dentalflosstycoon

I was able to take the GRE subject test on standby this past Saturday! I might start a new thread on this for anyone who's in a similar situation, but for now, I'll just post it here.
I purposely went to the testing center with the lowest population nearby but which was still within a reasonable proximity to my location. The reason being, when I called ETS, the woman on the phone advised me that the testing centers in lower population areas tend to have more availability. This turned out to be wholly true, and I was, in fact, the only standby test taker at the center I attended in New Jersey. To any future standby testers: don't sweat it. If you go to a testing center away from major cities (even if you need to drive an hour it's worth it), it should be a piece of cake to get in. They had a ton of extra packets for all subjects where I went.

1. Both times I wrote the GRE subject tests, everyone on standby got in. As long as there is space, they will let you take it. One of my tests was delayed almost an hour because it took a long time to register all of the standby testers. I would recommend going to a place with a very large room (i.e. if you can find out that it's in a large lecture hall on a University campus or something, then your chances might be higher than if it's in a small room somewhere).
2. After Oct 28, if you cannot take the test, then you should contact all the math programs you are interested in and see if they will consider your application without the subject GRE test. Sometimes there is no getting around a requirement, but you only know if you ask. Based on those answers, you can decide if you want to still apply this year only to programs that will consider you without a subject test, or wait another year to apply.