Why do colleges require the SAT Subject Tests?
The Subject Tests demonstrate your interest, knowledge, and skill specific to the subjects that you are testing for. The SAT Subject Tests are standardized; they are used to compare your knowledge of that subject with that of high school students nationwide. The grades you get in your high school curriculum cannot offer such a measurement to colleges because some high schools are more difficult than others, and the grading standards vary based on the schools. The students of equal ability might receive different grades, even in classes with a relatively similar curriculum. Colleges sometimes use SAT Subject Tests to determine placement. If you do very well on a specific Subject Test, you might be exempted from a basic class in that subject. It is a good idea to find out whether the colleges you are applying to use the SAT Subject Tests for this purpose.
