Hi guys, this is my first thread and I would really love to get some input on this. I am thinking of taking the SAT Subject Test for US History this October, but I had already taken AP US History. I wonder if this would look bad on my college application because it shows a lack of diverse subjects, but I am really running out of time and the school I want to apply to requires at least 2 SAT Subject Test. I want to take US History because I’ve already studied it and it’s just basically memorization. Thanks guys!
I took APUSH this year and also took the subject test in June. I don’t think it shows a lack of diversity in subjects since learning history in depth for AP for a whole year is great preparation for the subject test. This is the same for any subject test. That being said, the whole purpose of the subject tests is to show your strong points in subjects that you specifically do well in and like. If you feel like you can do well on the U.S one, then you should take it.
@littlet4lks thanks a lot! It’s just that my school guidance counselor kept saying that people should take SAT Subject test in different areas than the AP Subject ones. Since you have taken the SAT Subject Test US History and APUSH, can you tell me some differences, which one is harder, and what to expect on the SAT Subject Test one? Thanks a heap!!!
@Brinette A major difference between the two is that the subject test is very detail-oriented whereas the AP exam was more about understanding the overall concepts. For example, you might see a political cartoon and they will ask you what it represents and all the choices could be vocab terms like brinkmanship, containment, etc. There are also questions on individual things like people, authors and their books.
In response to which one is harder, I think it really varies from person to person. In my opinion, I found the subject test ten times easier than the AP exam since my teacher really focused on specific things and I felt more prepared for it than the AP exam (which I found pretty hard).
@littlet4lks wow, this really helps! Did you use any separate review book for SAT US History test, or you just use normal textbook at school? Also, is the curve hard? How many questions you need to get right to get around 700+? Thanks again!!!
@Brinette The curve is actually pretty generous! If you google “sparknotes U.S history subject test curve” the first link will give you a rough idea on how the curve is for the most part (although it may vary a bit from test to test).
For review, I used two books. I used the crash course book for APUSH and this other book that I ordered from amazon called “No Bull Review: For Use with the AP US History Exam and SAT Subject Test”. However, I think it’s fine to use review books that you may already have from APUSH. I found both the books helpful and I ended up with a 710 on the exam.
@littlet4lks thank you so much for your help and I am much more confident to take it now, thanks!!!
@Brinette No problem! 