Good day Magoosh readers! Today I’m going to talk to a group of high school students I rarely get to see: freshmen and sophomores! Sorry juniors and seniors, I’ll see you next time! But if you want to stick around for this article, that’s okay, too.
Okay freshmen and sophomores, there’s a special reason I’m talking to you today. I bet you took world history last year, and had to memorize a bunch of kings, dates, and treaties. Even if history isn’t your cup of tea, there’s something you can do with all that knowledge before it fades away over summer break: the SAT World History Subject Test.
Before you go running for the hills, consider this. College isn’t that far away in your future, and every test score counts. And wouldn’t it be nice to rack up a few advantages over your peers even before you or anyone you know takes the SAT or ACT? I knew you’d agree. Let’s get started!
What can I expect?
Compared to the SAT, the World History Subject Test is small potatoes. Scored on a 200-800 point scale, the tests consists of ninety-five multiple choice questions. It only takes an hour, too!
Just because it’s short and simple doesn’t mean that the SAT World History Subject Test is easy. If you’re going to do a good job, you need to know what to expect.
What do I need to study?
Short answer: how well did you do in your world history class? If As were the most common letter on your assessments, a few hours of review should do the trick. If lower grades were more common in your experience, pay even closer attention to what the test covers before hitting the books.
No matter your experience, here is some information about eras the test covers that should help you form a study plan:
- Prehistory to 500 C.E.: 25%.
- 500 to 1500 C.E.: 20%
- 1500 to 1900 C.E.: 25%
- Post 1900s C.E.: 20%
- Cross-Chronological: 10%
The SAT World History Subject Test might also cover topics not normally covered in high school world history classes. For example, questions about Asia make up 30% of test questions. If your teacher did not focus on Asia (I know I didn’t as a world history teacher), make sure to take a practice test before you create your study plan. Missed questions will reveal any gaps in your knowledge. There are a lot of good resources online, too. In fact, Khan Academy has partnered with SAT to provide amazing world history resources.
What’s a high score good for?
As freshman and sophomores, you probably don’t know everything about the college admissions process. That’s okay. In short, a high score can do a couple of things to help your college admissions game.
The first advantage of having a high score is that it makes you a more competitive candidate. Though good grades and extracurricular activities may make you a shoe-in at a public college, if a private college is in your future, you’re going to need every advantage. Even at colleges that don’t require subject tests, good scores will always give you a boost.
The second advantage is financial. You may already know that high Advanced Placement scores can save you a few bucks in college, but SAT Subject Test scores can, too! Some colleges use subject test scores the same way as AP scores. This practice is not universal, though, so check the fine print as you research colleges.
Final Thoughts
Well, freshman and sophomore Magoosh readers, we have come to the end of our journey together. I hope you learned a little about the SAT World History Subject Test. And remember, if history isn’t your subject, there are a lot of other subject tests out there. No matter what, get out there and take one this summer!
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