<p>I got a 790, so I think I am qualified to advise people on the SAT Lit. I’ll do my best, anway.</p>
<p>I’ve taken about 15 practice tests and I have scored consistently between 640 and 700. What advice can you give me that will above the 700 barrier?</p>
<p>what type of preparation would you recommend? Any books in particular or general study tips?</p>
<p>thanks!</p>
<p>which is the best prep book for sat II lit, apart from the official collegeboard tests? i’ve heard kaplan is the best…is it so?</p>
<p>OK, here is some general information. </p>
<p>The SAT literature test is made up of old and often poorly written pieces of literature. You will find that those are two common factors. (By poorly written, I mean that the meaning is obscure. Since the goal of literature is communication, ‘difficult’ literature that has obscure meanings is poorly written.) However, the one positive common factor is the logical pattern of ideas in this literature. Because the testmakers claim to offer objectively correct answers, they have to find passages that have only one interpretation, no matter how obscure it may be. Therefore, they tend to select passages that are what I call ‘cumulative’. That is, they build one idea upon another to make a central point. Along the way, one or another of the supporting points may be emphasized in such a way that it looks like the focus of the passage.</p>
<p>I cannot advise anyone on practice books or tests, because I never studied for the test, specifically. I am a voracious reader, and I learned through my reading everything I needed to know to score a 790. My basic method on the test was this. I skimmed each passage, and then answered all the questions that are about specific parts of the passage. Then, when I came to the questions that were about the meaning of the passage, and so forth, I read the passage again, this time to identify the ‘points’. Most of the passages had certain themes that were easy to see. The two questions were 1. Is the answer one of these obvious ‘points’ or themes, or is it a more subtle theme that wraps up the story? The easiest way to determine this, if it was not obvious, was to ask myself the question “What is this passage trying to say?” </p>
<p>I hope this is helpful. If it is not clear to anyone, just ask me to clarify points that are vague to you.</p>