<p>Hey, so in May 5 and May 7 I am taking the AP Literature exam and the SAT respectively, I was thinking that maybe I could study just once and kill two birds with one stone (at least for the Critical Thinking portion), so I am looking for opinions on which would you deem harder, or if preparing for the AP Lit would have me beyond prepared for the SAT, which would be very convenient.</p>
<p>P.S. From the AP exam I'm just looking at the multiple choice part, I'm aware of the essay but I feel confident enough on doing well on the multiple choice part. Also, on a practice test I scored 43/55 (which is good enough for me, taking into account the essays there is a possible 5 in future) but I don't seem to do so hotly on the SAT, on the actual test I got 630. This has made me think that the SAT could be harder, ahhhhh! I'M SO CONFUSED :(</p>
<p>advice? and lists PREP BOOKS that helped you in both subjects pretty please.</p>
<p>The SAT and the AP lit test are in entirely different ballparks. Intellectually speaking, the material on the AP is harder. But the SAT is kind of wonky in that it doesn’t test straightforward knowledge (as the AP test does), and therefore most people that are good at math and English will still need to study to do well, even if they can blaze through AP calc and English because they know their stuff.</p>
<p>I don’t think you can compare them at all. The SAT is designed to try and test intelligence, supposedly, or “reasoning”. What it actually means is that it asks you not necessarily “do you know this?” but “can you approach these problems, designed with multiple trap answers and fake-outs, and do well?”</p>
<p>Assuming you’re a coherent writer with a repertoire of good literature in your memory and and good at analyzing multilayered literary work, you’ll do well on the AP lit essays. (Make sure to read up on previous prompts beforehand—I have a packet of essay prompts dating back several decades, and it’s actually kind of interesting to see that they’ve been getting easier over the years. The prompts kind of blindside you at first because traditional high school English doesn’t prepare you for analyzing style as opposed to content.)</p>
<p>I’d say scale back on studying for the AP lit test and study for the SAT, because doing well on that is largely technique (paired with intuition and the past few years of basic math/English education) and it helps to practice it. You sound like you’re going to handle the AP test just fine right now.</p>
<p>What you say makes a looooot of sense.
I know the SAT is full of tricks to disorient you so it would be smart to get familiar with the format. The only bad thing is I don’t have much time 
The thing with the essays is that I either write pretty good ones or just downright crappy, “superficial” ones, I attribute this to the Yerkes-Dodson law; seriously, I do better on timed essays at school that I do in the ones for homework (which totally works in my advantage I guess.)</p>
<p>Thanks for your advice!</p>