<p>Guys, I'm a rising senior who just took the June SAT. My CR was a 760, which was not too stellar but not too mediocre either, so I'm thinking of taking Literature for a subject test this October, along with Math II and Physics (weird, I know). I ran through a few samples on the CB website, and I think I can handle them, but the real test seems to be a tad harder, and I'm kinda afraid I won't have enough time to prepare for it. Is two months enough time to manage a reasonable score on Literature? And also, do you have any recommendations as to which practice books I should use?</p>
<p>The literature SAT II can be a tricky test. You’ve already got your 760, so you obviously have very solid reading skills. You’ll be able to hit 690/700 on this test without problems using those skills. Getting your score up from there can be a sort of “hit or miss” type of thing, depending on the day and the passages selected. The way the CR can have one “trap answer” along with the correct one, Lit can feel like it has four “traps” concealing the real answer. It’s challenging if you tend to over think things, like me! </p>
<p>Beyond that, I would just be sure that you’re familiar with all the different genres of literature that they can give you. Make sure you’re comfortable analyzing romantic poetry, all sorts of verbose prose, etc. I don’t feel that anything except the two released college board tests really reflected the test I took on testing day (be sure to get those!), but Kaplan will give you a good idea of the range of texts you might find. It’ll also allow you to adjust to the timing, which can be tricky. </p>
<p>Lastly, don’t waste too much time on literary terminology. Know your basics (Quatrains, couplets, alliterations, etc.), but, if more complex terms show up (synesthesia, heroic couplet, sprung rhythm, etc.), they will be defined on your test! They definitely were on mine. </p>
<p>Hope that’s helpful!</p>