Is SAT II Lit really that hard?

<p>I've heard so many people complaining that lit is extremely hard. I've tried to take the test from the CB book (All subject tests), finished it in 40 minutes and scored 700 according to the book. In mySAT I CR I only scored 680. Was I just lucky or should I really consider taking lit? </p>

<p>Is there anybody for whom English is the second language who scored well on th SAT II Lit?
Because so many people say it's impossible to score well, I was considering taking World History instead, although now I know nothing about it...
So should I prepare for Lit or for World History just because it's easier?</p>

<p>i found the real thing a bit harder than the official lit test from the CB book. </p>

<p>and no; it is not impossible to get a high score on the test. the curve is harsher than most other tests and you cant really get a good score by studying like you can with say, any of the histories or math (i mean, you can improve your reading comprehension, but that’s something that takes time and isn’t something that you can accomplish by memorizing a bunch of facts; that’s what i mean by, “you can’t really study for it”) but if you’re innately good English, then you should be fine.</p>

<p>“In mySAT I CR I only scored 680. Was I just lucky or should I really consider taking lit?”</p>

<p>when you say you “only” scored 680 on the CR, you’re making it sound like there’s a huge disparity between your results on both. it was only a 20 point difference; not strange at all. i definitely say go for it, just brush up on lit terms and get accustomed to reading 16th-19th century prose. they will throw anything at you.</p>

<p>/advice from someone who got a 750</p>

<p>The SAT Subject Test in Literature is fun and easy. I found it much more interesting than the SAT CR section, which contains all those antiquated vocabulary words and poorly written passages. (I got an 800 on the CR section, so I am entitled to criticize it.) The literature test has fairly interesting literature passages. And don’t let the poetry daunt you. I took the test never having studied for it, and never having been a poetry reader, but I got a 790 in one try. All you have to do is to read the passages, and answer the questions. Most of the answers are obvious. A few are more tricky, but you just have to make sure you understand what the passage is really saying. And you don’t need to understand complicated ‘literary terms’. I didn’t really at the time I took it, but I did fine anyway. I should mention that I read classic literature every chance I get. That gives me an advantage. But still, anyone who can read complex literature quickly while still comprehending it should get at least a 700.</p>

<p>Thanks a lot to both of you! You returned me my confidence:-)</p>

<p>You returned my confidence to me*</p>

<p>I am naturally good at English I think, but I’m not sure how to prepare for it. I don’t have much time for subject tests because I’m taking most of my time to study for the SAT I. (Only have a 2030, want a 2200). If I get 2200+ on 2-3 practice tests in a row I will stop</p>

<p>Um, what are you asking?</p>

<p>I think it’s hard in that it’s difficult to really study for it, and it’s harder to get an 800 than it is on other tests. I did fine on lit, 750, but it was my worst score because everything on the test is so subjective so it’s often hard to tell what the right answer is.</p>

<p>I’d say that getting to 760, 770 is pretty clear. The last 30 or 40 are mostly subjective. But you do have to remember that even if a question is subjective, lit. is one of those subjects that you can get right even if the answer is subjective if you are good enough at it. You just kind of feel the right answer, even if you can’t definitely point to one thing that makes it right or wrong. And yes, you’re right, you really can’t study for lit. Lit. is something that you have to know through practice. There is no “study strategy” that will boost your score bigtime. I think that is good, mostly because I love literature, so my 790 looks better.</p>