Advice on Lit Test (I scored 800)

Test Preparation SAT Subject Test Preparation
1

<p>People seem to be terrified of the literature subject test around here, and I’ve gotten several notes asking for tip. Here are the most important things:</p>

<p>1) The idea that you can’t study for this is complete bull.
2) Literature is subjective, sure, but there are a few tricks that are particular to how this test works.
3) You can still get several wrong and get an 800, depending on the curve. </p>

<p>So, to elaborate…</p>

<p>Thinking Right</p>

<p>If you think of studying as memorization, then sure, this isn’t a test you can study for. But memorizing things is NOT all there is to studying. Rather, the SAT Lit test requires you to learn how to think in a clearer sort of way. In fact, I think that its requirements of clarity in thinking are a bit ridiculous because literature is so rarely a clearly-thought through process, or rather, it is only clearly thought out AFTER the emotions are dealt with by the author. In reality, the clearest answer is often the wrong one in writing. In the SAT Lit test, the clearest answer is the right one. If there are, for instance, the following two answers that you’ve narrowed it down to…</p>

<p>a) intuitively correct answer
b) text-supported, but not as compelling, answer</p>

<p>…well, b will be the correct one. If it isn’t directly supported in text, it ain’t right (according to collegeboard). Yes, yes, I know that James Joyce would cringe at this statement… but he’s not the one grading you. </p>

<p>There are going to be a few that you just don’t know at all. The wording will be archaic or ridiculous, and you’ll basically be thinking “w.t.f?” Don’t stress it. SKIP IT AND GO. BACK. LATER. </p>

<p>Do a lot of practice tests. Do practice tests until you finish comfortably in forty minutes. Why?</p>

<p>1) The practice tests I found were remarkably similar to the real test as far as making me understand what sort of things I’d have to do.
2) If you can finish in forty minutes at home, that means probably fifty or fifty-five minutes at the test center because you will be more nervous there – but you’ll still have five to ten minutes to go back to the things you weren’t sure of.
3) Because of the explanations for the answers, of course! On every question that confuses you, whether or not you get it right, spend at least ten minutes analyzing why t he answer is the way it is. This doesn’t mean it’s REALLY the “right” answer, but you’ll start understanding a lot better what collegeboard is looking for.</p>

<p>Also, the theory of least worst answer helped me so much. Sometimes all the answers will suck, but like our choices in politicians, we must choose the lesser evil aka the least worst. The one that sucks the least, though it still sucks, should be right. </p>

<p>Learning About Literature</p>

<p>As for actually improving your knowledge of literature, you’ll want to read the following books:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Reading Like a Writer:
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Like-W.../dp/0060777044%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Like-W.../dp/0060777044&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li>
<li><p>How to Read Literature Like a Professor:
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Liter.../dp/006000942X%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Liter.../dp/006000942X&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li>
</ul>

<p>The fact that English textbooks aren’t replaced by these is one of the prime examples of stupidity in school systems because these would make the whole topic sooooo much easier for everyone involved, teacher and students alike. READ THEM!</p>

<p>Also, I really like the Kaplan Literature AP book. Different test, I know, but I think it’s pretty great for providing the basic skill set.</p>

<p>Also, go to this nifty site:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.critiquecircle.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.critiquecircle.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Post your stories there and ask for comments on things like tone, character development, progression, etc etc etc. Join in threads in the forums on such topics. Talking about this stuff with knowledgeable people will turn you into a knowledgeable person. </p>

<p>Another GREAT site for discussing literature:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.online-literature.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.online-literature.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>It's brilliant! Go there! Join! Post! LEARN!</p>

<p>Other Ideas</p>

<p>If you have more time, here are some great (but somewhat tangential) things to look at/think about/do (these are most likely only for the people who care about literature even beyond a test):</p>

<p>About aboutobiography, but excellent in a broader sense as well:
<a href="http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:G6oltEguWEUJ:jac.gsu.edu/jac/9/Articles/11.htm+%22red+red+very+red%22+memoir&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:G6oltEguWEUJ:jac.gsu.edu/jac/9/Articles/11.htm+%22red+red+very+red%22+memoir&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://www.writersdigest.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.writersdigest.com&lt;/a>
(It's very useful to pay attention to the publishing world and what it takes to get published. You'll learn more trying to write something saleable than you ever will by studying for a test)</p>

<p>Do google searches for every term listed in the Princeton Review prep book of vocab. </p>

<p>Go to Wikipedia and look up various forms of fiction.</p>

<p>Take advantage of short stories and novellas. All the education without all the time. I like Chekhov, Poe, Hemingway, but you can just type "classic short stories" into Google.</p>

<p>Go to the bookstore/library and go to a section you'd never normally be interested in. Compare/contrast the style to what you're familiar with. Literary journals and magazines are a particularly time-friendly way to do this. </p>

<p>*</p>

<p>So – I hope this helps somebody.</p>

2

<p>Wow great and most appreciated advice. Just one question, can you give a synopsis on the two books you linked to amazon?</p>

3

<p>You posted this advice somewhere else, and so I actually went out and got the book "Reading Like a Writer." I love writing, so when I read that the book was about how writers interpret things, I figured I would be able to relate and ultimately learn from an established author. So far, the book has taught me quite a lot. Thanks for recommending it!</p>

4

<p>woohaa: Ooh, I'm glad somebody actually read it! It seemed like very few people had actually seen the advice elsewhere, so I'm glad some people DID see it. :)</p>

<p>kyzan:</p>

<p>Both books are written in fairly conversational tones, and this is what they're like:</p>

<p>Reading Like a Writer = a progression from a study of how words fit together on an individual basis all the way to broader themes like characterization and plot. It draws heavily from excerpts from classic books and stories to illustrate points. </p>

<p>How to Read Literature Like a Professor = explanations and examples of symbolism/themes, etc. This also draws exampes from some classic books and stories.</p>

5

<p>Also, since I wrote this, I've thought of more things to add. I'll keep on adding since I think this is(/should be) a helpful thread for people wondering about the test, wanting to take it, about to take it, or generally interested in literature.</p>

<p>Try out some stuff from MIT's opencourseware site. They have a literature section:</p>

<p><a href="http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Literature/index.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Literature/index.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I know it won't be graded, so you might feel like there's no point, but you'll still learn a lot even if you just do the stuff on your own. Some of the classes have pretty much none of the reading available online, others have lots of it available online if you do some google searches, and some even link to the reading right there on the site. Some of them also have PDFs of part of the reading. This is one of those things where, for lack of a teacher, you'll have to make it as interactive as possible on your very own. For each assignment, turn it into a post at, let's say, <a href="http://www.online-literature.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.online-literature.com&lt;/a> or <a href="http://www.librarything.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.librarything.com&lt;/a> (you can list all the books you own or have read and discuss them with others/see what others are reading) or <a href="http://www.dailylit.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.dailylit.com&lt;/a> (they send out pieces of classic literature to your inbox daily).</p>

<p>As far as opencourseware goes, I did this course:</p>

<p><a href="http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Literature/21L-701Literary-Interpretation--Interpreting-PoetryFall2003/CourseHome/index.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Literature/21L-701Literary-Interpretation--Interpreting-PoetryFall2003/CourseHome/index.htm&lt;/a>
(Literary Interpretation, Interpreting Poetry)</p>

<p>...in preparation for taking the lit. test because I didn't feel confident about poetry. The first lesson in this course, in fact, approaches poetry as riddle and whether or not poetry SHOULD be like that, etc. It's very interesting. </p>

<p>Right now, I'm doing this one:</p>

<p><a href="http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Literature/21L-705Spring2003/CourseHome/index.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Literature/21L-705Spring2003/CourseHome/index.htm&lt;/a>
(Oscar Wilde and the 90s)</p>

6

<p>dis-grace, how long did it take for you to finish your own study plan, and how many hours a day did you commit to this?</p>

7

<p>Well, the two non-study-guide books I listed were not part of any specific study plan. I'd just read one a few years ago and the other a few months before I took the test, and I realized that they would be useful, so I flipped through them both again. But I mentioned them because they are two landmarks in how I deal with literature in general.</p>

<p>All the random things I mentioned are just things I've done/seen/found/thought of since I was thirteen, but though their effects added up over years, each one had a dramatic effect on me within a week or so. If I didn't think they could be useful in a short period of time, I wouldn't bother to mention them.</p>

<p>The study books (Princeton Review and Kaplan's AP Lit being the only ones I used), I went through in... well...</p>

<p>Princeton Review: I did each chapter on a different day, but you could spread it out for one or two a week or even every few weeks. I think it would in fact be better that way because then you could look up all the issues that come up in each chapter online/ask teachers for their opinions on various things/look up books about the topics, etc. I then did one practice test each day as well, but as I said, spreading it out more would probably be better because then you can be more intensive about it. </p>

<p>Kaplan: I was very haphazard with this since it wasn't my main study material. I just read and did what I wanted when I wanted.</p>

<p>Important Note: </p>

<p>Even with all my lit background, I missed many of the questions on my first and second practice test. Those study books and practice tests w/ explanations are truly invaluable.</p>

8

<p>hey, if i've only taken ap language, do you think i could still study and get an 800 on the lit? right now i'm a junior and if i were to take the sat 2 in lit, i would take it in november. so that would give me the whole summer to really study it. i'm nervous about it though.</p>

9

<p>Ok, disgrace, are you the home schooled one? :o
Sorry, but I ALWAYS forget :)</p>

10

<p>great pointers! thanx</p>

11

<p>Hey, I'm not even taking the Lit until the fall but I read this anyway because I'm really interested in classic literature. All the websites you've posted like MIT OCW and librarything and writer's digest are amazing. I love finding websites like that and I just had to tell you THANKS! :)</p>

12

<p>Yes I would also like to thank you for the advice. I got a copy of "Reading Like a Writer" on its way.</p>

13

<p>wow great advice.
thank you so much!</p>

14

<p>Great advice. Thanks. I am ordering the books you recommended.</p>

15

<p>screw subject test retakes. if only everyone would decide as a group to quit being the college board's whore.</p>

16

<p>Uh. If you take AP english language, would you be prepared for it? Thanks for the info :)</p>

17

<p>Great thread dis-grace. Just a question... how exactly do you utilize these MIT OpenCoursewares? All most of them have is a reading list... :-/</p>

18

<p>thanks for the advice!</p>

<p>is there anywhere on the internet where you can find free resources or practice tests for SAT Lit? and are the sample questions given on the collegeboard site representative of the type and difficulty of questions that we're going to encounter on the actual test?</p>

19

<p>From my own experience, the level of difficulty of the questions on the official CollegeBoard website are pretty accurate to the real thing.</p>

20

<p>wow!
thanks!
so do u think that the AP books work better than subject test books???</p>