You’ve probably heard this from me before, but I’ll say it again: Don’t freak out over this exam. It’s really not that bad. It’s another three credits and definitely worth the effort. College Board recommends reading all the great American novels to prepare. That’s not bad advice—but let’s be honest, most of us don’t have the time. What you should do is study them in detail. Plot points, characters, and the overarching themes of American literature make up more than half of this exam. We’ll dive deeper into that below. The other big chunk of the test focuses on your ability to understand poetry and prose. Don’t worry if you’re not a huge poetry fan. You might get the occasional “Who wrote this?” question, but most of the time, they’re testing your ability to interpret what the poem or prose is saying. Here’s a little trick I use: if I hit a poem that makes zero sense, I quietly read it out loud. I don’t know why, but hearing it often makes the meaning click. Try it and see if it works for you. Lastly, there’s a smaller section on literary terms and devices. Be sure to brush up on those too. For example, you should know what iambic pentameter is and be able to recognize it when you see it.