SAT Subject Test in Literature
Encyclopedia
The SAT Subject Test in Literature is the name of a one-hour multiple choice
test
given on English literature
by The College Board. A student
chooses whether to take the test depending upon college
entrance requirements for the schools in which the student is planning to apply. Until 1994, the SAT Subject Tests
were known as Achievement Tests; and from 1995 until January 2005, they were known as SAT IIs. Of all SAT subject tests, Literature is taken the third most, with 119,180 administrations in 2008.
gives a list of concepts covered in this exam:
Furthermore, the College Board recommends a familiarity with specialized analytical terms, including irony, stanza, imagery and tone . They also recommend regularly reading British and American literature, though no book list is given.
of 112. Less than 1% of those who took the exam received a perfect score (800) . Students are permitted to take this exam more than once to try to improve their scores.
Multiple choice
Multiple choice is a form of assessment in which respondents are asked to select the best possible answer out of the choices from a list. The multiple choice format is most frequently used in educational testing, in market research, and in elections-- when a person chooses between multiple...
test
Standardized test
A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent, or "standard", manner. Standardized tests are designed in such a way that the questions, conditions for administering, scoring procedures, and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a...
given on English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
by The College Board. A student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
chooses whether to take the test depending upon college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
entrance requirements for the schools in which the student is planning to apply. Until 1994, the SAT Subject Tests
SAT Subject Tests
SAT Subject Tests is the name for 20 multiple-choice standardized tests given on individual subjects, usually taken to improve a student's credentials for admission to colleges in the United States. Students typically choose which tests to take depending upon college entrance requirements for the...
were known as Achievement Tests; and from 1995 until January 2005, they were known as SAT IIs. Of all SAT subject tests, Literature is taken the third most, with 119,180 administrations in 2008.
Format
This test has an average of 60 multiple choice questions about six to eight passages to be answered in one hour. Of the passages, about half are prose and half are poems Up to twenty percent can be drama excerpts. 30% are passages written before 1700, 30% are written between 1701 and 1900, and 40% are written after 1900 . Half of the passages were written by British authors and half by American authors, although the College Board stipulates that up to 20% may be written by authors from other English-speaking countries. While the author is usually not given, the date of first publication usually accompanies each passage.Preparation
The College BoardCollege Board
The College Board is a membership association in the United States that was formed in 1900 as the College Entrance Examination Board . It is composed of more than 5,900 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. It sells standardized tests used by academically oriented...
gives a list of concepts covered in this exam:
- meaning and theme
- argument
- word connotation
- form, structure, and organization
- genre
- figurative language, specifically imagery
- narrative voice
- characterization
Furthermore, the College Board recommends a familiarity with specialized analytical terms, including irony, stanza, imagery and tone . They also recommend regularly reading British and American literature, though no book list is given.
Scoring
Theoretically, the lowest score on this exam is a 200, with the highest being 800. However, in 2008, the lowest score was a 260. The mean score was 580, with a standard deviationStandard deviation
Standard deviation is a widely used measure of variability or diversity used in statistics and probability theory. It shows how much variation or "dispersion" there is from the average...
of 112. Less than 1% of those who took the exam received a perfect score (800) . Students are permitted to take this exam more than once to try to improve their scores.
See also
- SATSATThe SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
- SAT Subject TestsSAT Subject TestsSAT Subject Tests is the name for 20 multiple-choice standardized tests given on individual subjects, usually taken to improve a student's credentials for admission to colleges in the United States. Students typically choose which tests to take depending upon college entrance requirements for the...
- PSAT/NMSQTPSAT/NMSQTThe Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test is a standardized test administered by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation in the United States.This test is offered by the College Board....