[SAT Literature] Please help!!!

shawnspencer
Mon, 23 Jun 2014 17:29:54 +0000

The SAT subject test book won’t contain a list of literary works that will appear on the test, but it is very good practice for the actual test. The college board also has some free practice tests available on its website. I found that there are only a few questions that require you to have background literary knowlege, which means maybe 2 or three questions that contain literary terms.

What I believe is more important is learning how to answer the questions, timing yourself, and looking for meaning in the text. Unlike the CR section, it contains things such as poetry, which you may have to learn how to interpret. Read up come guides on past CC forums on how to do well on the lit test. One thing I have learned is that evey answer you pick MUST be supported by the text. Even if an answer “sounds” really intelligent or correct, it is not unless it is stated or implied somewhere in the text.

@calla17‌ is correct in saying there is very little outside knowledge required. I’ve heard Kaplan is very good for practice and the practice tests are similar to the actual test. I found barron’s to be a little bit intimidating because it focused alot on terminology which is only a very small part of the test. As for myself, I did very little formal preparation but I would emphasize that timing yourself and learning to read questions is critical.

If you are going to study for the other tests anyway, you could get the one with all the subjects and practice from there, or you can get three individual books if you feel like you need it. Good luck!