Which SAT II test should I go for?

<p>So, I'm definitely taking Math 2, but I'm not sure if I should take U.S history or Spanish (without listening). I took AP US history and AP Spanish, but I got a 3 on both. I feel like I should take Spanish since I barely remember anything from APUSH (couldn't take the test in June because of a summer trip). Which test will be the easiest to score well on one or two tries...without drowning myself with studying? Also, which test is notorious for being difficult?</p>

<p>Spanish is notorious for being difficult for non native speakers. Depends how well-versed you are in spanish, I suppose. If you look at the US History curve, it is much more generous than the Spanish one and you can get a few and still get an 800. Coming from a strong background background in Honors U.S. I was able to get a 790 on it. On the other hand, Spanish… let’s just say I didn’t even want to open the envelope. But my experiences are far from universal/ My friend who has a talent for languages, as a non-native speaker was able to get a 760 in Spanish, but she was one of the top people in our class.</p>

<p>My point being, we all have different talents. It sounds to me like you treat them both equally, in which case us might be a better route, but if you feel strongly about your spanish skills go with that., just be warned of its difficulty. Keep in mind there are many other tests out there as well - sciences, literature, and mathematics</p>

<p>@shawnspencer‌ do you know anything about the SAT literature test?</p>

<p>Yes I have taken it, twice</p>

<p>@shawnspencer‌ would you say it’s pretty easy?</p>

<p>No, I wouldn’t. And this is coming from a person that got an 800 on the CR section of his SATs. </p>

<p>But honestly, I think some of it is up to luck. The first time I took it, I got like a 630-ish on the test, the second time I took it I got a 760. The difference between the two? I did approximately the same amount of studying for both, one practice test and looking over some tips the night before. I think the major difference was the difficulty of the passages, basically how easy they are to understand. On the Literature test, you will get poems, short stories, and even international works (translated to english). Then you will have to be able to interpret them and look for things such as symbolism and behind-the-scenes meaning. If you can do that, you are all set, but it is more difficult with the poems.</p>

<p>My advice is if you are dead set on taking it, take one of the other subject tests in the same day. Literature can either be a hit or a miss (as you can see from the range in scores), and it is one of the tests that is more intuition based than the other ones. One of the hardest parts is the timing, you have to be able to read the entire passages in the amount of time allotted. The first time, I definitely wasn’t prepared for that. Also, know that there can only be one interpretation for the passage. For instance, if it if you think “flowers” means hope in the passage, then every single answer following should match that interpretation. If for one of the questions relating to flowers, it does not have “hope” as one of the answers, then that is not the correct interpretation and you can cross if off.</p>

<p>Another tip I can give you is that just because an answer SOUNDS like a “smart, english professor” type answer, if it is not supported in the passage, it is not the correct answer. You have to be able to point back in the passage and literally say “this is where I got my support.” So just because in the past you have learned water means rebirth or night means death, if it doesn’t fit in the context of the passage, it is not the correct answer. If you want to try your hand at the Lit or any subject tests, take the free practice tests on CB’s website or get the blue book containing all the subject tests. You can get an idea of how well you would do and which one would be the best for you. If you want to take lit, take a look at past tips threads on CC and I have heard Kaplan is pretty helpful for this one (though again, I did minimal studying for the test, only the free tests CB provides)</p>

<p>Again, I’d recommend other subject tests before this one (or if planning to take this one, take another test on the same day) just because the other ones are more studyable and you may find the curves to be easier. But if you do decide to take it, you have some general guidlines to help you and you won’t be going in blind. Good luck!</p>