What Would YOU Do with $51?

   What would you do with $51? Go to an amusement park? Buy a new video game?
   How about receive 12 credit hours in college?
   Impossible, you might say.
   Don't worry, I said the same thing at first, but I soon found out that it is completely possible to earn 12 credit hours in college by only spending $51.

What is an SAT Subject Test?

   An SAT Subject Test (AKA SAT II) is a one hour multiple choice test that assesses your skills in a particular subject. Some examples include US History, Literature, Spanish Language, etc. They are given during the same time as the SAT and you can take up to 3 tests in one sitting.
   Each test is scored like an individual SAT section (out of 800).

 
How much does an SAT Subject Test cost?

  Here's where I get the $51 figure from: a flat registration fee of $24.50 is charged, with each test that you are taking costing an additional $13 per test (except foreign language with listening tests, which cost $24 additional to the flat registration fee).
  So, if you take two SAT Subject Tests, it will cost you about $51.


What is this about college credit?

   Well, at my college (UGA), I can receive credit hours for my SAT Subject test scores. For example, I could take the US History and World History exams, score a 650+ on both, and receive 6 credit hours from each test. I am not sure if all colleges offer credit for SAT Subject tests, since it varies from school to school, but it is definitely worth checking into. After all, if you apply for an Ivy League school, you will probably have to take subject tests to meet the application requirements anyway; you might as well take care of some credit hours at your back-up school in the process.


   SAT Subject Tests are definitely something that fall under the "things I wish I would have known about more while I was applying for college" category. I took the US history and Literature tests, but I only took them for my application requirement for Princeton. I really wish now that I would have taken more of the tests after I completed the corresponding course, which could have helped me get some more college credit hours. For students who are comfortable with subject material but maybe lacking on a skill required in an AP exam (for instance, essay writing), then the SAT Subject Tests can be a good alternative.
   So, how much money could you save by taking the SAT Subject tests if you're going to UGA? If you take two tests and receive, say, 12 credit hours (6 for US History and 6 for World History, for example), you will spend $51 on your tests. Tuition alone for those same 12 credit hours would cost $4,014 for in state students and $13,119 for out of state students. That's thousands of dollars that can be saved by just taking an hour long test.
   Check into the credit hours offered by various colleges for SAT Subject Tests, and try signing up for a few. If you don't have AP or IB classes at your school, this is a great alternative to show mastery in a subject area.
   Seriously, consider signing up for these tests. Your bank account will thank you for the thousands of dollars you could save.

Sources:
UGA Testing Credit: http://www.reg.uga.edu/creditFromTesting/satIIsatII_credit_equivalencies
Subject Test Cost: http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/sat-subject/register/fees
Additional Info: http://sat.collegeboard.org/about-tests/sat-subject-tests/faq