World History
The World History Subject Test measures your understanding of key developments in global history and your use of basic historical techniques. Basic techniques include the application and weighing of evidence and the ability to interpret and generalize.
Anticipated Skills
- Familiarity with terminology, cause-and-effect relationships, geography, and other data necessary for understanding major historical developments
- A grasp of concepts essential to historical analysis
- An ability to use historical knowledge in interpreting data in maps, graphs, charts, or cartoons
Recommended Prep
Overall, prepare with a variety of reading approaches and academic courses, including courses in world history that focus on world cultures or area studies.
More specifically, review the sample questions here. Then take the real practice test included in The Official Study Guide for all SAT Subject Tests. Review your world history textbook, too, paying careful attention to any areas you're weak in, as well as to "periodization," the trends within major periods. Timelines are useful tools for doing this.
What's the best textbook?
The test is not tied to any one particular textbook. Periodically, teachers are surveyed about what they teach in their world history courses and how much time they spend on specific topics. This data is used to set the specifications for the test.
For more information, including sample test questions, download a free copy of SAT Subject Tests Preparation Booklet (.pdf/2.34M) .
