None! In their January 2021 update, the College Board announced that they will be discontinuing SAT Subject Tests. This change was effective immediately for U.S. students, and would take effect after the spring tests for international students.

Why did the College Board eliminate SAT Subject Tests?

Years ago, many highly selective colleges required SAT subject tests. However, in recent years, the majority of those colleges have shifted from requiring subject tests to simply recommending them. Some schools, such as Carnegie Mellon and Yale, have even gone as far to say that they will not look at nor consider subject tests if submitted.

As subject tests declined, the College Board’s AP exams became more popular. Given that subject tests and AP exams both test in-depth understanding of a single subject area, one might conclude that the College Board decided to eliminate the redundant and less successful subject tests to make things simpler for students.

Alternatively, if you’d like to take the cynical view that the College Board is a greedy corporation masquerading as an education non-profit, you might point to the fact that an SAT subject test costs $22 to take, while an AP exam costs $95. And because most AP exams are school day tests, the College Board doesn’t need to pay AP proctors. But again, that’s only if you favor the cynical perspective.

How will AP Exams be affected by this change?

With the elimination of subject tests, AP exams will likely take on increased importance in the college admissions process over time.

To learn more about the College Board’s update (which also included the discontinuation of the SAT essay and a mention of digital SAT tests), click here.