. The HKEAA also publishes comprehensive documentation for each test session. The May, 2016 Information Booklet can be found here. Be sure to check the HKEAA SAT page for the latest information.

See Also

College Board SAT and SAT Subject Test Videos

Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA)