Hello Guys.
I’m an International Student,and I want to take SAT U.S History.I’ve done a lot of research here,but as you may know,though there are many topics related to this issue here,but still comments are totally different and sometime are in contrast with each other.
In my country,there’ isn’t any SAT or AP class,so I have to buy their prep books and study by myself.
When I was researching ,many users had suggested KAPLAN ,PR,and AMSCO are incredibly good.
But I’m still CONFUSED,comments are really different,I can’t find a common point among them,and I don’t know which of the books is the most suitable for my case.
I want to take it on October 1st,2016 (about six month from now).
It seems AMSCO has a lot of content,isn’t it boring? I mean,realistically,is all of it necessary? I certainly want an 800.
Given that PR and KAPLAN has less content in compared with AMSCO,what do you suggest to study for getting an 800.
After all,you live in the U.S and absolutely have more experience and know better than me how these things work.
Thanks a lot.I’d appreciate your help.
Taking US History instead of some other SAT subject test subject isn’t going to particularly impress. Take US History if you are genuinely interested. Don’t do if you think that particular subject is going to give you an admissions edge.
My recommendation would be to NOT take the SAT US History Subject test for two reasons:
(1) as an international student, you will be at a disadvantage, as most US high school students already know the significance of the Sugar Act, Dred Scott Decision, Appomattox, etc without even studying for the exam. It would be like a US student self-studying for a history exam of your country. They would be at a disadvantage because YOU already know much of the information and THEY would be constantly playing catch-up.
(2) Most importantly, many US colleges do NOT grant acceleration credit or Advanced Placement for the SAT US History Exam. Harvard doesn’t give credit for any student taking the SAT US History exam and neither does Yale or Princeton. So, what’s the point of taking an exam that has no usefulness in college. (FWIW: Some colleges such as Princeton grant credit for an AP US History Exam of 4 or 5, however Harvard and Yale do not.)
If you are searching for SAT Subject Tests to take, I would suggest areas that you would have an equal advantage in such as Math, Chemistry, Biology, and Physics.