U.S. History
SAT Subject Test in U.S. History Practice
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Introduction
The U.S. History Subject Test assesses your knowledge of and ability to use material commonly taught in U.S. history and social studies courses in high school.
All questions on the U.S. history Tests are multiple-choice, requiring you to choose the best response from five choices. Questions may be presented as separate items or in sets based on quotes, maps, pictures, graphs, or tables.
Test Basics
| Points | Minutes | Questions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200-800 | 60 | ≈90-95 |
There are 90 to 95 multiple-choice questions covering political, economic, social, intellectual, and cultural history, as well as foreign policy. |
Topics on the Test
| Material | Periods | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 32-36% |
Political history |
20% |
Pre-Columbian history to 1789 |
| 18-20% |
Economic history |
40% |
1790 to 1898 |
| 18-22% |
Social history |
40% |
1899 to the present |
| 10-12% |
Intellectual and cultural history |
||
| 13-17% |
Foreign policy |
||
- Familiarity with historical concepts, 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
- A one-year, comprehensive course in U.S. History at the college preparatory level is essential.
- Social studies courses and outside reading could be helpful also. Overall, prepare with a variety of reading approaches and academic courses, including courses in United States History that focus on pre-Columbian times to the present.
Review your U.S. History textbook, 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.
