<p>most people i've talked to have said that this is one of the hardest exams you could possibly take, people who read tons of books dont even do well, can anyone speak from experience on whether or not this is true. If anyone has taken the test and done well, could you describe the test, is it just a harder SAT reading passages with poetry?</p>
<p>I'll try to help you out because I got a 770 on the December test. Some of the poetry is esoteric, but the time limit is the real killer since you have to answer more than 60 questions (usually 61 to 63) in one hour with all the reading included. Just pretend you have a drill sergeant yelling in your ear and you should be okay on pacing. Keep in mind that it is more than just poetry, because half the test is made up of prose. Interestingly, the December test had a play on it, which is extremely rare. One more thing to keep in mind--if you are well-read, you have a chance of recognizing one of the passages on the test. I hope that answered your question.</p>
<p>"if you are well-read ...". Any specific suggestions?</p>
<p>i got a 760 on the SAT Verbal 92 questions from an 800) and i got a 550 on the SAT II lit. i left 1/4 of the test blank due to the limited time and i spent like 15 minutes on this 10 line poem i couldn't understand.</p>
<p>I got an 800 on last year's June SAT II Lit. It's essentially a MUCH harder version of the SAT I reading passages. There's a lot of analysis involved and you may need to read and reread the passages over three times before you even understand what the questions are asking for. Your main issue will probably be time and pacing yourself, as ElectronicError said. Practice skimming. If you skim well you can usually answer a couple of questions before diving back in for a <em>real</em> round of reading...</p>
<p>The rule of thumb for the SAT II Literature test is to expect 100 points less than your SAT I Verbal score and be thankful for every point above that. Although I usually run out of time on exams, even after time extensions, I did not have trouble finishing the Literature test. For comparsion, I missed the last 9 questions on the SAT II Writing due to time constraints (I had no watch).</p>
<p>My scores tell the full story: PSAT Writing 72, SAT I Verbal 750, SAT II Writing, SAT II Literature 690. Needless to say, that was a surprise. I was expecting worse. Prepare yourself for failure and you will always excel : )</p>
<p>What I found most difficult about the exam was the subjectivity of its questions. "Big idea" and "author's inetent" type questions are unnecessarily vague, overly interpretive, and unfortunately common.</p>