I’m in advanced english (highest level at my grade in my school) and im a sophomore. im really great at deciphering the meanings behind passages, even historic ones, so i was wondering if you think i should take the sat 2 this year or wait until junior year when im in honors english? i would wait, but ill have so many other tests next year i feel like it couldnt hurt to get it over with but im not sure! i would be taking it this january or may. if youve taken the sat 2 lit can you also comment your score and how long you studied for/what grade you were in when you took it thanks!!
My advice to you is to definitely wait on taking the test. It’s pricey, and there’s a good chance your money will go to waste since the Lit test is hard enough as a Junior/Senior. Even my friends who took AP Literature their junior year refused to take the subject test since it has a reputation for having a harsh curve (as compared to other subject tests). You need to know many literature terms and SAT-level/historical vocabulary as well as poetry analysis, things that are usually not covered in English classes, even advanced ones (until you get to AP level).
I personally took the test in June of my Junior year and scored an 800. I actually only prepared by looking over the Barron’s book to learn terms I didn’t know from my AP Lang class and took 2 of the practice tests/reviewed my incorrect answers. But before you jump to any conclusions, I did score an 800 on my Critical Reading section of my SAT and read/write a lot of poetry in my spare time.
So my advice is definitely to wait to take it. A big key to doing well (imo) is lots of practice, and you’re not going to have a lot of it as a sophomore. And in the end, the subject test requires minimal studying, since it’s not memorization-based, so it shouldn’t be too exhausting to take towards the end of your junior year. Hope this helps!