<p>Hi there,</p>
<p>Just a quick question: when is it best to take the Literature SAT II Subject Test? I talked to my Literature teacher about it, who thought that I am definitely smart enough to take it at the end of this year, though he urged me to talk to my school's college counseling department about it. I'm talking to them soon, but any opinions?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I took it after I finished AP English Language with a B- and got a 600 (with studying). I'm going to take it again in December after I take AP Literature.</p>
<p>it really depends on how comfortable you are with critical reading. it's one of those ones where even if you study, its more about your aptitude because there isn't as much you can do to prepare (compared to like, chem, haha)</p>
<p>personally, i got 800 critical reading in january, an A in AP english language and just in general, love to read. so it makes sense for me. </p>
<p>my best advice is to take a full practice test and see if you feel as though it is your kind of test. warning: there is going to be ALOT of poetry, so if you are one of those people that hates poetry, spare yourself.</p>
<p>then, my feeling about it is that you should take it as soon as you can. if you've already studied for the SAT, vocab-wise, you have done enough. the other stuff doesnt really take that long to cover in a prep book.</p>
<p>I'm a sophomore right now, do you think it would be best to wait until the end of Junior year, or take it in a couple months? I have an A in Lit, which is rare for my school...we have a very sink or swim lit department.</p>
<p>^ There's no harm in taking it now if you think you're ready. With the College Board's new "score choice" policy you only report the scores you want to report, so if you don't do as well as you hope you can re-take it later or focus on other exams. My D took the SAT II Literature test in December and scored a 780 with minimal prep, but she's a compulsive reader and a Shakespeare fanatic. She said there were a lot of passages using Elizabethan or other older forms of English that she's quite comfortable with, but that students who haven't read as broadly might find challenging. My understanding is it's mostly about skills in close, careful reading of texts, not substantive knowledge, but familiarity with a broad range of period English vocabulary and writing styles is a big plus in being able to make sense of some of what's thrown at you.</p>
<p>Take it if/when you are taking AP English Language. I didn't study for the Literature but my AP English class had a lot of prep for the AP exam, and I found out on test day that the questions were fairly similar. I took it the June of my junior year, so I had already taken the AP, which was enough preparation to get me a 740. Study meter though, because that is on the literature but not on the AP English Language test.</p>