<p>If you look at this test book (Lit is in the front) from collegeboard:
<a href="http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/prof/counselors/tests/sat/2006-07-SAT-subject-tests-preparation-booklet.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/prof/counselors/tests/sat/2006-07-SAT-subject-tests-preparation-booklet.pdf</a>
.... the questions seem a lot easier than Barrons, Princeton Review, and Kaplan have in their review book.
... which is closest to the actual SAT II lit test?</p>
<p>that collegeboard one looks similar to what i took but i think it was harder. but that i mean the format is exactly the same but questions were phrased more difficultly, i got the barrons and read 1 passage of 1 test and got 750 but im pretty good at english i got a 5 on ap lang and thats where i learned how to answer tough questions,
either way good luck</p>
<p>lit's pretty subjective- but ultimately, it doesn't quite test your reading/analytical ability. on the other hand, i don't agree with most of the answer's logic because when it comes to lit, analyzing tone, emotions, and other speculations in itself can be very subjective. you are forced to select an answer from options that dance too closely to each other. i was taught in school that in literature (i took an a level curriculum, in which I had to churn out essays that showcased your knowledge, technique, literary acumen beyond analysis), the possibilities are infinite. </p>
<p>my thoughts: if it's a mcq-based test format, then the options should be as unambiguous as possible; or change the format altogether.</p>
<p>On the contrary. I think it tests nothing but your reading and analytical ability. I took this test in November and got a 790, and there were very few questions where I couldn't immediately elminate at least three answers as being dead wrong.</p>
<p>The comparison to the AP English Language test is accurate, I think. If you're good at answering those questions you'll do well on this test.</p>
<p>I looked at the questions on CB yesterday and they did seem VERY easy. </p>
<p>Today I decided to buy the Barron's review book, and although I haven't looked at it yet (I ordered it online), at least one review on Amazon said that it wayyy overprepares you. </p>
<p>So the test is probably a happy medium between the CB examples and the Barron's examples. </p>
<p>I'm also taking the AP Language test this year, and my English class is geared toward preparing us for that, so that should help. When it comes to that test, though, I agree with cuRRent: some of those questions are RIDICULOUSLY ambiguous. Usually I'm careful not to overanalyze or underanalyze, but... DAMN, some of those questions are hard. (I'm hoping it's just that the practice questions that my teacher uses are even more ambiguous than the real test, though.)</p>
<p>Of course the answer choices are very close. The sat ii is a test of how well you can distinguish between subtle nuances and differences between the answer choices. If four of them were nonsensical and only one was being close to correct, the test would be too easy. The correct answer is not 'arbitrary', it's just that you need to think more deeply or read more closely to realize that there is a significant, if minor, difference between each of the answer choices, and that while a few of them might be good answers, one is always going to be 'the best'.</p>
<p>When you're analyzing tone, emotion, voice, etc, that's not subjective, that's actually pretty objective. You're given a passage and you have to figure out what mood the author is in. Your personal experiences and opinions shouldn't influence the way you assess the thoughts and attitude of the authors...</p>
<p>OP, I practiced with Kaplan and princeton. I tried Barron's, but I think it's too different from the real test and goes overboard with terminology and technical stuff (the sat ii lit is NOT a test on terminology and technicalities). both kaplan and princeton are reasonably close to the real test. my scores on practice tests ranged from 760-800 with those two prep books and i got a 790 on the real one, to give you an idea. btw, i think i also did practice from another company .. peterson or something? it was an online service, and it was also pretty accurate in terms of difficulty.</p>
<p>Poseur, btw, I took the ap lang class last year and it didn't prepare me for sat ii lit (except for perhaps indirectly). It's the AP lit class that REALLY helps for sat ii lit. ap lang reading isn't on a deep enough level for the sat ii lit, IMO. on the other hand, maybe your ap lang class is very different from mine and closer in material to ap lit...</p>
<p>personally, i think a free response is much more engaging than what we have on the sat 2 lit. i never did mcq lit questions in my life until attempting the sats.</p>
<p>I will say briefly (as a tutor, erstwhile Harvard English major and long ago 800-scorer on the SAT II Literature) that the Kaplan and PR books occasionally have "right" answers that I flat-out disagree with. As is often the case with fake tests, the questions can be a little arbitrary, but the problem is even worse on the SAT II Literature than it is on the SAT I CR.</p>
<p>I think the AP questions are excellent prep but harder than the SAT II, so if you find the AP multiple choice to be really intimidating, don't despair.</p>
<p>Fake SAT II Lit practice tests are still worth using: just don't get discouraged if you feel that some of the answers are arbitrary. ('Cause they are.)</p>
<p>The most important thing for the SAT II Lit is to learn to close read. Get yourself a decent book of poems and study them carefully until you feel sure you understand them: this exercise alone can get you a long way.</p>