September Subject Test

[Wimsey]

Hello! I thought I would create a thread to see who will be partaking in the joys of the GRE Lit test. Perhaps we can share resources/tips/encouragement as the time draws closer. I'd love to hear from past test-takers, too.  

For my studying, I am taking notes on the Norton anthologies, supplemented by a couple of encyclopedic companions to English literature. I started perusing the Nortons earlier this year, but my studying has been sporadic until a few weeks ago. I also own the Princeton Review book but have not devoted much time to it, since I don't plan to take the PR and ETS practice tests until next month. The study process is simultaneously enjoyable and overwhelming. I appreciate the opportunity to review major writers and works, but I am still not very confident in my ability to apply my knowledge to the actual exam.

Wishing everyone luck on the test and in other application endeavors!

[onerepublic96]

Hello! I took the subject test in April and it seemed fine but I didn't budget my time well at all and ended up not getting to the last 30 questions ?. Hoping for a better experience in September! 

[Indecisive Poet]

On 7/13/2019 at 1:02 AM, onerepublic96 said:

Hello! I took the subject test in April and it seemed fine but I didn't budget my time well at all and ended up not getting to the last 30 questions ?. Hoping for a better experience in September! 

FWIW, I took it twice and the same thing happened to me both times, even though I thought I had budgeted my time really well the second time. I still scored in the 83rd percentile, which I'm happy with.

[HenryJams]

On 7/17/2019 at 11:33 PM, LittleShakespeare90 said:

I’m terrified!

My sentiments exactly.  I'm registered for the September exam.

Wimsey, my studying strategy is pretty similar to yours.  I have also thrown the Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory into the mix. 

On 7/12/2019 at 3:43 PM, Wimsey said:

The study process is simultaneously enjoyable and overwhelming.

Yes, I agree entirely.  The Norton Anthologies are super-fun to read, but the fun for me is kind of diminished when I recall that I'm supposed to, you know, remember what I'm reading.  Ha. 

Not sure if y'all have seen it already, but you can find additional (helpful) information about the exam on this thread: https://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/99854-gre-literature-subject-test-a-discussion/.  Some people who did really well on the test posted tips and tricks on the thread.

[Wimsey]

I hope everyone's studying is going well! I want to share some Quizlet flashcard sets that I recently discovered. They have been pretty helpful in reminding me about authors/works/terminology. There are quite a few sets, but I've looked at these four so far.  

https://quizlet.com/219568962/gre-subject-literature-flash-cards/

https://quizlet.com/gb/311425635/gre-literature-flash-cards/

https://quizlet.com/299879265/gre-in-literature-flash-cards/

https://quizlet.com/16183548/gre-literature-flash-cards/

[Wimsey]

I noticed that the Princeton Review book seems to give outdated information about scoring. PR says that ETS deducts a quarter of a point for each wrong answer. However, the ETS practice test and their subject test FAQs both say that nothing is deducted for incorrect answers. I think this is a pretty important change, since now there is no penalty for guessing.

[Indecisive Poet]

1 hour ago, Wimsey said:

I noticed that the Princeton Review book seems to give outdated information about scoring. PR says that ETS deducts a quarter of a point for each wrong answer. However, the ETS practice test and their subject test FAQs both say that nothing is deducted for incorrect answers. I think this is a pretty important change, since now there is no penalty for guessing.

The information in the PR book is, in general, out of date – it's what I used, but I wouldn't recommend it. It also claims that most of the questions on the exam are veiled identification questions when, in reality, they're mostly comprehension questions.

[HenryJams]

I also noticed the Princeton Review's erroneous information about scoring.  It was a little late in the game (i.e., yesterday).  This makes my test strategy a little more manageable because now I can plan to just christmas-tree the whole second half, if I make it that far, hehe.

[AtlasFox]

Just wanted to pop in and say that I'll be taking the test this Saturday! I'm starting to feel a little nervous about it, but I'm not sweating it too much because I think only 1 or 2 programs I'm considering either require it or recommend it. 

I can't offer any study tips, but everything everyone's said so far has been really helpful! I've been going through the Quizlet flashcards and I'm surprised not only by how much I remember from my survey classes, but also how much literature I've never even heard of before now. 

 

[merry night wanderer]

It's a little late with the test on Saturday, but I got an Acceptable Score (90th percentile), and I do want to say that my strategy was basically slowly working through the practice test and making flashcards of the terminology, researching authors/works I didn't know, and generally getting a sense for the kinds of questions that the test tends to ask. And honestly, a ton of that material showed up on the exam. I should have done more with the Nortons (the hit to my score was  probably 90% my abysmal 20th century lit understanding) but the practice test was honestly very helpful.

[HenryJams]

Good luck to everyone tomorrow!

[Wimsey]

Very glad to be done with the test! Some things I knew, and for other questions I made educated guesses or just guessed in the dark. Good job to everyone else who survived the experience!