<p>I'll be taking the US. History subject test this January. I have very little background knowledge of the subject, though, so I'm self-studying it. My question is: is Sparknotes sufficient for 750+? I have read through the whole thing, and right now I'm going to reread it and then memorize their glossary (yes, every single word in the glossary). After that, I'll take the practice tests, and then concentrate on my weak areas. I'll then do the Blue Book practice test too.</p>
<p>Would that approach be OK for at least a 750? Unfortunately, I don't have access to AMSCO, and my only resources are Sparknotes and Barron's. I'll be using Barron's to concentrate on my weaker areas, but not as the sole studying guide: I heard a lot of people say Barron's is an overkill for US. History.</p>
<p>So, is that enough? If not, what would you suggest? I still have ample time to prepare.</p>
<p>Here is a reply I gave to someone else about US History which may be useful to you:</p>
<p>I had very little US History background and over 2 months achieved a 750. I used several other books which I found useful:</p>
<p>AMSCO-This book may appear small but it is actually very dense and full of a lot of valuable information. I would try to read this at least once before the test. This contains virtually every piece of material one could possibly be tested on.</p>
<p>Spark Notes-This is a good comprehensive review book that is fairly easy to read. A neat feature of the book is the in-depth glossary it contains, of people, places, court cases, etc.</p>
<p>Crash Course-As the name suggests, this book is great for a last minute review. It really does focus on many key trends and details which will easily get you a 600+ (I would not recommend this for those looking for a perfect score, but it does provide a very solid review). It is extremely short/easy to read (2-3 hours max).</p>
<p>im sure that you can get a 750 if you have a solid history background. i got a 790 on mine only by reading the first half of the sparknotes guide. if you havent taken AP us history, i dont know then…</p>
<p>Sorry, lol. The short answer is yes, it is enough. But I would suggest not using only Spark Notes since it is not nearly as thorough as some of the other review books (i.e. AMSCO).</p>
<p>I took the October test and got a 780… and am not sure if Spark Notes is enough. I used some APUSH notes from last year + Barrons’ to study + Spark Notes practice tests. I’ve also skimmed through Spark Notes review guide, and like people have mentioned, it isn’t very thorough. Unfortunately I can’t recommend Barrons either since it is TOO thorough.</p>
<p>Thanks for your reply, lyc0r1s. I’d like you to have a look at what exactly I’m going to do:</p>
<ol>
<li>Read through Sparknotes 2-3 times, while memorizing the glossary</li>
<li>Take a Practice test, and find my weaker areas</li>
<li>Study my weaker areas using Barron’s. Since it’s too thorough anyway, it’ll probably brush me up more than enough, which isn’t bad at all</li>
<li>Repeat the above three steps, reviewing Sparknotes again, taking a practice test, and then concentrating on my weaker areas.</li>
</ol>
<p>Wouldn’t that be just enough? If I could’ve got AMSCO before, then the problem would have been solved, but alas I just can’t!</p>
<p>I’m not really emphasizing on <em>just</em>, it’s just that it happened that I typed it ^_^.</p>
<p>But even if I try my best, my question is whether it is possible or not using Sparknotes. If it isn’t thorough enough, wouldn’t it be pretty much impossible?</p>
<p>It is very much possible, are you willing to risk not being throughly grounded enough for the $xx another prep book (Barrons?) will support you with?</p>
<p>Evidently, the more you study, the higher you score. My question was whether Sparknotes was enough for getting a 750. I can study Sparknotes for 15 hours a day for a year, but then again I might not be able to score a 750 simply due to the fact that sparknotes isn’t thorough enough. That’s why I’m posting this thread. Yes, I have ample time to revise, but at the same time, I have school work, other SAT subject tests, APs… I don’t want spend all my time studying for stuff that won’t help, then realizing that too late. That’s why I made this thread; I’m looking for the most efficient way to study.</p>